Seasonal depression vs winter blues

What’s the difference, Why it happens & What we can do about it.

When our gut microbiome is unhappy, so are we!

When we're in it we feel confused about our feelings, usually blaming ourselves, or others. It normally takes until the smog is almost lifted for most of us to remember “oh ya, I’ve been here before & I know what to do!!"

Seasonal depression is:

👉🏻A type of depression that someone experiences every year. Around the same time of year. Often this seems to come like a wave-light to heavy to lifting to gone.

Some of the causes:

👉🏻Trauma, adapted behaviours from childhood, substance abuse, unhealed wounds, harbouring negative emotions, and more.

👉🏻This type of depression doesn’t need the winter months to lay a volcanic ashy haze in your life.

👉🏻It’s simply called seasonal because it comes around every year around the same times, like the seasons.

🌒😒The winter blues is:

👉🏻A type of depression that comes when seasons are changing from fall to winter-in places like 🇨🇦 where it becomes darker earlier in the day. And typically bringing colder less manageable weather.

The cause:

👉🏻This change in how we feel during winter happens because our bodies release certain hormones & chemicals based on the amount of sunlight we receive, & also these biological reactions are dependent on when the sun is available.

👉🏻 🤩When the sun rises our serotonin levels rise along with it, causing us to feel motivated & alert. And when the sun sets melatonin is released causing us to feel tired because our brain thinks the sun is gone then it must be time for bed. Also the amount of sunlight & vitamin D we get is directly correlated with our feel good hormones.

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Less light, less fresh air & less 🌞

= Less happy hormones, less energy, less motivation = depression.

What you can do about the Winter Blues, Seasonal, or Chronic Depression.

These tips worked for me & others I’ve recommended them to.

☀️Get yourself a sun lamp-Yes, they really do help.

Just 10-15 min a day. Don’t look directly at it, just keep it shining on your face at an angle so the light enters your eyes but doesn’t hurt them.

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D👈🏻 Get yourself a gel capsule or liquid Vitamin D. I swear by this, this made a huge difference in how I feel, especially in winter once I moved back to Canada. There’s a trick to making this vitamin work for you, so please comment below if you're interested, and I can tell you more. 😊

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Vitamin B especially B-12.

This vitamin plays a vital role in synthesising and metabolizing serotonin, a chemical responsible for regulating mood. Personally I take a B-Complex regularly & go get a B-Complex injections every month. They’re very helpful 👌🏻✅

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Probiotics & Prebiotics. GAME CHANGER!

This is my favourite thing to do to combat the blues. 🥊

I can tell in my emotional health when I’m not being consistent with this supplement. Big time! Our gut is filled with good bacteria that is completely interconnected to the emotional centers of the brain. When our gut microbiome is unhappy, so are we! I even sleep poorly if I start slacking on the probiotics. We should think of our gut like a little village of people you're responsible for.

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Take back your control by getting real with yourself.

👉🏻Who gets there head spinning with what if’s that never happened or never will happen??

🙋🏻‍♀️ We all do it.

Sit down & write ✍🏻 Ask yourself the following questions.

-What are the facts?

Start listing the truth of whatever your spinning about. Not your assumption of what's going on, no guessing. Just straight up facts! Sit with each sentence & let it absorb. This will wake you up a bit with the truth, & pull you out of the B.S. swamp you essentially created.

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🏆Then write out what you can do about the truth? Now that you can see what's really going on, is it still something you should try to control? What action step can you take that same day that will make you feel better? Reflect on the past, was there something you've done before that worked for your mental health? Do that too!

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How many of us completely forget that we have these tools we can access, while we’re wrapped up in that cement blanket??

😵‍💫When we're in it we feel confused about our feelings, usually blaming ourselves, or others. It normally takes until the smog is almost lifted for most of us to remember “oh ya, I’ve been here before & I know what to do!!”

👥So here's an idea-tell the person you live with, your spouse, roommate, friend. Or even a friend you normally stay in touch with pretty often.

🗣Tell them about these tools you are going to use, or have used to combat depression. And if you want to keep it private, write yourself a kind letter with the tools you want to use when you feel down. It could go something like this.

Hey, don't worry you've been here done that. You know what to do. Remember you're in control. First thing I want you to do, is do some writing & take back your power. Second go get some probiotics, a b-complex or 12 injection, some iron, watch a comedy, & talk to two friends tonight. Maybe add in some kind words, some inspirational qoutes that impact you. Then put it in an envelope and give it to the person who sees you the most. Tell them to give it back to you when they see you're not feeling your best. ☑️😃 =OH YA! I know how to change this!

If you enjoyed this blog and found it helpful, please like it, follow my blog and feel free to comment below. If you have any questions you can ask in the comments as well. Feel free to ask me to email you if you want to ask in private.

Your support & feedback are what inspire me to keep passing on these tips. And also helps me to improve the content for you.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this and found it helpful.