SAD stands for Seasonal Affective Disorder, a type of depression that relates to changes in seasons. A lot of people who suffer with SAD, experience symptoms going into winter that don’t reduce until the seasons change back into summer. Sometimes, people can also experience SAD during the spring and summer seasons, and they experience less symptoms during the winter months. 

SAD can sometimes be passed off as winter blues or a seasonal funk, but it is important to recognise if it is something that should be taken more seriously. It is normal to feel low occasionally, to feel unmotivated and sad, but if this is occurring daily without an obvious cause, you may be experiencing a form of SAD. 

Below are some of the main symptoms to be aware of: 

➢ low mood 

➢ lack of interest in life. 

➢ being less active than normal 

➢ sleeping more 

➢ low self-esteem 

➢ indecisiveness 

➢ tearfulness 

➢ feeling stressed or anxious 

So, if you are experiencing anything from the above list or similar symptoms that may be caused by SAD, what can you do to reduce the effect they have on you? 

➢ Maintaining a regular sleep schedule can help to reduce SAD symptoms, as it gives you a regular exposure to light throughout the day. 

➢ Eating at consistent times can also help reduce symptoms like overeating and help to not feel as tired as often. 

➢ Getting your thoughts down in a journal can help you to identify how you are feeling and monitor your mood. 

➢ Practicing gratitude can also help to elevate your mood. It can be helpful to try to view your thoughts as controllable, such as that you can change the way that you think about specific situations. By changing your mindset, such as through gratitude, you may be able to achieve more throughout your day and begin to feel more in control of your feelings. 

Our mindfulness journal can be a great place to start with your gratitude journey and becoming more self-aware, which can help tackle Seasonal Affective Disorder. The internal pages are designed to help you plan your days and weeks, track your sleep, food and drink and your wellness goals. You can fill out the date yourself so you can start using this helpful planner any time of the year. 

Journalling can have a huge positive impact on your mental health, which is valuable for anyone during the winter months, not just for people suffering with SAD. So, what are the specific benefits of journalling? 

• It helps you to prioritise and make sense of your concerns and problems that you are experiencing 
• Track day to day symptoms and mood changes – allowing you to identify triggers and learn how to control them. 

• Allows a platform for positive self-talk! 
• Journalling can make you feel less alone if you are feeling lonely, as it acts as 
• a platform to speak to yourself. 

If you are interested in taking a closer look at our mindfulness journal, you can find it here.