Seasonal Affective Disorder and how it has effected me (Jaime Hernandez) living in Bellingham Wa. 98225.
I have a new found respect for depression and personally understand its effects on motivation and other relationships in our everyday lives.
This article is to all of the people who have not been educated about how to help your self through this rough seasonal transition.
The first thing is recognize the problem and come to terms with it. It took me about two years to really figure out what was wrong with my mental attitude. Exercise was how I tried to expunge these feelings of lack of motivation and non-happines. That was a great start to helping me turn my self back around but, was just the beginning to the plan I have had to create to stay in a positive mental state through these northern seasonal changes.
It seems like there are many levels of this disorder and can be as insignificant as a low energy day or as bad as down right manic depression episode. I generally feel tired, not motivated and nothing I do really makes me happy although I have a lot of things to be happy about.
I would like to talk about five interventions to help with this disorder. Each individual will need to learn how to apply the interventions that they feel they get the most benefit from.
Top five conservative interventions
Exercise
Dawn simulator
Light therapy ( try these local vitamin D3 tanning beds https://www.bellabodyandsol.com/)
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (new ways of behaving and reacting)
Melatonin(carefully timed supplementation of the hormone)
Number one on the list of interventions is Exercise. Exercise is one of the most health enhancing things that you can do for your body and state of mind. I try to get my cardiovascular exercise done in the middle of the day to break up the stress chemicals. It gives me stress relief and I feel reinvigorated to finish my day. Coming up with an exercise plan for general health can be a daunting task especially if you have special conditions and or previous injury’s. I advise to find a professional fitness specialist to help guide you down this path. www.healthandexerciseprescriptions.com
There are many ways to exercise and each have their specific benefit. I am kinda biased of specific types of exercise to benefit because of my experience in the field of fitness and rehabilitation. Just like there is no one modality that fits everyone because where are all individuals there will be certain forms of exercise that fit each person. I am going to list 5 of the main points to address for a complete fitness program. Remember to always start slow and to get a clearance from you medical doctor. If you need help to design a sound exercise program visit www.healthandexerciseprescriptions.com
Cardiovascular ex. running, walking, biking,
Resistance training ex. free weights, machines,exercise bands
Stretching ex. Yoga, general stretching,postural stretching
Nutritional guidance ex.Personal trainer, Diana Schwarbien,sports
Stress reduction Ex. Massage, meditation, art therapy,
Number two on the list of interventions is the dawn simulator. The dawn simulator is a great tool to help regulate your light cycle. It helps to feel less of the effects of waking up in the dark with an alarm; rather your lamp that is plugged in to the dawn simulator starts to slowly brighten up the room just like the natural sun rise and you wake slowly and feel more refreshed and awake. Go to http://sunraintime.com/ order yours today!
Number three on the list of interventions is light therapy. I really think that it is a good idea to attach a full spectrum light to a timer and to turn on after your sun rise simulator is almost at full brightness. As you lay there waking up you are getting more intense light. I also have a full spectrum lamp on my desk so when I get to work early I get more full spectrum light. There are also Vitamin D3 Tanning beds that can help...Try out our local connection at https://www.bellabodyandsol.com/ . It has really helped me feel better.
Number four on the list is cognitive behavioral therapy. I have found that “you really have to change your thinking to change your state of mind.”
A good way to analyze your own behavioral pattern is to journal it. Think about the things that happened and how you felt. Some times you have to look at your beliefs that are unhelpful and unrealistic and make constructive changes. Also if your subconscious is programmed with negative thoughts and attachments it is really hard to stay positive. I have created positive affirmations for my self and have attached them in three different locations so that I can read them on a daily basis.
Number five on the list of interventions is Melatonin TherapyWhat is melatonin? Melatonin is a hormone and one of its main relationship is to help regulate your sleep cycle. The body produces the most melatonin in the skin but, there are other organs that make this hormone as well. Lack of light is one of the factors of low melatonin. I generally take a low dose of melatonin two hours before I go to bed and it is amazing how well I sleep. When you wake up with the dawn simulator it gives you more light earlier than what you would get if you just woke up with the natural winter sunrise.Remember to always consult your primary care physician before starting any supplements.
I hope you have enjoyed the information and find it simple to understand and implement.
Thank you for your time and enegy……Be well
Jaime J. Hernandez
Health and exercise prescriptions©
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