Go beyond the beaches of Goa
‘Susegad Stories From Goa’ goes beyond Goa’s beaches and uncovers its unique culture and lifestyle. Clyde D’Souza chats with Goan influencers and changemakers like Varun Hegde (founder of Soul Travelling), Heta Pandit (heritage home expert) and Sonia Filinto (filmmaker) who are actively working to preserve and celebrate Goan culture. This podcast combines depth with Goa’s trademark joy factor to bring you the ultimate holiday experience even when you’re not in Goa!
Season signals celebration. But the new billboard for winter is ‘PRONE TO DEPRESSION’. The colder the darker days? And They nailed it by naming it ; Seasonal affective disorder-SAD.
SAD — a type of depression that occurs with the changing of the seasons — can affect a comparatively lower number of people . It highly depends on where they live. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about seasonal affective disorder, with answers from experts in mental health.
“One big, common misconception about SAD is that it’s just the ‘winter blues,’” said John K, a professor of psychology from a prestigious mental health institution in Bangalore. When the days get dim, colder and the holidays are closer , it’s not unusual to experience temporary feelings of tiredness or stress. But seasonal affective disorder is much more serious — a form of clinical depression, Dr. John said — with symptoms that can last longer, and that come and go with the seasons.
Near constant and daily feelings of depression
Loss of interest in activities which enjoyed earlier
Changes in appetite or weight
Sluggishness or low energy levels
Less sleep in the night or oversleep during the day
Thoughtsof death or suicide
Mostly SAD has a winter pattern where signs begin in late fall or early winter and go away when season changes. The disorder is much more common in women globally.
“People may not appreciate how severely someone who has SAD is affected,” said Karuna Patel, a therapist who has talked to people who have faced SAD . For some people, she added, “their life just shuts down for half the year.”
Experts don’t know exactly why this happens.
Most recent theory says the body produces melatonin at night, a hormone that your brain produces in response to darkness which helps to sleep. When the levels of this ‘sleeping hormoe’ taper off as sunrise approaches, that helps people wake up. But if you have SAD, melatonin peaks later and lingers for longer into the morning, making it harder to wake up and leaving you fatigued. Because you don’t reach peak wakefulness until later in the day, it’s harder to fall asleep once evening comes — perpetuating a cycle of insomnia, inadequate sleep and fatigue, and more depressive symptoms.
There are some evidence that the negative anticipation of shorter days — thinking, for instance, “I just don’t function well in the winter” or “I’m going to start feeling poorly soon,” Experts said — can combine with biological effects to create a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The good news, experts say, is that there are several evidence-backed ways to find relief.
It is a popular treatment among Sad affected people in America. The idea is to illuminate indoors with lights equivalent to a bright summer morning. This should stimulate your body to produce the right hormones to increase your wakefulness and alertness to get you through the day.
If you think you have seasonal affective disorder, consult with a therapist or psychiatrist before deciding on a treatment plan. They can offer guidance on the best plan for you — and if it involves bright light therapy, they can teach you how to do it properly.
If you say things like, “I hate winter” during a session, she said, the therapist will try to reposition those negative thoughts. Cognitive behavioural therapy for SAD involves retraining your negative associations with darker months, it is the only treatment that could have long term benefits after doing it just once,
Simply going outside can also help boost your mood. Even if it looks a little grey, the quality of light on a winter morning will be better than what you can get in your home. And an excursion will most likely boost your mental health too.
You can share your outdoor experiences and places in the comment session to help people who need a dose of the outdoors for their potential SAD or sadness.
