Feeling SAD?

Seasonal affective disorder, heard of it before? Maybe, maybe not. It's that time of year when the nights begin to draw in, more quickly than usual this year, previous years have seen summer drift into late September and early October. So does dark nights and cold mornings affect how we feel? YES it does!
Sunshine is a mood enhancer, where even things that are getting us down,  can be improved by a bright, warm day which can lift spirits and even the hardest of days can then seem better. So cold, dark, rainy days are mood depressants, and who wants to feel down and depressed.
Sleep patterns are the first disruption to how we are, so with the early mornings being replaced by darkness, our body feels the urge to sleep more, compared to a bright morning and our body clock wakes us early, so sleep patterns contribute to our performance at work.  They also contribute to how we cope with life, a restless night doesn't feel nearly as bad when the weather is good, but a sleepless night and a dark cold morning is going to be a bad start to the day.
Lifting the mood and feeling brighter is difficult, fighting nature is not the way forward. Identifying your triggers is the first step.
1. Do you feel positive about tomorrow?
2. Ask yourself the same question as you get out of bed in the morning
3. Do you feel as if your life has direction?
4. Ask yourself the same question one hour after you wake up
5. Do you have a plan for your day tomorrow?
6. Ask yourself at the end of tomorrow if you achieved your plan
7. If yes, how did it feel. If not, why not?
Life is a journey, and the road can be bumpy, having to fight the natural pattern of light and dark on our mood is an added pressure, it may never have affected you, but if it is just a little, you may never have known. So answer these questions and read my next blog to find out if SAD affects you.