How to Combat SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) at Work

Seasonal affective disorder impacts every area of our lives, including the professional one. In this article, we will explain how to combat SAD at work. 

Disclaimer: This article was written by a person who has experienced and successfully healed from depression. Although a psychologist didn’t deliver it, it discusses practices I followed in my own recovery. They were recommended to me by my therapist and proved helpful to me, but please be aware that everyone has different coping mechanisms. I recommend trying the advice in this blog post, but not relying on it entirely. If you are experiencing deep distress, consult a professional and/or learn more about the support available to you in your country. 

What is seasonal affective disorder (SAD)?

Seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression, which occurs during certain times of the year. In most cases, it is the autumn-winter season, when a shortage of light and gloomy weather severely impact the mood. 

SAD is, by definition, short-term and for many people, their mood improves once the period causing the disorder ends. However, this doesn’t mean that if you’re experiencing seasonal affective disorder, you should suffer in silence. What’s more, untreated SAD can develop into more severe disorders, such as anxiety or depression. 

Luckily, there are things you can do to get through this difficult time. Learn how to combat seasonal affective disorder at work. 

1. Talk to a psychologist
2. Establish a work-life balance
3. Communicate it to your boss and colleagues
4. Take days off
5. Spend free time doing things you enjoy
6. Get enough sleep
7. Maintain a healthy diet
8. Exercise
9. Keep a journal
10. Ensure appropriate lighting in your workplace
11. Seek support from your loved ones 

1. Talk to a psychologist

First and foremost, consult a specialist if you experience a persisting doldrum. The queues to refunded psychologists are usually long, but many professionals admitting patients privately offer the first appointment for free.

Book a visit to discuss your situation and symptoms with a psychologist. They will help you understand your feelings and emotions more efficiently, getting to the root of the problem. Together, you will establish whether your current state is a disorder requiring treatment and find ways to improve your mood. 

Be aware that a psychologist won’t diagnose you after the first appointment. They will need several hours and an extensive interview combined with a medical examination to determine the state of your mental health. 

A mental disorder isn’t like a broken bone - it’s not visible to the naked eye and can’t be confirmed at a glance. This is why a conversation with a professional is crucial. You shouldn’t self-diagnose. And more importantly, never self-medicate. 

You may suspect that you are suffering from SAD or another disorder and feel it deep down. But don’t assume so with full certainty until a psychologist confirms it through professional methods. 

2. Establish a work-life balance

A decline in your mood can be caused by SAD, but could it also be burnout?

The end of the year is usually when we must stretch ourselves thin at work, using the last weeks to meet targets and quotas. Autumn and winter can be gruelling in the workplace, and they also coincide with the time when most people experience seasonal affective disorder.  

It is all too easy to snap under all the pressure and damage your mental and physical health.

Establishing a healthy work-life balance is crucial for combating SAD. If your mood is perpetually down, you will also lack motivation. You will find it difficult to perform well at work, which will make this challenging time even harder. 

Avoid overtime and don’t bring work home. Charge your batteries when you’re off the clock and do something you enjoy to take your mind off your professional life. Dedicate time to your family and friends, not just your boss. 

3. Communicate it to your boss and colleagues

Mental health hurdles aren’t always visible - but the impact they have on our lives can be. 

A decline in your mood can affect your performance. In this case, your colleagues and supervisors will likely notice. This is especially true if this lasts for an extended period. 

Don’t feel nervous or embarrassed to communicate the reason for your lowered motivation with your boss and closest colleagues. Social awareness regarding different types of depression is steadily growing, so a modern, healthy workplace should support its employees through challenging times. 

Remember that a drop in your performance affects others as well. It will be much easier for everyone to redistribute certain tasks and accommodate you if you’re honest about how you’re feeling straight away. If you stay silent and your results worsen, they might react with frustration rather than sympathy if they don’t know the reason. 

Explain that you’re experiencing SAD and although you are doing your best, some days are more difficult to get through than others. Inform that your performance might temporarily be a bit worse than usual. Assure that your lowered motivation doesn’t stem from laziness but is the result of a disorder you are being treated for. 

If you don’t feel comfortable talking about it openly, have this conversation only with your immediate manager and the colleagues you work the closest with. They are the ones who should be aware of your issues in the first place. 

4. Take days off

Seasonal affective disorder is often recurring. Some people experience it every year, so after a while, there are steps you can take to get ready for it.

If you know your mood is prone to worsen between November and February, plan a holiday during that period. The end of the year is usually a busy time for many companies, so make sure to book your days off as soon as possible - preferably at the start of the year to make sure they get approved. 

Since SAD is caused by a shorter day and gloomy weather, you can go somewhere exotic and sunny. Or if that’s not your vibe, simply spend your days off doing things you enjoy with people you love. This will effectively lift your spirits and ensure you go back to work well-rested. 

5. Spend free time doing things you enjoy

In times when your life is dominated by hopelessness and sadness, cling to things that normally make you happy. Depressive disorders can strip your usual hobbies of pleasure, but that doesn’t mean you should entirely give up on them. 

