SAD Symptoms & How to Spot Them in a Loved One

It’s still winter. If those few words feel exceptionally negative right now, we should explore SAD. That’s the acronym for seasonal affective disorder, and late January is a smart time to talk about it.

What Are the Symptoms of SAD?

When someone experiences this condition, their mind reacts negatively to a season’s predominant weather. Primarily, SAD troubles people during winter. The period’s long nights and frequent low-sunlight days can induce melancholy, gloom and depression.

Throughout winter, remember these common symptoms of SAD:

• Disinterest in favorite activities
• A sudden lack of energy
• Sleeping more than necessary
• Trouble concentrating
• Overwhelming guilt or hopelessness
• Predominantly feeling down
• Eating excessively

If you’re suddenly realizing that you’ve encountered SAD during previous winters, try to keep your thoughts focused on the current season. We cannot undo the past, but remaining present can positively impact our mental well-being.

How Can You Spot SAD in Someone You Love?

This widespread condition can impact friends and family during a time when you might simultaneously feel upbeat. Still, you can detect SAD in a loved one:

• Have they become unusually anxious or irritable?
• Are they drowsy throughout the day despite sleeping more than usual?
• Have they recently become surprisingly sensitive?
• Do they seem suddenly withdrawn from their favorite people or interests?
• Has their appetite substantially changed?
• Have they gained weight?

Do not despair if you notice any of the above signs. Thankfully, SAD is quite treatable.

If a Loved One Experiences SAD, How Can You Help?

Practicing self-care can improve a SAD sufferer’s winter headspace. Self-care is simply personal maintenance, and it can boost the mood. Encourage your loved one to adopt personally appealing self-care practices. Useful suggestions include:

• Relaxing to a podcast
• Going for long walks
• Dropping a bath bomb in the tub
• Any activity that provides internal peace

If a loved one in your life has repeatedly faced seasonal affective disorder or other types of depression, our healthcare practice’s core treatment can help them beat back SAD. The treatment, transcranial magnetic stimulation, syncs the brain’s clock with its surroundings. To discover more about TMS treatment in the Milwaukee area, contact us today.