I Do Science: Experiment #1: Defeating the Winter of Discontent [My Mythical Year] [Thursday Thirteen]

See my post here for more information on My Mythical Year.




For this badge, I decided to conduct two experiments.    This is the first.

 

"Now is the winter of our discontent." - William Shakespeare.  Richard III. 

"But does it have to be EVERY winter?!" - Auntie.

 

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD):  Years ago, many thought it was a made-up hype disease, including me.  I mean, doesn't everyone get depressed, isolate themselves and contemplate suicide every winter?  Seriously, I thought it was made up.  That is, of course, until I was diagnosed with it by a bona fide clinician.

Now recognized in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, SAD is a seasonal disorder that exhibits symptoms of major depression.  Some of the symptoms I experience are:

• Lethargy and over sleeping.
• Increased appetite for simple carbohydrates or bingeing on junk food.
• Weight gain (well duh!).
• Abnormal social anxiety leading to isolation (including avoiding positive social media).
• Loss of interest in favorite activities (reading, painting, crafts).
• Cognitive issues / brain fog (brain fart syndrome, or as I call it, my blond roots showing way too much).
• Sadness for unknown reasons.
• Feeling of hopelessness and worthlessness leading to thoughts of suicide.

I'd gone through this cycle for years without really knowing why.  The most serious case of it was in 2015 when I wrote this and had every intention of carrying it out.  After sharing my struggle with some friends I trusted, I got some help that got me over the hump. Yet, every year, I suffered with this pernicious blight.

This winter, I decided that I'd had enough of giving up months of productivity and joy.  I'd had enough of suffering in silent isolation.  I'd had enough of watching those around me living life while I withered away in a corner like a forgotten houseplant.

For this experiment, I went old school Science class:

Elements of the experiment:

• The independent variable - my mind, mood, attitude and general mental health through this experiment.
• The dependent variable (expected outcome) - that I not experience any major depressive episodes during the experiment.
• The control group - I'd consider my mental health during all the years of suffering with SAD without knowing how to treat it the control group.
• The constant - the daily strategies outlined in this experiment.
• The Inference - the results, which I will expound on at the end of the experiment.
• The duration of the experiment - If I made it from November 1st through the first week of new year without any major depressive episodes, I considered the experiment a success.  That's the timeframe when the majority of my symptoms occur the strongest.

Conducting the Experiment: Thirteen strategies (or the constants)  for dealing with SAD.

#1 - Get the right information. 

Though I'd researched Seasonal Affective Disorder on my own, getting information directly from a counselor or clinician was necessary to confirm that I was on the right track.  My mentor is a clinician and found my strategies solid.   I also spoke with the Program Director of our counseling program.  Not only did he find my strategies solid, but gave me more information and additional strategies. 

#2 - Go green.

For me, one thing that make a residence feel like home is plants.  Back home, I had houseplants, flower beds to tend, and an occasionally productive vegetable garden.  Since my new place doesn't have a yard and I'm on a tight budget, I had to get creative in my quest for greenery.  Several people at work have nice plants and graciously allowed me to take cuttings to root (the plant on the right is an example).  I was in the grocery store and found an inexpensive, rather forlorn peace lily.  After watering and tending it for about a month, I split it into two plants--one for work and one for home.  Over the months, I've been blessed with several more plants.  As budget allows, I will continue to add to the collection.

 

Why is this important?  Not only do the plants bring beauty to my world, but they also give me a living thing for which to be responsible.  I take plant care as seriously as I would pet care, so doing my part to make sure these plants live and thrive is very important to me.  Even on my "blue" days, caring for my growing menagerie of flora boosts my mood. 

#3 - Increase my vitamin intake; especially Vitamin D. 

Much of the research suggests that one factor of SAD involves Vitamin D deficiency.  With shorter days giving less sunlight, winter temperatures giving less opportunities for outdoor activities, and seasonal dietary changes that may not include enough Vitamin D-rich foods, I not only took a twice daily vitamin/mineral supplement that included vitamin D, but took an extra vitamin D supplement in the evenings.  I did keep an eye out for symptoms of overconsumption.



#4 - Bring comfort to my surroundings.

