Dr. Mehnaz I. Bulakiwale

So you thought the famous Lana Del Rey number was just one off musings of the artist!? Well, not quite. Many people suffer from what is called Seasonal Affective Disorder, feelings of depression with shortening of daytime and colder climate. Researchers have found Seasonal Affective Disorder can hit people living in countries near the equator, like India, in the reverse, i.e., onset of summer triggers depression symptoms.

Why do I experience Summertime Sadness?

Increasing heat, high levels of humidity and longer days are likely culprits for the summertime blues. Typically the sufferer experiences anxiety, loss of appetite, weight loss and disturbed sleep or limited sleep.

Here’s how to cope with Summertime Sadness

1. Plan your summertime: When you know Summer months are approaching look back at the years gone-by and try remembering aspects of life that became difficult to handle, then. Next, think- how can you prevent those from occurring again, this Summer? Is it worthwhile considering a summer break and/or enrolling your children in some club to help you relax!? You will feel prepared to face the summer and summertime sadness if you plan your Summer in advance.
2. Sleep well: Shorter nights, hot days, office, vacations, guests and other day-to-day activities all these can limit your quality sleep time. Not getting enough sleep can make you feel permanently fatigued and easily irritable. These feelings can easily turn into inexplicable sadness. So, come what may tuck yourself into bed same time, each night.
3. Exercise: Regular physical activity can help keep feelings of sadness and depression at bay. Even if it is getting too hot for your day-to-day activities find alternatives to keep your body active and ward off depression. Consider going for a walk/jog early in the morning, buy summer membership in a local club where you can exercise in gym and/or hit the pool.
4. Go slow on Dieting: Planning to kick off your summer with a frenzy of dieting and exercising in order to fit in your last summer wardrobe? Bad idea. Instead, exercise sensibly, eat moderately and keep your body well-hydrated. Failure to keep up with a highly demanding diet and exercise regimen will leave you more demoralized and worsen your blues. So, be wise and go slow.
5. Plan your vacation carefully: Before blocking your plane tickets or loading up your car’s roof rack for that annual family vacation ask yourself: “Is this really what I want?” Or, is it an obligation you’re fulfilling to a relative? Will it make you happy? Or will it stretch your financial expenditure, dragging you behind at work and leave you stressed out?

You could consider alternatives, instead of taking a long vacation take several small weekend trips. Take time off and enjoy the comfort of your own home that you so painstakingly maintain.

Don’t get locked into a vacation that will not feel like a vacation.

1. Don’t beat yourself up: Does seeing everyone else having a swell time during the holiday season make you feel “what’s wrong with me?” Try not to think that way. So much of misery rises from comparison between “where we are and where we think we ought to be.” So, stop assuming that you should be happy as it’s holiday-time and stop worrying about how you feel relative to others. Instead, try to zero in on what triggers your feelings of sadness and work on overcoming those.
2. Think about Why?: If you struggle from Summertime sadness year after year you need to look deeper. Do you associate summer with a difficult time in the past- death of a loved one, or break-up of a relationship? Without even realizing it you may have started to associate summer with sadness- an association that gets stronger every summer that you spend depressed, sad and worried. If there indeed is some unhappy connection sorting it out could help break the pattern.
3. Get Help: It is likely that several problems are piling up and weighing you down if your feelings of sadness are old and persistent and you can’t seem to find your way around those. Talking to a practicing counselor/therapist and/or signing up for brief interventional therapy will not only blunt the effects of depression but also aid in adoption of effective coping mechanisms as well as modifying your problematic behavior patterns. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Psychologist.