Thursday 06-02-2020 - 10:58

 

In light of #TimeToTalkDay 2020, HISA VPFE, Ash Morgan, and HISA Inverness VPEE, Viv Mackie, have opened up about Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) with hopes that it will encourage others to open up about their own mental health.

When you live as far North as we do you are always aware of what the sun is doing.

You know that if you leave work at this time you will have about half an hour left of sunlight after you get home to enjoy before the curtains have to close and the lights will have to go on.

You know that for more or less four months of the year you will leave the house in darkness and get home in darkness.

I say ‘you are always aware’, like this is granted, but is it?

I wouldn’t know. I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder so I am definitely aware, but are you?

Seasonal Affective Disorder in now a widely accepted condition among medical professionals.

It occurs due to the changes in sunlight over seasons as this can have an effect on your melatonin levels and the levels of serotonin in your brain.

It can have a knock on impact on your happiness levels, ability to sleep or wake up without difficulty, and weight due to food cravings. And the less sunlight you get in Winter the harder it can be to deal with these symptoms and the feelings of sadness that accompany all of them.

One of our students, Viv Mackie, is here to talk about their experience with SAD too,

“I was diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder 5 years ago and this has had a huge impact on my life and my family`s too. 

When the clocks go back in October this affects my mood, I am very low, tearful and I just wanted to socially isolate myself from the world. I just want to stay in my PJs and hide under my duvet until the springtime arrives. It is a real struggle to motivate myself from the darkness that comes over me. Now I use my SAD lamp to help me stabilise my mood so I can function well and enjoy my daily routines. Routine for me, is so important as it allows me to have a structure to my day and helps me maintain my levels of motivation and energy.”

Seasonal Affective Disorder is real and is a real challenge to some. I remind readers to be sensitive in the Winter time and to check in with friends you think are struggling. A little love from a friend can make the world of difference when someone is feeling down.

#TimeToTalkDay