Is seasonal depression affecting your productivity?

As the seasons change and days get shorter, you may find your mood gets darker as well. Energy, enthusiasm, and optimism can wane with the fading sun. In 1984, Norman Rosenthal and a team at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland began to call this phenomena Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. Seasonal affective disorder is recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as a type of depression that follows a seasonal pattern, although it is not classified as a separate mood disorder.

Symptoms of SAD may include fatigue, depression, carbohydrate cravings, and social withdrawal. Seasonal changes in mood can affect your productivity in the following ways:

Low energy - when you feel lethargic, you won’t get much done. One thing that can increase your energy level and make you less sleepy is to get up and move around. Weather-permitting, you should go outside and take a walk. To get the most benefit from your walk, make it a gratitude walk. As you walk outside appreciate all the things you see and hear, be grateful for your physical abilities, think about the warm relationships you have with family and friends. If you can’t get outside, turn on as many lights as possible and complete the gratitude walk indoors.

Trouble Concentrating - when your mind feels cloudy, it is hard to pay attention to the task at hand. Mindfulness exercises can help get your concentration back on track. Take a short break and complete a 5 Minute Mindfulness Meditation. If you do not have time for meditation or do not enjoy it, there are other ways to focus your mind. Simply practice paying attention. Challenge yourself to look around the room and find 6 things that start with the letter P. Think of all the people you know who have names that start with N. Try to remember what you ate for dinner every night last week. Then start planning this week’s menu!

Trouble Thinking of Solutions - when you are depressed, your perspective becomes limited. You get tunnel vision. In order to be productive, you need to be able to come up with innovative solutions. So, you need to broaden your perspective. Research has shown that positive emotions broaden our perspective. To improve your mood, do something you enjoy. Take a break and listen to a song you like or watch a funny video. Have lunch with a friend. One of the symptoms of SAD is an increase in cravings for unhealthy foods, so try to find a quick mood boost that does not involve eating your favorite snack.

Trouble Getting Out of Bed - it is hard to be productive at work if you don’t show up. Sometimes SAD can be so debilitating that you don’t want to get out of bed. A great way to push yourself out of bed is to have something to look forward to in your day. Anticipation will improve your mood and propel you forward. Before you go to bed at night, plan something that you can look forward to the next day. If you find it hard to get to the office, make sure the thing you are looking forward to will happen at your place of work. Schedule a work or social event that you will enjoy with a person you look forward to meeting. Go through your closet and find things that make you feel good when you wear them. If your outfit is ready and you have something to look forward to, it will be easier to jump out of bed and get to work.

Loss of Passion - it is hard to be productive when you are not excited about the work you are doing. SAD can make work you used to enjoy seem like a chore. There are a few things you can do to increase your enthusiasm for your work. First, remind yourself of all the things you appreciate about your job. Feeling grateful is incompatible with feeling frustration. Next, get creative. Brainstorm all of the things you would like to do at your job if you had the resources and encouragement. Who knows, one of these ideas might lead to your next promotion! Give yourself credit for the things you have already accomplished. Rest on your laurels for a few minutes. Remember how good it felt to be productive. Look at your to-do list and find that feeling again.

In addition to increasing light exposure, people suffering from seasonal depression can find relief by working with someone who can help them shift their perspective. One way to do that would be to work with a psychotherapist who specialized in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Another way to do this would be to work with a coach who specializes in helping clients improve their mental state by shifting their perspective.

At Best-Possible-Outcome.com, I use tools from the field of Positive Psychology to help clients with mindset and accountability. Through conversations and the use of targeted exercises, I can help you reduce the impact of SAD and increase your productivity.

I would love to work with you. You can learn more about Best Possible Outcome and sign up for a session at best-possible-outcome.com.