It’s the first of October, and that usually means that I need to prepare myself for the upcoming winter months. Autumn is my favorite season, and even though I plan to live in its present, the foreboding season of winter still lingers in the back of my head. I never understood or could quite express how I felt during these months until one of my aunts mentioned that she was “Seasonally Affected.”
Seasonal Affective Disorder (or, the most spot-on acronym: SAD) is a type of depression that’s related to a change in season and usually shows up around autumn and continues into the long, cold winter months. It can drain your energy and make you moody, but other symptoms can pop up as winter progresses:
- Feeling depressed most of the day
- Losing interest in any activities you once enjoyed
- Having extremely low energy to do simple tasks
- Experiencing problems falling or staying asleep/oversleeping
- Noticing changes in your appetite or weight (swaying in either direction)
- Feeling agitated and sluggish
- Having difficulty concentrating
- Feeling: Hopeless, guilty, worthless, unloved
- Social withdrawal from family/friends
- Frequent thoughts of suicide or death
My doctor did not diagnose me with SAD, but I do take it seriously. Seasonal Affective Disorder is diagnosed more often in women than in men, and due to my family’s history of depression, I make sure that my symptoms don’t get worse or lead to problems.
If you feel you may have one or more of these symptoms in the following months, don’t let it go unnoticed. It’s normal to have a few days when you’re not feeling 100%, but if you experience any symptom for weeks at a time and undoubtedly cannot get motivated to do any of the normal activities you usually do, I highly suggest you see a doctor.
Click here If you would like to read more on Seasonal Affective Disorder or wondering about diagnosis and treatment
The Gray Space 
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