Is Winter Depression True?

 

Do you also feel a 'little down' during winter? 

Guess what, you are actually not the only one. I've heard stories about number of people feeling emotionally low during colder season. Statistically, suicide rates are also higher during these times based on research, but let's not get to that part 'cause it's way too morbid. The point is, more people become unusually sad during winter. Are there studies to support this claim? 

I originally came from a country that only has dry and wet season all throughout the year. So, these are something that doesn't interest me before.

In United Kingdom, winter begins December and ends in March. Normally, I am not fascinated by topics of depression and feeling low. However, I felt like I was being more emotional about anything, to the point that I think I am already being irrational. In times, I find myself crying for no apparent reason. I am not always a 'softy' type. I've been away from home most of my adult life, so homesickness is something that is not bothering me that much when I decided to work and live abroad (or so I thought). 

Well, I'm not blaming all these feelings to the weather and the season. To be fair, I arrived in a foreign country during peak of the pandemic when isolation is essential, travel ban is necessary and minimal physical contact is mandatory, so these could also be a factor. Not being able to interact normally could affect us in many ways possible.

My curiosity led me to search engines. I found out that there's this condition called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or sometimes referred to as "winter depression". The symptoms are the same as those with normal depression but happens repetitively only during colder season. People with SAD generally feel moody. They lack interest on daily activities, they also feel irritable, becoming less sociable and unusually weepy for all sorts of reason. Nobody really had a full understanding of SAD, but most of the time it is being linked to less sunlight exposure which is more common during winter. Sunlight is essential for the production of melatonin and serotonin. These are hormones that plays a major role in regulating our mood. Less sunshine increases melatonin level in the brain thus causes low mood and depression. On the other hand, it also decreases production of serotonin which is sometimes known as our "happy hormones".

Worth noting, SAD is seasonal. I have no comparison since this is my very first winter - in a different territory, away from home in a middle of a global situation. Being a frontliner at these times could take its toll on me too. In conclusion, I may have SAD, I may have not. Who knows? 

Every person is different, how you manage your mood and emotion is entirely up to you. If you feel like devouring on that giant tub of icecream, by all means if that's what will make you feel better, go for it! 

In my opinion, we are still too blessed to complain. Let's keep the faith and we'll get through this season together. 

I guess we just have to find our own ray of sunshine in the coldest of winter - atleast until summer comes. 🌻

“She was like the sun, 

She knew her place in the world - 

She would shine again regardless 

of all the storms and changeable weather 

She wouldn't adjust her purpose 

for things that pass.” 

― Nikki Rowe

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Reference: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder-sad/