There are some concrete ways to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder.
The winter in New York City sucks balls. I hate it, because it makes me feel more depressed than I feel ordinarily. It can be hard to motivate myself to be productive or on time for things when it’s gray and shitty outside. I find myself affected by the infamous villain Seasonal Affective Disorder (appropriately named SAD) from January – March.
Seasonal Affective Disorder strikes when you feel low because the weather outside is so gross that you do not want to do anything but sleep. Unfortunately, I cannot do this because I have two children who believe that sleep is boring. What is wrong with them?
Winter can be fun though!
But Sarah, you might say, there are so many wonderful things to do during the wintertime in New York, like ice skating and looking at the tree in Rockefeller Center. Do you think I give a fuck about those things when I feel depressed? Hell no, I do not! However, all is not lost! There are some concrete ways to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder and I am going to tell you what has worked for me.
1. Get outside!
I know it sounds counter intuitive, because when you feel depressed the last thing you (or I for that matter) want to do is put pants on, but believe me getting out and going for a walk is awesome. The good thing about having kids and that they don’t give a shit whether or not you’re depressed and they force you to go outside.
2. Eat fish
Omega 3s are amazing. I eat salmon two to three times a week, particularly in the winter because Omegas are great at making your brain happy. So go to Trader Joe’s and get some frozen salmon. It’s cheap and your brain will thank you.
3. Go visit someone you have not seen in a while
Friends are awesome and comforting. When you are feeling like rabbit excrement, there’s nothing like an old friend that you haven’t seen in a while to remind you of your value. The trick is forcing yourself to call that person, because, you are not going to want to do it. But please trust me on this one, your college friends love you. They remember weird stories about you that will make you laugh until coffee comes out of your nose. You need that shit right now.
4. Eat ice cream
Ice cream has been scientifically proven to cure any problem ever in life. Don’t believe me? It’s true. It’s probably because you are not eating enough of it. I know the back says something about “serving size” but you are reading too much. In order to gain the full effects of this medicine you need to eat the entire carton. Same goes for gelato.
5. Order pizza
It is crucial that you do not go to the actual pizza place. You must call them/order online but whatever you do have the pizza delivered to your house. It’s cold as fuck outside and you should be watching Netflix.
These are a few techniques that you can use to combat the evil villain known as Seasonal Affective Disorder. Please let me know how the ice cream tastes.
