Seasonal Affective Disorder and Winter Blues: Treatment Options: Light Therapy for SAD
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Around 20 percent of Americans experience seasonal affective disorder, which is a type of depression that is associated with changes in the seasons. In this video you’ll learn what you can do to fight the winter blues.
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I’m Emma McAdam. I’m a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and I have worked in various settings of change and growth since 2004. My experience includes juvenile corrections, adventure therapy programs, wilderness therapy programs, an eating disorder treatment center, a residential treatment center, and I currently work in an outpatient therapy clinic.
In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life’s direction.
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36 Comments
You can have depression and not know it. The seasonal depression doesn't make me sad. My symptoms are lower back pain, muscle aches, gas, and diarrhea.
I’m 80% sure I have SAD
But not the winter one
Summer
There’s nothing I can do
Everything feels too much
Because I’m in the southern hemisphere the schools I’ve been too all cut off once summer hits and I don’t live anywhere near any of my friends
The heat is unbearable
The pressure put on me to look after the house while my parents go to their new block up in some mountains hills an hour away while my brother works Night Shift after Night Shift and I have to look after the dog (I’m the upper end of schooling don’t worry)
I just float through the day with no real motivation to do anything
I want to go for a few jogs but I don’t have any energy the second I’m outside
I constantly fret over my failures of the year (particularly now on New Year’s Eve) and can’t focus on what I need to do before the next year starts
Bright light wouldn’t help me nor would Vitamin D because I get all of that
I feel like shit through the day and even worse at night and I have a dog that needs two walks a day that are over an hour long each
I have a brother that barely shows up and doesn’t understand how to run a house despite the fact he’s four years older than me
And no matter how much I want to talk to my friends in calls or message them even the idea of a message back kills my social battery because fuck me you bitchy stupid universe I’m an introvert!
On top of that today I had my only break down of this year
The only one
And it’s the last day of the year
Fuck this
I just want a break
I never enjoyed cold seasons as an adult, and SAD got worse after covid pandemic. I dislike winter so much, yeah the holidays make it just a bit better but after all the twinkling lights and the merry atmosphere are gone, until the end of March it's a dark tunnel of brain fog, drive, and deep lack of motivation. I'm a creative person, so my brain keeps coming up with cool ideas, but I cannot bring myself to just bring them to life… I cannot even bring myself to do a goddamn file backup. Every time someone asks me "What would you do if you'd become rich?" I always reply "I'd chase spring and summer around the globe all year round". What saves me is physical activity, hitting the gym, and going to circus school.
Excellent information! What are your thoughts about using blue light boxes in this application?
Very helpful, thank you!
thank you for this !
Grew up in NJ, lived there for 23 years. Suffered SAD every winter. Moved to San Diego in 2000 and never had this problem. Now I'm in North Carolina and its February……hence why I'm here….viewing this video.
For me, summer is depressing. I suffer through it and it affects me mentally and physically. Fall, Winter and Spring are what I look forward to – to get OUT of the hellish thing summer is.
I think I may have symptoms of reverse SAD
In shadows cast by judgment's light,
Where whispers echo, dark and slight,
There lies a soul, unseen, unknown,
In realms where acceptance is overthrown.
A heart that beats, yet feels the chill,
Of eyes that scorn, and tongues that thrill,
With words that wound, and deeds that maim,
In the crucible of society's disdain.
In corners dim, where silence reigns,
A spirit weeps, its voice in chains,
Yearning for a world where differences bloom,
Where acceptance isn't just a distant gloom.
For in the tapestry of humanity's embrace,
There's beauty in each unique face,
Yet fear and ignorance oftentimes decree,
Who's worthy of love, and who's cast away free.
But listen close to the unaccepted's cry,
For within their pain, hope does lie,
A beacon bright in the darkest night,
Guiding us towards a realm of light.
For in the embrace of empathy's grace,
We find the strength to erase,
The boundaries that divide and bind,
And celebrate the richness of humankind.
So let us stand, hand in hand,
And weave a future where all can expand,
Beyond the chains of prejudice and hate,
Into a world where acceptance is our fate.
