FundaMentals...

Write about mental health.

I could write about my anxiety or my life long fight with depression. I think, however, that I'm going to talk about the horror that is Seasonal Affective Disorder.

While SAD is most common in winter, it can hit at different times of the year for different people.  Winter centric depression is often brushed off as just being blue around the holidays but it can be so much more than that.

Personally, even though I prefer the fall and winter, my anxiety and depressive symptoms are far worse this time of year.  During the spring and summer I take brief breaks at work that I lovingly refer to as Vitamin D breaks - fall and winter?  Doesn't do me much good. 

Common treatments for SAD include light therapy, typical SSRI medications or melatonin supplements.

For me though?  This time of year is all about the Vitamin D supplements and my B complex vitamins.  It's taken years to find the right combination for me. 

I hope that anyone reading this who find this time of year to be difficult for themselves will do the research and consider some of the natural treatments before jumping in to the doctor prescribed medication route. 

I take my daily dose of Zoloft. Every day, like clockwork, but it's just not enough to combat the hell that my body goes through this time of year.  The addition of my vitamin regemin is the only thing that makes these short days tolerable. 

But it's different for everyone.  Do what works best for you and keep trying till you find the right combination!