Winter can be an especially difficult time for those who suffer from seasonal depression. The sun goes down much faster, you come out of work and feel like the day is already over, you spend most of your free time without any natural light, and have to go through the stress that comes with holidays. To those who suffer from seasonal depression, it can feel like this will never end and like there is no way out, but here are some tips to remember to help ease your mind as you try to get through it all.
The first thing to remember is that the pictures you see on Facebook and Instagram do not accurately represent how each family feels on the holidays. We see pictures of people smiling, with their presents, and looking like everything is perfect. When looking through your feed and feeling down that your holiday may not look like the pictures that you are seeing, remember that EVERY family has their issues. Behind each smiling photo there is a person fighting a personal battle and often family drama making everyone nervous. There is no perfect family. People choose to only show the good side of things on social media. While you may feel you are missing out on great family time or happiness that people are experiencing, you have to realize that the person in the photo could be feeling the exact same as you do. Families come in all shapes and sizes. some are large, some just two people, some close, some don't speak. There is no normal family despite what media tries to portray.
Another way to help fight seasonal depression is to make sure you get enough time in natural light. This is difficult due to the fact that there are not every may hours in the day in which you an experience this. One way to do this is to make sure to get out side even if it is just for a few minutes, going for a walk while on your lunch break, eating dinner outside. Also you could use some of the holiday money you get to buy a natural light lamp. These can be found at Barnes N Noble or online and can make a huge difference if you spend a lot of time indoors.
Seasonal depression does not mean that one should not seek help for their depression. Anytime you feel you are having a hard time getting through life or do not feel like yourself, do not be afraid to ask for help, weather it's just from family or if you want to go see a professional, do not feel like you just have to wait it out until the season ends. You deserve to be happy at all times, not only certain times of the year.
