Don't Let the Season Make You SAD
With so many holidays jampacked into just a few months, the
winter season is usually one of fun and celebration. But for some
people, it can be a time of darkness-and not just because the days
are shorter.
If you find yourself feeling blue during the winter, you might
be suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD). People with
SAD experience recurrent episodes of depression, usually in the
late fall and winter, which is typically caused by the lack of
sunlight that time of year.
Fortunately, SAD is treatable, sometimes by simply spending more
time outdoors when the sun is shining. Other people benefit from
light therapy, which simulates daylight. Special light boxes or
panels might be recommended, while other people feel better just by
using full-spectrum light bulbs in their lamps.
Massage therapy
also can help people who experience SAD , says Kathleen A.
Miller-Read, a licensed massage therapist and member of the
American Massage Therapy Association.
"People with SAD tend to sleep more and exercise less, so
massage will stimulate their circulatory and lymphatic systems,"
she explains. "Massage also can assist in removing toxins-people
with SAD tend to eat more unhealthy diets-and allows them to get
more in touch with how they're feeling on every level."