Surround yourself with people you love and do things you enjoy in the evenings and on the weekends. Eat comfort food, listen to your favourite music, watch a TV show, or play with your pet. 

All forms of depression rob you of the serotonin hormone, which is responsible for making you happy. However, serotonin can be produced by doing things we like. Produce as much of it as you can during this difficult time. 

6. Get enough sleep

Some people find that seasonal affective disorder makes them want to sleep all the time. Others have difficulties relaxing and sleeping at all.

Regardless of which group you find yourself in, make an effort to maintain good sleep hygiene. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. Make time for 7 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. 

It’s crucial for our well-being, especially in times when our mood is down. 

7. Maintain a healthy diet

Mental health goes hand in hand with physical health. It is all too easy to forget about one when focusing too hard on the other. 

What and how you eat is going to affect your mood. Seasonal affective disorder may rob you of your appetite, but skipping meals will make you feel even worse.

If you don’t have the energy to cook and can’t ask anyone to do it for you, sign up for a meal subscription programme. You will get tasty, balanced meals delivered straight to your doorstep, helping you stay nourished and healthy. 

8. Exercise

Asking you to exercise when getting out of bed or having a shower seems like a feat may seem ridiculous. However, physical exercise is one of the recommended mechanisms of coping with depressive disorders.

On the one hand, the seasonal affective disorder can make you feel empty. But at the same time, there are so many emotions involved. Sadness. Hopelessness. Even anger.

First, you need to understand those emotions and learn to read what they’re telling you. This is best done through therapy. But even once you know how to navigate them, physical exercise can be a great way to get rid of their excess.

Instead of internalising your emotions and making yourself feel even more overwhelmed, you can turn them into energy and either let it fuel you or expel it. 

9. Keep a journal

The seasonal affective disorder has a way of messing with a person’s head. There are a lot of intense emotions accompanying it, and it can be difficult to navigate them. 

Keeping a journal may help with that. Something as simple as writing down your thoughts and feelings can make processing them a lot easier. 

They can seem less daunting once you put them into words, and see them materialise on paper. Humans are hard-wired to find it easier to deal with tangible things, and keeping a journal serves exactly that purpose. 

10. Ensure appropriate lighting in your workplace

This might seem like a minor detail, but it’s actually an important step in combatting SAD. Insufficient daylight is one of the main causes of the seasonal affective disorder. We need vitamin D to function properly, and a deficit negatively impacts both our mental and physical health. 

Artificial light doesn’t provide the same benefits as natural one. In fact, it only serves to tire our minds and eyes more. As many of us spend most of our time cooped up inside, it is a serious issue.

Ask your employer to provide sufficient lighting in the office. If you work from home, add a SAD lamp to your remote work equipment. They are specifically designed to imitate daylight. With the right tone and intensity, they are recommended as part of therapy when dealing with seasonal affective disorder. 

11. Seek support from your loved ones

Seasonal affective disorder may drive you to seek isolation. But believe me, any kind of depression is a time when you should welcome the support of your loved ones more than ever. 

Help those who care about you understand what you’re going through. Try to communicate to them what you need and how to help you - although this may not be obvious, even to you.

Honesty is the key. You may not understand everything you’re feeling, but have faith that the people you love want to support you through this difficult time. 

SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and medication

Generally, resorting to medication should be considered a last resort in treating depression. An experienced psychiatrist should exhaust other treatment methods before supplying a patient with anti-depressants.

There are a few less-commonly known facts you should be aware of before choosing to turn to medication:

1) Anti-depressants can take up to several months to start working. Given that SAD is seasonal, you might naturally feel better before medication even begins to deliver results. 

What is also important to be aware of is that the withdrawal process also takes several months. You can’t quit antidepressants like you would smoking. They are strong drugs which severely impact the mood and hormones. The correct way to stop taking them is to systematically lower the dose until it comes down to zero.

Ask yourself - and your therapist - whether it is worth it to take all the time to introduce and then remove anti-depressants from your SAD treatment before you make any decisions. Don’t act on impulse and carefully think it through, weighing out all the pros and cons. 

2) Anti-depressants can have severe side effects - many of which are not commonly talked about. For example, not many people are aware that medication used to treat depression can cause epilepsy, among other disorders.

Familiarise yourself with the risks before you decide to introduce medication into your treatment. Again, these types of drugs are intrusive and although they can do much help, they can also do much damage if used incorrectly.

Always ask a professional for help and never self-medicate. A psychologist or psychiatrist will be able to advise you and establish whether they believe you need medication or not. Remember that only a psychiatrist can provide you with a prescription - a psychologist can only refer you to a psychiatrist. 

These are some good practices you can try to combat SAD. Again, we stress that everyone is different and requires a personalised approach. The only step that should absolutely apply to everyone is the first one: consult a psychologist.

Only a professional will be able to produce an accurate diagnosis and help you craft a plan specifically tailored to your needs. Never hesitate to ask for help. 

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