Is It Seasonal Affective Disorder? 5 Signs of SAD You Didn’t Know

Mood changes are normal.  So too are mood changes across seasons. In fact, many times, changes in weather can significantly affect the way we think, feel, and behave – if we let them.  But here’s the good news. If the lack of sunlight, colder temps, and shorter days have you feeling down and out, you’re not alone. In fact, something called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) may just be impacting you.   A form of depression usually happening during the fall and winter, SAD may be particularly impactful for Black folks, due to their skin melanin and their ability to absorb sunlight. So let’s cover it. Here are five signs of SAD you might not know, and how you can diagnose and treat them. 1. Depression-Like Feelings When you have SAD, you feel sad!  Characterized by lasting feelings of hopelessness, sadness, and disinterest in once enjoyable things, SAD mirrors more common depression diagnoses. The difference, of course, is that it only occurs due to seasonal changes. Major depressive disorder, meanwhile, can occur regardless of the time of year.  But SAD is more than just ‘the winter blues.’ It can last for months on end, even making normal daily functioning almost impossible.  If...