6 Tips for Dealing with Depression During the Winter

For as long I can remember, people have told me that my moods seemed to change with the weather. At first, I didn't pay any attention to it, because the only people that seem to notice it were my family. I thought that maybe it was just their perception, and didn't choose to do anything about it.

It wasn't until about 2 years ago after a severe bout of sadness that I realized that something was truly wrong. I had gone into the hospital and it was at that time that a psychiatrist and general practitioner diagnosed me with depression. As soon as I heard the diagnosis, things started to make sense. I realized that I felt sad most often during the winter months when it was colder. My mood seemed to improve as the weather improved. Once I realized what made me sad, thanks to my doctor, I was able to come up with things that I could do to keep myself from getting depressed. The following are ten things that I have come up with over the past two years that have helped me to deal with my depression and lead a more effective life.

First of all, I realized that the more time I spent alone, the more I started thinking about the things that had gone wrong in my life, and the sadder I became. I decided that keeping myself busy was key. More often than not, I now try to keep myself as busy as possible. I do a lot of word searches and sudoku puzzles as well as writing poetry to keep my mind occupied and so far it seems to be working great.

The Second thing that I have found that helps is talking to others about how I am feeling. I am not talking about walking out my front door and shouting to the whole world that I am depressed, but rather talking to someone such as a close friend or even a counselor. If you want a totally objective listener, I would suggest the counselor, as friends always seem to side with you as they may not want to hurt your feelings. Regardless of who you choose to talk to, I think you will find that just discussing your feelings helps.