Anxiety and bad mood are caused by DEMONS inside of you. Seriously. To drive them out and feel happier, you need to pray to Jesus Christ and ask his to cast away demons out of you. And He will. Just talk to Him in a simple human language and in short phrases. Make a deep breath and exhale at the end of your prayer, and you will be cleaned. Do this every time you feel depressed. Demons do not stay in your body all the time. They just come and go. So, as soon as you feel something bad within yourself, pray to the Lord. IT WORKS! Trust me!
Ya'll seriously need to stop promoting betterhelp. It's irresponsible af. Stop being greedy.
Spoiler: None of her friends use betterhelp.
I've not dealt with my emotions from as a boy due to my father coming home angry and annoyed from work and expressing himself so that us boys, I'm the eldest, *(protected), his sons, his children, (serotonin goodness), could hear and see him this way for this reason, affecting Me by making me feel internally agitated and then wanting to pitch in and help sort it but not realising real hearing opportunity and offering some help of understanding.
(Yes, Circadian rhythm.)(Minding and alleviating mania)(Important Healthy personally relevant Socialisation ie Considering our condition due to affects)
By Lord Thankyou for going to this trouble to researching and finding helpful points and subject areas to speak of to help us with this Seasonal affective (mood) disorder phenomenon and syndrome.
This is one of the first videos that actually made me sad
I’m having trouble, right now. As soon as the grey hits in the PNW. I wish we could move.
This is such a helpful video! I always feel my worst between January and March. This year it was so bad and painful I attempted. This should be taught in schools and have more awareness, especially for someone like me who has depression and lives in Canada. This video made me feel seen
light therapy: angle above the eyes, large light area, best right after wake up, be consistent, 15-45 mins, don't stare directly at it, do it around the same time every day
I am unsure if what I have is bipolar depression or sad but it did start in September
Great information but one thing everyone always misses is astrology
People born in Summer have extreme seasonal depression
I was born on the summer solstice
So winter is war
Bipolar is related to people born on the cusp
So this is a super power if overcome
But if not worked on you have both energies working against you
Hi I currently live in Phoenix, AZ and I still experience "SAD" a bit during the Winter but not as bad as when I lived in Northern California where it would get grey and rainy. So even in AZ when the days get shorter and we get a few cloudy days I feel a bit down. All that being said, I'm grateful that I don't live where it snows in the Winter as I don't think I could handle it. At least here I can go outside and soak up some sun when I need to and it helps. Also AZ doesn't roll the clocks back in the Fall which I am so thankful for. When I lived in NorCal every Fall we would change the clocks back and it would start to get dark at 4:30 pm – that was really hard for me.
You sound very upbeat and that made watching the video positive for me. I just bought a therapy light and am looking forward to doing better this year. Thanks!
I never feel sadness like this before I used to live in a very sunny state this is my second winter here is a small beautiful city people is great and kind but man winter 🥶 is been hard for me so I’m going back this spring to the sunny state !
Its dark, and raining season. Im not a depressed person but i noticed i feel down, unmotivated and all things negative when the season is looking over.
Anyone else like dark, cloudy, and rainy days? Those days make me feel the opposite of depressed lol
I get it in the summer aswell in england were lucky if we get a blue sky for one full week
one video and im already CRUSHING on you
I get really depressed right after Christmas it tends to last until March
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Is it dangerous to look into those lights. Should I wear sunglasses?
❤
Its the January and freakin febraury that SUCKS!
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. I bought the Carex Aura Lamp today! Thank you!!
Moved from portugal to belgium for college💀 No more words need to be said
I get absolutely wrecked during winter seasons I still am in one currently and its so so bad.
I swear I hate Nov-Mar. I literally am the worst person to be around. I feel like I don’t wanna wake up for anything until April-Oct. It’s the worst.
I'm gonna keep it legit. I don't have seasonal depression, I have seasonal rage. Every January- April, I'm fed up and yell a lot, angry everyday. I'm too petite to freeze to death half the year but too poor to move.