How to deal with winter depression:

• Rabab Ahmed
• 11/24/2019
• 1092
• 3,341

Sometimes you get depressed, you feel the insignificance of events around you, you experience all the rituals of life around you, lose the value and importance of your life, and imagine that life stops beating, you have equal places and times, you are alone, and you stay away, nothing but your distasteful feeling. 

All people around you fail to take you out of your loneliness and may remain in a depression for a long time. The sun of hope may suddenly shine and your viability will rise again.

Many people in winter , especially women, develop a type of depression known as seasonal effective disorder that follows the sequence of seasons, usually starting in late spring and early summer or in late autumn and early winter. 

The reasons for winter depression are due to changes in the amount of sunlight, especially in December, January and February, so many people feel depressed in winter because it is not possible to go out in the beautiful atmosphere and enjoy summer activities, especially swimming.

• What is the seasonal winter depression? 

Winter depression  is also called seasonal winter depression. Depression, which appears as seasonal or seasonal affective disorder, appears in certain people and recurs periodically each year. 

• Winter depression symptoms 

Some symptoms of winter depression overlap with symptoms of depression caused by other factors, such as:

1. Common symptoms with depression are generally

- Permanent feeling of sadness throughout the day and almost daily.

- Feeling hopeless and worthless.

- Low energy per capita.

- Loss of interest in activities that were of interest to you before.

- Sleep problems and disorders.

- Noticeable changes in appetite or weight.

- Feeling of physical weight.

- Problems in focus.

- Frequent thinking of death or suicide. 

2. Symptoms of winter depression

- Squeamishness.

- Constant feeling of fatigue and low energy level.

-  Problems communicating with people. 

- Severe sensitivity to rejection or criticism.

- Feeling heavier in arms and legs than usual.

- Sleep for periods of exaggerated length.

- Changes in appetite (usually tend to crave carbohydrate- rich foods).

- Increase in weight.

• How to get rid of winter depression

If you do not like the idea of consulting a doctor or do not find time for your preoccupations, you can turn to these scientific tips first:

1- Dance & Exercises

The benefits of belly dancing for women are not limited to helping them to slim their waist, but the Tunisian doctor dr. Rashad Al- Haj Ramadan said that dancing is the solution for Arab women to avoid many health problems and depression. Try sports too. Try to run three times a week. 

2- Exposure to the sun

If you can take a picnic on your feet after lunch, do this and don't make your working hours the only chance you can get out of the house, also allow the greatest amount of light to enter Home Open the curtains of your entire home.

3- Meet friends

Avoid spending long hours alone, and try to organize your appointments for meetings with friends and go to forums and entertainment centers or restaurants, especially dinner.

4- Aromatherapy and Essential Oils

Essential oils affect the area of the brain , which is responsible for mood control, controls the body's biological clock, and affects sleep and appetite. Therefore, aromatherapy can help get rid of winter depression, as some drops of oil can be added. Aromatic to the bathroom, helping to relax. 

5- Commitment to a specific schedule

Since people with winter depression have difficulty falling asleep at night and difficulty waking up in the morning, trying to maintain and stick to a regular schedule reduces the symptoms of seasonal depression related to the winter season. Exposing people to light rays, at regular and regular intervals, and eating at certain intervals, helps people to pay attention to the diet, and avoid overeating and obesity.

6- Get more vitamin D

Studies have shown that people taking vitamin D supplements have shown a marked improvement in their depression, so people should do vitamin D tests and consult a doctor about the need to use vitamin D supplements, their importance, and the benefits of depression. Resulting from their use. 

And some people with winter or seasonal depression often eat carbohydrate- rich foods that boost the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that affects mood, while high- calorie foods can be substituted for healthy foods. 

Here are some healthy foods that improve mood in winter:

1. Leafy vegetables

Leafy vegetables such as spinach and broccoli contain a large amount of folic acid, which plays a role in improving the functions of the nervous system, helps to produce dopamine stimulating the activity of the reward center and positive brain, and the lack of folate in the body leads to psychological problems, including depression. 

2. Whole legumes

Whole legumes help relieve symptoms of seasonal depression, contain vitamin B, and control blood sugar levels.

3- Banana

Bananas are a great source of potassium, vitamin B6 and tryptophan, Low potassium levels are associated with the onset of depressive symptoms. Vitamin B6 is essential for normal brain function and the production of serotonin, norepinephrine and melatonin, while tryptophan is an essential amino acid found in both plant and animal protein that boosts serotonin in the body. 

4. Nuts

The role of nuts is not only to be energy- efficient snacks, but also gives a feeling of happiness in the winter. It promotes serotonin levels in the body and works to control mood. It is recommended to eat 0.48 grams of nuts daily, including pistachios, to give the body a daily dose of vitamin B6. To improve mental state.

5. Fish

Fatty fish such as salmon and tuna are rich sources of healthy brain nutrients, especially vitamin D and omega- 3, which control mood.