Overcoming the Winter Blues

by Michael Sahno, MS APK, TSAC-F

As the winter months set in Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD comes about for millions of us every year. It causes us to become more sluggish, more cranky, and to need a little bit more sleep. But, what if it wasn’t as bad as we are all making it out to be? What if it was just a normal part of the human behavioral process as we progress throughout the seasons?

First brought into the social consciousness in the early 1980’s by South African doctor Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D. in his book Winter Blues, published in 1983 and in a following research paper in 1984, it has been diagnosed and “treated” since its inclusion in the fourth edition of The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This book is routinely used for diagnosis by psychiatrists and psychologists since this version (IV) was published in 1994. But, was its addition as a disorder valid. Meaning, is there any evidence that feeling down, blue, or sluggish when the world outside is frozen a Mental Disorder?

In 2016 Megan K. Traffanstedt, Sheila Mehta, and Steven G. LoBello sought to answer this question and did a deep dive into the subject and released a paper called, Major Depression With Seasonal Variation: Is It a Valid Construct?. In their research they found that, “Depression was unrelated to latitude, season, or sunlight. Results do not support the validity of a seasonal modifier in major depression. And that, “The idea of seasonal depression may be strongly rooted in folk psychology, but it is not supported by objective data.”

For me, what this means is that Seasonal Depression is not a Mental Disorder. Am I saying that it isn’t harder in the winter to keep your motivation levels high? Or that I personally feel as energetic and joyous during the winter months as I do during the spring or the summer? Absolutely not. I personally HATE the cold! Because of this I know that I have to use certain psychological tools to ensure that I am working out or eating right. I do this by regimenting myself in the winter, just like I do when it is warmer outside and I am actively on a workout program.

I like to think of the winter months as my “Off-Season”. I do a lot more cardio and I reduce my amount of weight training. Why,because I know that if I lift weights, I am going to eat. Also, in the winter it is TOO easy to talk yourself out of a workout because it’s cold outside. That is why I recommend you hop onto a treadmill or an Echo-Bike and “Cardio” those Winter Blues away.