How I fight seasonal depression and thrive
For the last almost 10 years of my life, I have been fortunate enough to be blessed with amazing weather while living in Los Angeles. The sun is almost always out there, which can easily be taken for granted. And now that I am living back in the Midwest for the time being, I’ve definitely started to feel the negative effects that the lack of sunshine has produced—and how that began to impact me mentally and physically.
At first, I couldn’t exactly pinpoint my ill symptoms to my Vitamin D levels plummeting. I mean, I had just made a major move—I drove across the country and spent the holidays with my family and packed away my life in Los Angeles. There are a lot of things I could be feeling. Not to mention I’m eating different foods!
When I started to feel worse in my body, I started eating even healthier, by making health shakes and taking more supplements. It did help a little, but I could still feel something was missing! So then, I started to take serious action.
Here are my top 5 seasonal depression hacks that have helped me feel happier and better then ever, even with grey skies.
Vitamin D shot (and B12 shot helps as well). This was the main game changer for me. The vitamin D shot is recommended for only once or twice a month as it’s a fat soluble injection versus water, and not to mention it contains 50,000 IU! I found an amazing place here in Cincinnati that only charges $25 for B12 and $40 for Vitamin D. Look up IV hydration places in your area and see if they offer vitamin D shots. I go to The Hydration Station! https://thehydrationstation.com/iv-therapy/
Work it out and sweat it out (then take a freezing cold shower). This helped with the foods I ate during the holidays and for me to overall feel way better physically and emotionally. I joined a gym and have been getting my heart pumping daily, and I’ve been using my portable infrared sauna blanket (however, any sauna will do). After this, I will take a 2-4 min cold shower while I dance to my favorite music.
Artificial light. I was skeptical about this but I bought one on Amazon for under $100 and I do notice a difference! Something to keep in mind is that taking in light is always most beneficial when you first wake up versus later in the day. Sometimes I will meditate or read in front of it. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B099YWP72D?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1
Dr. Schulze’s supplements. I make a green shake every morning combining one banana, pressed green juice, and a couple tablespoons of his SuperFoods ultra powder! This has done wonders for my energy levels, and I sometimes even forget to drink my morning coffee! Unheard of, right?! https://www.herbdoc.com/superfood-ultra
Tapping into my creative side. I have found that going inwards with writing and drawing (I’m currently using oil pastels!) has majorly helped me.
And that’s it! You may find that one thing works way better than another, but that is the beauty of it all—we are all uniquely made and respond to interventions differently. However, I have found that after I started doing these things, the feelings of depression vanished, and I felt brand new!! Also, another helpful thing for me is to connect with loved ones!
These 5 things listed above worked for me and perhaps they will work for you. If you have other solutions or go to intervention for seasonal depression, please share it with me!
Yours in health,
Elise
Disclaimer: the links and products above are for your benefit and I receive no financial compensation for sharing them.