Counselling

Coping with The Winter Blues-SAD

Coping with the winter blues
~ claire ballardie

Winter is tough for many people. Short days, with a lack of sunlight, are a long way from the colours and warmth of summer, often leading to seasonal depression, or S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder).

 What causes it

SAD sufferers seem to have difficulty regulating seratonin, a neurotransmitter which regulates mood, digestion, sleep, sense of wellbeing, happiness.

The Science behind it

Lack of sunlight reduces seratonin levels – associated with depression and increases melatonin, a hormone produced by the brain in response to darkeness, regulating sleep patterns. (such as with Jet Lag)

Reduced levels of vitamin D- produced by sunlight reacting with chemicals in the skin, contributes to  fatigue, quality of sleep

Sufferers have difficulty regulating circadian rhythm or body clock which adjusts to seasonal light/ dark cycle. 

How does it differ from clinical depression?

A symptom of Clinical depression- is decreased appetite, whereas seasonal depression shows increased appetite

How it affects you

The main symptoms are : feeling sad, low mood, low energy, affecting normal daily life. Tiredness and hunger are also common.

Recent studies  compare SAD with hibernation, increased appetite, and need to sleep more. winter depression may have been the norm to survive the winter months. Our ancestors may have chosen to shelter from the winter weather in caves, sleeping more, but they could have suffered from poor nutrition, and a lack of vitamin D from sunlight.  Research indicates that there are biological similarities with hibernation ,the human body is not designed to survive months living off body fat in the way that bears can, for example.

How to treat it

  • Spending as much time as possible outside, particularly on sunny days.
  • Increased vitamin D – best source is sunlight, supplements, diet, SAD lamp.
  • Healthy diet
  • Exercise outdoors
  • Counselling
  • Anti-depressants
  • Lift your mood with something you enjoy

Useful tips:

Listen to your body. If you need to rest more, cosy up indoors, that’s fine. Do what you need to do.

Counselling can help to view short, dark days with a different perspective. Relating differently to your personal experiences of SAD can help to find your own, individual way to cope. You may even find you can embrace winter!

Try bringing some holiday activities into your day, even for a short time- maybe look at a favourite photo during a coffee break. Lifting your mood by doing something you really enjoy- singing along to a song on the radio, or dancing to a favourite holiday tune.

What would you enjoy on holiday? Curling up with a good book,  cooking colourful meals such as stir fries, or a spicy curry?  Having time to chill out, or maybe to try a new form of exercise?

 

When the weather is grey, but bringing colour into your life can give you a break from the endless gloom of winter and lift your mood. Wear something colourful for fun, brighten your make-up, paint your nails, wear comedy socks! Take advantage of the wonderful memories of light and warmth to remind yourself how good you feel in summer. Take photos for some happy memories to look back on in winter.

Useful links:

More about Seasonal Affective Disorder 

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a35033907/early-humans-hibernation/

Melrose S. (2015). Seasonal Affective Disorder: An Overview of Assessment and Treatment Approaches. Depression research and treatment, 2015, 178564. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/178564

 

The stream after the storm

~ claire ballardie

The stream after the storm

After the last few days of rainstorms, our usually placid stream became more energetic with the volume of water pushing along its route. I hope you enjoy this short film, and embrace whatever energy it brings you.




 

The Countryside Counsellor

~ claire ballardie

The Countryside Counsellor

As the Countryside Counsellor, I fully understand that rural life is not easy and comes with a whole range of stressful situations. Solo working can be lonely, with no-one to share your fears and concerns..

Counselling with horses Anxiety

With long term stress, anxiety can take hold, affecting your self-confidence and self-worth. Fear is hard to admit to yourself, but it has a far-reaching effect on handling and riding horses and other animals, and affect personal relationships..

Depression

As an equestrian professional myself for many years, I understand this world and how tough it can be, especially in the long, cold and dark winter months. Long days with little rest can have a negative affect on mood and wellbeing.

Bereavement

Losing a beloved horse or pet can be devastating, as can taking the decision to end their life if they are suffering. Letting go is so difficult, and finding support through this dreadful experience really helps.

Coping with Injury

Personal injury is common, and can be hard to deal with if you are a fit and active person. Physical jobs such as vets, farriers, farmers, horse trainers, for example, demand physical fitness and stamina: injury can knock this for six, and the mental impact of not being able to do what you need be very stressful.

I offer counselling in Market Lavington.

contact me for details.

Movement for the Mind

~ claire ballardie

Movement for the mind works by helping us focus on the way our body is affected when we are anxious or fearful. Focusing on how we feel in our bodies helps to identify physical sensations, which can relate to emotional issues. I work with you one-to-one  using gentle stretching exercises, focusing on posture, to help you to connect mind and body.

Learning how to stretch and relax your body also calms the mind. I use gentle Tai-chi based exercise to relieve stress and tension  creating a sense of calm and to lift your mood.

Controlled breathing and focusing mindfully on how you are moving helps you to focus ‘in the moment’. This can be part of on-going therapy, using techniques in your counselling sessions, especially working with trauma, where understanding the body helps to access underlying fears in a calm and safe way.

Exercise helps you to feel positive about yourself, increasing your self-esteem, which is a useful tool in coping with life on a day to day basis. As well as improving your energy levels and improving sleep and digestion, the sense of achievement increases self-worth and lifts your mood, reducing stress and improving resilience to life events.

I offer one-to-one sessions either in person or on-line.

PRICES

Self Awareness

~ claire ballardie

Self awareness

Stressed? Anxious? Lack of confidence? Developing self-awareness helps to identify triggers which cause anxiety. Once we notice what happens to us, both mentally and physically, we can start to  learn how to keep calm and focused on what we need to, improving our ability to concentrate. This in turn improves self-confidence and feeling more able to cope with daily life. Counselling can help you to learn more about yourself.

Self-awareness can be helped by the following:

  • Meditation
  • Relaxation and breathing techniques.
  • Fitness and posture.
  • Learning to trust your intuition.
  • Learning more about yourself as a person.

 

 

Venturing into the realms of self-awareness takes bravery. Are you brave enough to open the door into the world of self-discovery?

Contact me for more details about my psychotherapy practice.