What Causes Seasonal Affective Disorder, & What Does It Feel Like?

What does it feel like to have seasonal affective disorder (SAD)?

SAD is characterised by the manifestation of depressive symptoms which are inextricably linked to the changing weather conditions. People affected by SAD generally describe the yearly onset of their symptoms coinciding, like clockwork, with the darkening of the skies as the cold snap enters the air. Speaking to the UK-based charity, MIND, Sarah Merriman; who was diagnosed with the condition in her late teens; explains, “all of a sudden, I\’ve got this cloud hanging over me. […] Wherever I go, it\’s like that and I\’m desperate to blow that cloud away and to see the sun.” 

A destroyer of both mood and motivation, SAD can be debilitating, compromising our ability to take part in, or take joy in taking part in, many of our usual activities. “If I were ever to think about starting a new project or doing something different, those kind of ideas never really come to me at that time of the year,” says Merriman. “I almost feel like an animal, that I want to hibernate. The dark and the grey comes and I really, I would just love to pull the covers over my head and say, ‘Wake me up in March.’”

Other than losing interest in daily activities, the symptoms of SAD include feeling lethargic, being affected by low self-esteem and irritability, finding it hard to get up in the morning, and experiencing cravings for starchy comfort foods, which can lead to weight gain and general overall ill-health. 

What causes seasonal affective disorder (SAD)?

The term ‘seasonal affective disorder (SAD)’ was first coined by psychiatrist Norman Rosenthal in a journal article in 1984, based on studying a group of people in Maryland, in the US. It has since become the go-to term to describe depression which manifests in correlation with the changing of the seasons, in people all over the world. 

Although it is unclear why some people develop SAD and others do not, Rosenthal finds that certain factors render a person at greater risk of developing SAD. These include having a family history of depressive conditions and being female. Women are approximately four times more likely to be affected than men. Rosenthal and his team came up with several different neurobiological theories that could explain the development of SAD. Among them, that the condition could be caused by a drop in our serotonin levels – the neurotransmitter responsible for happiness – as well as potentially by our disrupted sleep patterns and/or the fact that some people’s eyes become less sensitive to natural light in winter, thereby failing to absorb its benefits as normal. 

According to Rosenthal, SAD compounds the stress levels we already have, making already-challenging situations even more insurmountable: “During the winter months, people with SAD are less able to handle stress than they are at other times of year. For example, having to get to work early in the morning, to work long hours or to meet deadlines are all particularly stressful for those with a tendency to develop SAD, especially when these stresses occur during the winter.”

SAD and meditation: finding a light at the end of the tunnel

Due to the strong associations between SAD and stress, it is no wonder that meditation – a technique with a 6,000 year history of helping us befriend our minds – is found by so many people to be effective in managing the condition. On our meditation classes and courses in London, we find that a lot of people seek guidance in practicing mantra-based meditation in the run-up to the colder months. This can help set you up for the winter, as you will already be experiencing the benefits of meditation by the time the darker days – and your resultant darker moods – set in. 

Although every individual will find that they experience the benefits of meditation in particular ways, the principal benefits of establishing a mantra-based practice in order to reduce the symptoms of SAD include: 

Reducing your stress levels. The Beeja practice is very simple, involving a twenty minute session, twice a day, during which you silently repeat your personal mantra, selected for you by experienced teachers. Mantra-based meditation is easier than mindfulness, because you do not have to resist boarding any trains of thought or riding out on the tides of emotion that come up during the session. Simply sticking to your internal repetition of the mantra will allow you, with regular practice, to access the inner calm that lies underneath your internal chatter. Regularly soothing your central nervous system with meditation in this way reduces your propensity to become stressed overall, minimising the risk that your existent stress levels will precipitate or exacerbate symptoms of SAD.

Improving your sleep. The winter months, with their longer nights and lack of daylight, can throw off the body’s Circadian rhythm, causing us to experience difficulties falling asleep at night, as well as problems getting up in the morning after a night of poor sleep. Beeja meditation has been proven to result in a 42% reduction in sleep disorders like insomnia, according to statistics gathered from the people we introduce to the technique. Sleep and meditation are inherently complementary bedfellows. The deeper, more refreshing rest you experience as a result of your practice will have a powerful effect on your ability to rise to the challenges presented by your symptoms of SAD.

Sharpening your self-awareness. When the mind is clouded by depressive and anxious thinking, it can be nearly impossible to see through this fog, identifying the agents we need to make us feel better. It may be that a medical assessment is needed to devise a treatment plan, or simply to make adjustments to your existing plan for managing SAD. For example, you may wish to explore flexible working hours or working from home while you learn to manage your symptoms. 

Regularly practicing mantra-based meditation exponentially enhances our capacity for self-knowing. This makes it easier to discern and apprehend the patterns of disordered thinking associated with depression, empowering you to seek the assistance you need to make positive lifestyle changes that can ensure your smooth movement through the winter. 

If you would like to find out more about how Beeja meditation could help you address the symptoms of SAD, and keep healthy and happy in general, you can visit us in London, or book a course.

Words: Rosalind Stone