3 At-Home Tips To Help Beat New England’s Brutal Seasonal Depression

It's that time of year again.

Daylight Savings Time has come and gone, leaving us with less sunshine and more wind chill.

You're not alone if you're starting to feel a little out of body or overall straight up sad.

The first thing I want to say is that this is all very normal, and you're not alone with these feelings. Winters in New England can be so brutal for six months and it's tough to remember that life will thaw out and go back to "normal" once spring hits.

Actually, according to medlineplus.gov, there's a term for those of us experiencing seasonal depression called SAD (seasonal affective disorder).

What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?

Well, by definition from medlineplus, seasonal affective disorder is a mental health condition that is triggered by the changing of the seasons. This condition is a subtype of major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder.

To be fully transparent, I'm absolutely one of those people that get hit heavy by SAD. The good news though is that I've done a lot of work on myself to know exactly how to help it dessipate year after year that hopefully will help you too.

1. Get outside by any means possible. I know it's cold, but layer up and take a stroll even just around your neighborhood. Remind yourself that the world is still spinning and leave your phone at home. Take everything in around you and bring your pup if you've got one.

2. Turn your phone off & upside down for an hour. It may sound cliche, but even just for one hour leave the little demon on Do Not Disturb mode and walk away. This is a great time to do laundry, house chores, play with your kids, whatever makes your heart happy do more of that.

3. Find a new hobby & stick to it. Learning new things is not only fun, but it distracts your brain from feeling what it normally feels in the sad winter months. Even if it's something as silly as doing a jigsaw puzzle, give yourself something to look forward to with results. Take up knitting and give your blankets as gifts for the holidays. Learn how to cook if you can't, start working out in your living room, really anything to re-train your mind into little victories.

New England winters can be so brutal because one moment we're given a 70-degree day out of no where, and the next we're stuck inside for four days in the middle of a blizzard.

As a Mainer myself, I should be used to Mother Nature's behavior up here, but truth be told I don't think I'll ever get used to its side effects.

Just know you can do it, and you're not alone!