7 Sure-Fire Ways to Help Combat Seasonal Depression & Anxiety

Seasonal depression is no joke! It always comes to visit me at the start of every Fall/Winter season, and as hard as I try to avoid it, it inevitably seems to engulf me into its grasp. Over the past few weeks, I have lost all creativity and have had a series of unfortunate events. My routine was altered completely, and my optimistic mind became more and more pessimistic every day. After numerous attempts to shake myself out of a funk, I couldn’t seem to find the magical antidote that would get me back to my happy place. I took walks in nature, changed my writing environment, met up with my friends as much as possible to avoid the in-home self-pity wallowing sessions and NOTHING! It seemed like all of my energy and creativity had vanished into thin air. 

While binge-watching one of my favorite shows, I had an AH-HA moment and realized that my body was trying to process an emotion that I tried so hard to block in my mind. I had been growing more and more overwhelmed over the past weeks and did everything in my power to suppress it as much as possible to get things checked off my to-do list. So instead of my mind dealing with my emotions, my body went into a full-on shutdown mode and quite literally drained all my energy, forcing me to take a much-needed breather. It took me a lot longer than I care to admit to get back to my old cheerful self but, I accredit the following steps for helping me get back on track. 

Process & Express Your Feelings

It may seem cliche, but be that as it may, it is extremely necessary. Sometimes it seems easier to put off processing your feelings to get things done, but as my AH-HA moment taught me, holding off can end up costing you in the long run by distracting and preventing you from getting the things you want and need to get accomplished. Whatever your feelings may be, they are valid, and it’s best to take the time you need to understand why you may be feeling a certain way. Personally, writing in my journal has always helped me. I write about how I may be feeling during an exact moment and then revisit my passage at a later time to get a better perspective of my state of mind. 

After processing those feelings, next, it’s time to express them. You can channel the energy to create something or move your body to help rid the weight that the emotion caused. Research has shown that the body can store trauma and can lead to the deterioration of one's physical health if emotions aren’t released. So it’s vital for one to process and express any feelings of sadness and frustration. 

Talk to Someone

Therapy is finally getting the much-needed recognition it deserves. It was seen (and sometimes still is) as a faux pa within my community but, as time has taught us, it is a vital contributing factor to the betterment of our overall mental health. Scheduling the time with a therapist will help you immensely as therapy is a great way to vent about all the things that are weighing you down. Therapists can offer you a different perspective and give you helpful exercises that will contribute to your emotional growth and help you establish healthier coping mechanisms during more difficult times in your life.   

Tidy Up Your Space

I grew up with an Aquarius mother, and one thing that was embedded into my mind during childhood is that a clean space is essential for your mental health. I have found that when my home is cluttered, so are my thoughts, and I tend to work better, and my creativity thrives in a clean space. Research has shown that keeping a clean environment can improve your mood and reduce anxiety and stress. Gaining the energy to clean while feeling depressed can be difficult. However, some ways that you can maintain a clean space while low on energy, is by cleaning up as you go along (my mother’s favorite) and breaking up some of your chores down so that you don’t feel overwhelmed. Additionally, I like to add certain essential oils to my cleaning supplies to help uplift my mood. 

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Give Yourself a Spiritual Cleanse

This is by far one of my favorite things to do! Spiritual baths have been used for centuries because water is such a powerful healing element. I make it a point to do one once a week to rid myself of any toxic energy that may have attached to me without my knowledge, and I create homemade bath teas with herbs that are known to help cleanse negative energies. Some of my favorites include:

Bergamot - for healing 

Chamomile*- for cleansing and purification

Eucalyptus - for healing and protection

Hyssop* - for purification and healing 

Lavender - for cleansing, purification, and relaxation

Peppermint - for cleaning, purification, and healing 

Rosemary - for healing and love

These herbs can also be used to create other healing products such as candles, body scrubs, salves, oils, and lotions. 

* Not safe to use during pregnancy

Try an EMDR Exercise

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is a form of psychotherapy that can help people heal from the emotional stress that has been caused by a difficult life event. It helps to remove mental blocks that are preventing the mind from healing and can jumpstart a natural healing process. 

The Butterfly Hug

Can aid one with processing traumatic experiences and past memories by helping one to control their bilateral stimulation and grant them a sense of safety while doing so. Watch this video on how to do it. 

Running

Running has so many incredible benefits and has been proven to help release endorphins. It can also help create bilateral stimulation which helps to engage both sides of the body and brain.

Do Something Outside of Your Comfort Zone

I'm not sure about you, but my anxiety tends to heighten when I think I am unable to do something or when I put too much pressure on myself to do something perfectly. I have to remind myself that I am human, and there is no such thing as perfection. According to licensed Psychologist, Laura Chackes, “Stepping out of your comfort zone is good for your mental health because it can unlock you from crippling anxiety and/or depression by teaching you that you can handle much more than you think you can.” If there is something that you have always wanted to try, do it and challenge yourself. You will be surprised at what you are capable of when you let go of your critical thoughts and the judgment of others. Once you succeed in these new activities, it will encourage you to continue to try new things.

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Treat Yourself to Something Nice

This step requires you to be mindful of whatever budget you have set in place. If you are able to splurge, go right ahead. If you are on a strict budget, like myself, taking yourself out for a nice lunch can do the trick! Be mindful not to make habitual purchases every time you feel depressed, as that can create a pattern that can cause you to believe that material things will relieve your depression and stress. Use this suggestion on a case-by-case basis. 

Get Lost in a Good Book

A good book always seems to have the power to teach you a valuable life lesson and can truly boost your spirit. I am a self-help junkie and try to read as many books as I can that can assist me to grow spiritually, mentally, and financially. Over the past couple of weeks, author Michael A.Singer has come up in different conversations I’ve had with others. Additionally, he was mentioned in numerous Youtube videos I’ve watched. So I took it as a sign from the universe that I should look into his collection of books. There was one book in particular that caught my eye, The Surrender Experiment. I previously had trouble letting go of things that I felt were giving me stability and would become crushed when things weren’t going according to my plan. So, I purchased the book and have learned a valuable lesson of letting go of control and allowing life to show me everything it has in store for me. I will admit there are situations in the book that I felt crossed personal boundaries, and it was tough for me to relate to these situations because I don’t think I would ever allow others to do things the same way. However, since reading the book, I have loosened my grip and let go of control. I have agreed to some incredible opportunities that I would normally turn away and have met some incredible people and gained valuable skills in the process. 

Please remember that depression and anxiety can affect everyone differently, and these suggestions are merely some of the ways you can combat them and in no way are considered to be an overall cure. Healing takes time and what really counts is that you are working to better yourself every day. If no one has told you today, I am proud of you, and I am rooting for you while you are on your journey of self-love. 

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References

https://www.everydayhealth.com/depression/clean-house-when-youre-depressed.aspx

https://www.verywellmind.com/how-mental-health-and-cleaning-are-connected-5097496

https://www.awakeningstreatment.com/blog/trauma-stored-body/

https://www.crystalstar.com/blog/how-can-essential-oils-boost-your-mood/

https://www.emdr.com/what-is-emdr/

https://www.podiumrunner.com/culture/running-with-your-therapist/

https://emdrhealing.com

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