 

As I mentioned in this post, I decided to employ the Norwegian concept of koselig.  Like the popular Danish concept of hygge, koselig is the act of finding the cozy of the season. I bought a cozy fleece throw for my couch, an assortment of flavored coffees and teas to enjoy, and some treats to make bath time more relaxing.  I also worked to dump my normal winter mindset of dread.  The biggest part of koselig and hygge isn't simply procuring comforting items, but developing a more positive mindset around the season.  Embracing the cozy, if you will.



#5 - Watch or listen to something funny or that improves my mood.

 

The Bible says that "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones" (Proverbs 17:22 KJV).  When I'm feeling depressed, the last thing I want to do is listen to uplifting music or watch a funny video, yet keeping that kind of content going on good days makes it easier to partake of when my mood isn't the best.  YouTube was my best resource for funny or uplifting videos.  My Spotify "Happy 911" playlist was my source for music that improved my mood.

#6 - Don't power through or ignore negative feelings.

 

There were days that no matter what I did, my mood was down.  Sickness, negative circumstances (and people), adverse weather conditions, hormones, and erratic sleep patterns wreaked havoc with my emotions.  In the past, I would try to power through or medicate (mostly with food) those emotions to not feel them.  This strategy not only made the pain last longer, but increased its intensity.  I let myself experience the emotion and process through it to find possible solutions to the issues causing the turn.  I was also honest with and asked for prayer from those close to me.



#7 - Don't power through or ignore sickness.

I rarely get sick, but this winter found me battling two rounds of the ick.  The first was during my Christmas vacation, so I wasn't out and about much anyway.  The second hit just as I went back to work and I really didn't feel right about taking sick leave immediately after a vacation.  However, trying to power through it seriously cut down on my productivity and worsened my mood.  After a few days of this, I bit the bullet and took time off to do nothing but rest.  I spent several days in bed recuperating.  It was the best thing I could have done for myself.



#8 - Get outside as often as weather permits.

 

One of the benefits of Colorado winters it that the bitter cold isn't extended.  Plus, winters here aren't ugly and we usually get plenty of sunshine between snowstorms.  Along with our daily lunch break, we are allotted a couple of short breaks throughout the day.   When temperatures allowed, I would go for a stroll, soak up some sun (thus vitamin D), occasionally listen to music, and take pictures of anything I thought was beautiful or interesting (thus the photo above).  It got me away from the screen, got me moving, and worked wonders for my psyche.   If the weather was too yucky, I would go to one of our conference rooms and admire the scenery from the large windows.  Admittedly, not the same, but better than nothing.

#9 - Keep my brain active.

One of the symptoms of SAD is a loss of interest in enjoyable activities.  Reading is one of my favorite activities.  Even when I was feeling my worst, I would play an audiobook to focus my mind on something intellectual (most of the time).   If I couldn't focus on something new, I would pull out a old favorite and reread parts of it.



#10 - Treat myself.

Yes, I know I'm on the Dave Ramsey plan, but even he said that if we don't add a little fun to our lives, we will be miserable and give up working the baby steps altogether.  A small treat like a Starbucks coffee,  an inexpensive used book from the library bookstore or thrift store, or a little something from Mythical worked wonders.  Plus, I had gift cards I'd been hoarding since my birthday with which I could purchase treats for myself.

#11 - Keep moving.

 

One of the best mood boosters is exercise.  Whether it's throwing in a workout DVD, taking a walk outside, or cranking up the music and putting the pedal to the metal on my bike, movement usually lifts my mood and helps me sleep a little better.

#12 - Keep the creativity going.

 

While many of my ongoing art projects went unfinished, I thoroughly enjoyed creating handmade cards, ornaments, and presents for Christmas and baby arrivals.  Sharing my creativity with others brings me joy.

#13 - Stay social.

This was the toughest one.  Thought I'm a very social person, when the icy tendrils of the mulligrubs start to claw at me, the last thing I want to do is be around people--for their sake and mine.  However, I'm well enough experienced in social media to know that it's no substitute for true fellowship--only a supplement.  So, when necessary, I forced myself to avoid prolonged isolation.  Another thing that helped is that the weather didn't cause me to miss as many church services as last winter, so worshiping with my church family definitely kept me connected to community.

The Results

I am pleased to announce that the experiment was a success!  I made it through the toughest part of the winter months with no major depressive episodes.  Was my mood perfect throughout?  No, but I never got into despair, and ending my life didn't even cross my mind.

As winter gives way to spring (whenever that is--Colorado remember?), I will continue to employ these strategies.