Don?t Be SAD ? The Winter Blues Can Be Defeated

Don?t Be SAD ? The Winter Blues Can Be Defeated
Yes, it?s that time of the year again. January is the month of mental and physical rehabilitation caused by festive excessiveness, the days never really detach themselves from night and pretty much everyone is depressed. Or in more convivial terms: suffering from winter blues.

We all have a healthy list of unofficial reasons for this national downer, but an official explanation central to this collective feeling is Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD as it?s more aptly recognised. According to the Mental Health Foundation, one in 100 Britons suffer from seasonal depression and many more generally feel, well, low.

Hands up if you?re currently experiencing spells of lethargy, cravings for sweet things and disruptive sleep? Yes? The good news is you?re not what the Mental Health Foundation would classify as ?fully depressed?; however, you are certainly a member of the winter blues society, which has over 500,000 representatives in the UK. (For the record this is not a certified group, but I thought the comfort of being part of a large statistic would help you with accepting the diagnosis some what.)

Ok, that?s enough of feeling sorry for ourselves. Unfortunately we can?t speed the seasons up and entice spring to wake from its slumber. Nor is it recommended we prescribe ?uplifting? drugs to our daily routines in order to shift our mood, but there are more natural ways to combat the blues. The days may be dark, but there is light at the end of our subconscious tunnel.

?With SAD, one theory is that light entering the eye causes changes in hormone levels in the body,? says Alison Kerry, from the mental health charity MIND. ?In our bodies, light functions to stop the production of the sleep hormone melatonin, making us wake up. It?s thought that SAD sufferers are affected by shorter daylight hours in the winter. They produce higher melatonin, causing lethargy and symptoms of depression.?

This theory certainly goes against the true SAD sufferer. If one isn?t sleeping well or is generally exhausted and low, one doesn?t want to get out of bed at the crack of dawn to appreciate the morning illuminations. However, by exposing yourself (or your eyes more specifically) to natural light for as long as possible during the day ? bearing in mind we?re only witnessing approximately seven to eight hours of daylight at the moment ? it will go some way in reigniting your dampened mental state. Now is the perfect time to relocate to the nearest window in your office to take in as much natural light as possible.

The office is often the nucleus of melancholy in the New Year, with colleagues equipped with sniffles, complaints and masks of sorrow ? this doesn?t necessarily help with you overcoming your own winter blues. We collectively share our New Year?s resolutions of improved diets and health regimes, but know deep inside that they may never materialise. However, exercise ? as much as we can loathe it ? is an ally when fighting the seasonal battle.

?There?s convincing evidence that 30 minutes vigorous exercise three times a week is effective against depression, and anecdotal evidence that lighter exercise will have a beneficial effect too,? says Dr Andrew McCulloch, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation. ?If you have a tendency towards SAD, outdoor exercise will be have a double benefit, because you?ll gain some daylight.?

So officially we don?t need to run a marathon or climb Kilimanjaro to snap out of our low spirits; a short but exhilarating burst of activity during your working day will stimulate the mind, body and soul. Daily exertion is said to increase the level of the mood regulating chemical serotonin in the brain, in turn encouraging you to interact with your colleagues more and imparting a positive outlook to your day. If you?re fortunate enough to live in rural surroundings, the countryside is also a great remedy for cleansing the mind. MIND also suggests that a 60 minute walk everyday in an open environment is an effective and enjoyable way to beat the winter blues.

Regular exercise is great for personal revival, but what if a group is suffering from winter blues? You will need to think of ways to improve morale and mood with your friends and colleagues and not suffer in silence. As an employer in particular, happy personnel are central to seeing your business also get through the blues and not allowing productivity to dip. Virtuous exercise and upgraded diet all helps, but you need to think about the bigger picture when brining your team together.

?When we encounter stress, conflict or depression, those around us may see a change in our behaviour,? says Tom Vaughton, Co Founder of Fresh Tracks, who provides tailored team development and team building programmes to organisations throughout the UK. ?Some people become more introverted and analytical; others might suddenly appear more demanding while a third group will go from being hard working and productive to disinterested and lazy.?

?In a team a change in behaviour like this can upset the balance and lower morale across the group. There are questionnaires that can help to identify how, why and importantly when our behaviour can alter. Popular examples include Belbin Team Roles and the Strength Deployment Inventory,? continues Tom. ?In a team a change in behaviour like this can upset the balance and lower morale across the group. There are questionnaires that can help to identify how, why and importantly when our behaviour can alter. Popular examples include Belbin Team Roles and the Strength Deployment Inventory.?

So, getting outside, filling your lungs with fresh air and laughter and brushing away those oppressive cob webs with your fellow colleagues could well be the natural antidote to winter blues this year. The mind is a powerful entity and is certainly the puppeteer when controlling our emotions and mood ? we just need to take the reigns more often.

Or as Mahatma Gandhi so incisively put it: ?A man is but the product of his thoughts what he thinks, he becomes?

See how Fresh Tracks? Belbin Team Roles can unite your personnel and help beat those winter blues.

If you?re suffering from SAD see your GP for more advice.


winter blues, team building, staff development, team developement
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