Dealing With Seasonal Affective Depression

Happy Friday! Today I’m sharing how I’m dealing with seasonal affective depression. If you’ve noticed I haven’t been blogging much or been on my social medias. It’s because I’ve been dealing with seasonal affective depression or SAD. Literally the name fits it so well. So I haven’t been officially diagnose but the nurse who comes over to check on my mom says we all could be suffering from it. I know last year I was being affected by it but it wasn’t as bad ass this year. I seem to really have it hard but I’m finally getting past it so I wanted to write this blog post to help me in that process and maybe help someone else who is dealing with seasonal affective depression as well.

Outfit Details

I went with an all white outfit. I love seeing all these winter white looks on Pinterest and on Instagram lately so I tried doing it myself. My top is from a department store in Manila which is old but one of the only sweaters I have in white. I linked another one I own which is similar and in a cream color here. I’ve worn this sweater here and it has such a good quote on it which was the theme of that blog post. My jeans were great over spring and summer last year and I’m bringing them back. I’m wearing a size 16 and are super high-waisted on me. I don’t own a plain white bag so I went with this black and white tote bag but I needed to take my laptop out with me that day so it worked out. My shoes are my comfy white sneakers I have been wearing since the fall and I still love them. Lastly my headband I have been wearing non-stop from outside of the house to inside to keep the hair out of my face. I love how popular they are and they have been such a nice touch to my outfit.

Shop My Outfit

SAD is a type of depression that’s related to changes in seasons maybe it’s due to the fact that there’s less sunlight these past few months. I researched some symptoms of SAD and they included a drop in energy level, a tendency to oversleep, difficulty concentrating and an avoidance of social situations. I could definitely check off everything on the list. I have been feeling so down and been oversleeping like crazy which is so bad. I honestly feel like a bear needing to hibernate. That is when I realized something was wrong.

I first noticed feeling slightly depressed last year when it was so cold and it was my first official winter. The time was off, it was so cold inside and outside and it was raining like crazy so it made me not want to leave the house. I realized I had it a little in the Philippines when I lived there and it only happened when it would be grey and rainy for a week. I thought I was just bothered that I couldn’t take pictures for my blog but I guess it was the weather affecting me too. Then reading about SAD I realized I had it all along but this year seems worse though.

To me, it’s EXTREMELY frustrating especially because I don’t know why I’m sad. I just feel it. I ask myself why I’m sad when I have my parents that care about me, a roof over my head and a pretty decent life. What is wrong with me when I know others have it worse? Then that thought makes me even more upset and I feel like I can’t justify those feelings and then I’m making the situation even worse for me.

The anxiety comes out of nowhere and it’s often something very small that sets me off. I will just get sad all of a sudden. I wanted to open up more about my mental health and this was the perfect blog post for me to do it in. I felt like I really let SAD take over. S now that I am starting to come off of it and let myself wallow I’m determined to fight it now.

So here’s how I’ve been doing it and tips that pulled me out of it.

Let Yourself Wallow For a Bit

This was the first step for me. I had to just give in. I am the kind of person that just needs to cave and do whatever I want and just be lazy. I spent most of January this way though. I sometimes didn’t see the sun from sleeping in so late so that probably caused it too. I didn’t get any sunshine because I went to bed when it was still dark and woke up when it was dark. I did that for 2 weeks. I let myself stay in bed all day in the winter. I’m serious. I sometimes brought my computer into bed with me and stayed there all day. I did some work but I seriously just watched TV on my iPad and binged watched Netflix and Youtube videos. I didn’t feel like doing anything and since I wasn’t taking any pictures there was no new content to post on here on Instagram. There goes my goals post here and what I wanted to achieve on social media here. I mean I can still get back into it and have a whole 11 months to accomplish them but as soon as I published those productivity posts I love my motivation. So if you just need to wallow a bit than let yourself but don’t get consumed by it. We all need a break sometimes.

Go Outside Once a Day

I just started doing this as it has gotten warmer. I live in LA so it isn’t too cold but for someone not used to cold weather then it does affect you even more. I have been going on small walks to the grocery store to buy water again and that helps so much. I used to do it in the evenings and it was so dark and cold but now I got in the afternoons and it is so much better. I guess just being out for 20 minutes outside absorbing the fresh air makes a difference. The sunshine has boosted my mood and I think I just needed some vitamin D to get me back to feeling somewhat normal.

Change Up Your Routine

This was a big thing to get me back. I hated doing the same thing over and over so getting to change at least a few things really helped. I was needing something to do so I kept busy. I changed what I ate a little too and added cooking into my routine. It was really good for me to get something done other than watching TV.

Plan Something To Look Forward To

I love this one as it can make you look into the future and be excited for something. I was planning my content and it got me so excited for outfits again. So I can’t wait to share my Valentine’s Day outfits and blog posts soon. I also planned a mini trip for me so that is going to be fun. I think you should try and plan anything to get your mind off of it. Maybe go somewhere warm if you live somewhere cold and that will brighten your mood.

Do Something For Yourself

My last tip was really what got me out of it. With this tip I mean do whatever that makes you happy. May that be a spa day to pamper yourself, a vacation to getaway for a few days or buy yourself something nice. I did the last and it got me out of my funk. I don’t mean you have to do all of these to get over your depression. I know it takes more than that and sometimes all you can do is wait and let time heal you or seek professional help too. I bought myself a new iPad and that actually got me motivated to blog again. I was needing a new iPad and something new can always cheer you up. I did a video unboxing my new iPad here. So try and do something for yourself be it big or small.

That was how I am dealing with seasonal affective depression and my tips about getting out of it. I’d love to hear all the ways you guys are fighting SAD. Also if you even struggle with it at all like myself! I hope this was inspiring and I could help out as well. So thanks for reading about how I’m dealing with seasonal affective depression! xo