Most people don’t like winter weather – but for some, cold temperatures and lack of sunlight hit hard enough to cause a serious mental health condition.
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) affects up to 15 per cent of Canadians each year, the Canadian Mental Health Association says.
In addition to the weather itself, its effect on daily routines can also bring about SAD.
After all, who wants to go for a run, tend the garden or even walk the dog when everything’s buried under a metre of snow?
“Many people are vulnerable to mood symptoms during the wintertime,” says John Heintzman, chief of psychiatry at Kitchener’s Grant River Hospital.
While SAD doesn’t often land patients in the hospital, Heintzman says, it can manifest itself in fatigue, oversleeping, weight gain and decreased energy.
So, given that this winter is colder, darker and snowier than many, what can be done to prevent SAD?
Randy Penney, director of mental health services at Lutherwood, says one idea would be to pick up a book, take up an activity or do something else that’s been put off since the days of warmer temperatures.
“Now that the weather’s not so good, this might be a good time to do something like that,” he says.
“You’re looking for something that’s going to comfort yourself.”
Another option, according to Penney, is to find ways to adapt your warm-weather routine to winter – finding an indoor track or shopping mall to walk in, for example.
“People can just decide to do something that they usually do to relieve stress,” he says.
Heintzman’s suggestions for coping with SAD include getting enough sleeping, finding enough activity to occupy the daytime hours and not being discouraged by the occasional “bad day.”
And if all else fails, just look on the bright side – literally.
“Every day of winter is one day closer to summer,” notes Penney.
According to the CMHA, women are more likely to develop SAD than men – and for either sex, the risk decreases with age.
