According to the Canadian Psychological Association, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), makes up 10 per cent of all reported cases of depression in Canada. This disorder is believed to be influenced by lack of sunlight.
As the “fall back” in November causes us to adjust our schedules and arrive home after the sun has set, it’s natural to feel the lack of sunlight in your life. In my last full term at Wilfrid Laurier University, I suffered greatly due to the lack of sunlight I was getting each day. I would spend my full day in class and in the halls of Laurier, then go home and hole up in my room to write papers.
Needless to say, this made my mental health spiral.
Pair it with a breakup, and it was the perfect storm for what I call “the blunder months” of my university experience. This experience, combined with the lack of sunlight, made me realize that I was suffering from SAD. After a midnight googling session spurred by my inability to continue keeping up with my workload.
SAD can present in a number of ways, but according to the National Institute of Mental Health, the following are usually present: empty/ sad mood for at least two weeks, feelings of hopelessness, fatigue, loss of pleasure in activities, difficulty concentrating, unplanned weight changes and suicidal thoughts. Of these, I exhibited every symptom.
While not every individual will experience the same symptoms, SAD is characterized specifically by a four-to-five-month window where the symptoms are present. If the symptoms carry on past that threshold, you might have depression.
But how do you prevent and manage symptoms of SAD?
One way is by using light therapy (or phototherapy). This involves sitting in front of a light source that mimics daylight to produce brain chemicals that help improve your mood. While these lamps can be purchased online, they can also be found at local libraries — the Waterloo Public Library’s main branch has one that can be used by visitors. A second form of treatment is talk therapy, specifically utilizing cognitive behavioural therapy. This form of therapy encourages individuals to work through unproductive thoughts, learning to reframe them in ways that help them problem-solve on the spot rather than ruminate. Finally, individuals may choose to utilize medication to cope with the psychological impacts of SAD. Antidepressants such as Wellbutrin can help alleviate symptoms.
Of these treatments for SAD, the most effective for me has been taking antidepressants — though the other forms of treatment have also been beneficial. While taking medication can help, I have found that it is most effective when combined with talk and light therapy. It also cannot be disregarded that taking the time for self-care in its many forms can help with symptoms of SAD. After the term where I struggled the most with it, I learned the hard way to prioritize self-care for myself to keep the symptoms at bay in the future.
On the Waterloo campus, there are numerous resources available, including the Accessible Learning Centre, which personally helped me through the term where I suffered the most from SAD. Without the resources provided by the centre, I would not have had the mental strength to finish my last full term at Laurier.
As we move towards the holidays and your schedule becomes more chaotic, don’t forget to reach out to your support systems at home and on campus to help adjust to the seasonal time change and the impact SAD has on your life.
Admitting that you need help does not make you a failure, as difficult as it can be to accept.
