Wellbeing Focus: Seasonal Affective Disorder

This article we wrote originally featured on the Institute of Leadership and Management Website.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) has become increasingly recognised as an issue that affects many individuals. In the past it was referred to as winter blues and there was an assumption that anyone who felt a bit low during the winter months would soon get over it.  Recently however people have come to realise that the issue is far more serious than a dip in energy and enthusiasm for life, and indeed the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) suggests the treatment for SAD should be the same as for other forms of depression.

In addition to being a serious condition, it’s also one that can affect sufferers for several months of the year, which means that even if symptoms are relatively low level, they can have a prolonged effect on a person’s quality of life, and this will in turn affect those around each individual, including family members, friends and colleagues.

Is there a solution?

The causes of SAD aren’t fully understood but it appears to be related to hormonal changes that take place as a result of reduced hours of daylight.  While sufferers may not have control over the hormonal changes triggered by dark winter days, they can make decisions with their day-to-day lifestyle choices that can minimise the impact of these hormones. 

How can businesses help?

Organisations have a role to play in supporting SAD sufferers in much the same way as they do with supporting general staff health and wellbeing. They can provide education on the condition and ensure staff have access to a wide range of healthy, mood-boosting choices with what they eat and drink. 

They can offer opportunities and incentives for employees to get active within the working day, and reduce pressure by considering a flexible approach that allows staff to mange their time so they can end each day having achieved all their objectives, both personal and professional. 

If this means allowing staff the chance to get active, eat well, see some daylight, and balance their life as well as carry out their role at work, clear communication of expectations on both sides can pay huge dividends with getting the best out of people through what can be a challenging time for them. 

The final thing an organisation can do is to make counseling or therapy available as they might for other forms of depression. 

As with all wellbeing initiatives, messages need to be clear, consistent and practical so that staff are aware of the right choices to make each day, and feel motivated to make these choices. 

Simple healthy lifestyle messages that businesses can communicate in relation to SAD

1) Be aware of food and drinks that will drain you of energy. This means limiting coffees, fizzy drinks and sugary snacks. It can be tempting to opt for these items for a quick pick me up, but with any rapid rise in blood sugar comes a subsequent crash, resulting in an exaggerated feeling of low energy.  Instead aim to follow a routine of eating regularly through the day with healthy choices and moderate portion sizes.

2) Stay hydrated throughout the day as dehydration can heighten feelings of lethargy.

3) Get outside whenever you can. A couple of breaks during the day to get some sunlight and a little bit of fresh air and activity can do wonders for boosting mood, and not just because it increases the amount of daylight you’ll be exposed to.  Taking breaks through the day can clear the head and help to boost creativity and problem solving. 

4) If you're struggling through winter it can be tempting to let your exercise routine slide but it's important to resist this temptation. Exercise will release feel-good hormones that will lift your daily mood.

5) Adapt your schedule to allow you time to get outside and get some light. This may mean getting up earlier to get ahead of the day and, while extending the time you spend in the morning darkness may seem counter intuitive, if it frees you up to soak up some valuable light later in the day it’ll be worth it.

6) Light boxes have been shown to help many SAD sufferers so it’s worth experimenting with this idea as a possible solution.

7) As with all conditions that affect mood, the general advice is to avoid self-medication, particularly with alcohol or recreational drugs.  A drink or two may seem like the answer to take the edge off the symptoms for a while but this often exacerbates the situation in the medium to long term. 

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The single most effective strategy for guaranteed wellness results in 2014

In our work we come across many people who feel they're a long way away from where they want to be with their fitness, food routine, sleep pattern and work-life balance.  

Usually people end up in this situation when a number of small and simple healthy living behaviours have been lost over the course of many months or even years.  Not deliberately, but more as a result of an ever-increasingly busy schedule causing people to divert their attention away from healthy living and focus their priorities on work, family or elsewhere. 

In truth, prioritising personal wellness can enhance all other important areas of life, so here's the most simple strategy for success with sharpening up personal health, wellbeing, energy and performance.  

The key is small steps and consistent action, and this is most easily achieved by making a plan for what you can do to enhance your wellness:

Daily

Think about how you can fit in some movement / activity every single day.  Plan to stay hydrated and set boundaries for coffees, sugary snacks, work hours and bed time.  Decide in advance the healthy meals and / or snacks that you will include in your routine each day to maintain your desired balance with eating for energy and performance.

Weekly

How much activity would you like to fit into each week, how does your sleep routine look over a 7-day period, how many meals do you eat out compared with the food you prepare for yourself, what's your strategy for alcohol - how much and on what nights - and how many social activities will you plan to help you enjoy your life without becoming over-tired?

Monthly

What do you need to happen each month to feel that your life is balanced?  How many work-free days do you need each month? Where does your 'me-time' feature?  How often do you spend quality time with family, and where in the month will you focus on hobbies, specific personal interests and things that help you recharge your batteries?

These suggestions are just the beginning and once you focus you mind on this approach you'll be amazed at how quickly ideas present themselves.

Don't expect overnight miracles but with regular and consistent action your ideal solution and results can be achieved in a remarkably short space of time. And if you consider that just a few weeks of positive behaviour can undo the results of years of, shall we just say, not so positive behaviour, it's actually a great investment of time and planning.  Small steps really can add up to dramatic and life-changing results.

Like this result, achieved after just 4-weeks of adopting our simple approach:

'Overall I feel the best I've ever felt, my energy levels have soared'

Image by jcantwellphoto Flickr

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Inspiring Wellness Success Stories 6

More than 5 years on and the wellness programme benefits are still going strong.  

The latest instalment of our success stories demonstrates the lasting impact that can be achieved with a corporate wellness programme.  This participant reports how tackling wellness at a crucial time of life has led to feeling healthier, an improved ability to deal with stress and a sure fire way to keep the fun in life for the future.

Here's how he did it.
The date of the wellness programme you attended:
September 2007

The lifestyle changes you made during the programme:
None during the program, though the information provided resonated well with me then and has remained with me since.

The lifestyle changes you made following programme: 
Better / more effective prioritization of what is important and what is urgent.

The secrets of your success with wellness:
Think longer term, if you only think of the day to day activities then you do not find the time to do the things that matter in the long run - like your family, your health, etc. Thinking longer term helps you put things in their proper perspective.

What advice that you received made the greatest impact on you? 
I took part in the program when I was 45 yrs old, I am 50 now and those 5 yrs are when a lot of things - potentially bad - start to happen. If you don't get control of things, balance work and life, start eating healthier, exercise regularly, etc by the time you are 50 then I would guess life gets a lot less fun thereafter.

The biggest benefits of making your lifestyle changes:
Healthier, improved relationships with my colleagues and my family members, less reactive and more proactive, stress happens - but I react to it in a more calm, cool and collected way now.

Anything that got in the way of success with wellness: 
Nothing for me, but everything - if you let it.

When wellness is working for you, what are the key elements that make the difference?    
I am a morning person so I rise early and exercise at least 30 mins every day w/o exception. I am also early to bed, you have to have this balance if you rise early otherwise sleep deprivation catches up to you. Find out how much sleep you need to perform well and make sure that you get it nightly with as few exceptions as possible.

Read the previous instalment of our Inspiring Success Stories.

Image by  [ r ♥ c e y t ♥ y ] {I br♥ke for bokeh} Flickr

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