{"id":6591,"date":"2023-08-16T21:16:31","date_gmt":"2023-08-16T14:16:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=6591"},"modified":"2023-08-16T21:16:31","modified_gmt":"2023-08-16T14:16:31","slug":"how-to-cope-with-summertime-sad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=6591","title":{"rendered":"How To Cope With Summertime SAD"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"drop-cap text-big text-gray\"> <span class=\"drop-cap__first text-dropcap \">I<\/span>f sunny summer days make you want to hide under the covers, blast some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=TdrL3QxjyVw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=TdrL3QxjyVw\">Lana Del Rey<\/a>, and snap at anyone who bothers you, you don\u2019t need to feel alone. The summertime blues, or, in more extreme cases, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/summer-sad-seasonal-affective-disorder\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/summer-sad-seasonal-affective-disorder\/\">summer Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)<\/a>, are a very real thing.<\/div>\n<p>\u201cSocrates long, long ago said, there&#8217;s some people who are well- or ill-adapted to winter, and others who are well- or ill-adapted to summer, and the old guy was right,\u201d says psychiatrist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.normanrosenthal.com\/about\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.normanrosenthal.com\/about\/\">Norman E. Rosenthal, MD<\/a>, a Georgetown University professor of psychiatry and a lead researcher of the first published scientific literature about SAD in the 1980s. \u201cFor folks with summer SAD, we don&#8217;t know what the exact abnormality is, but for some reason they feel worse than most other people during the hot, long summer days.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cSocrates long, long ago said, there&#8217;s some people who are well- or ill-adapted to winter, and others who are well- or ill-adapted to summer, and the old guy was right.\u201d \u2014Norman E. Rosenthal, MD<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>While Dr. Rosenthal notes that there is not as much research about summer SAD as there is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/seasonal-affective-disorder-symptoms\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/seasonal-affective-disorder-symptoms\/\">winter SAD<\/a>, he and others have a few theories, which he expands on in a summertime SAD chapter in his new book, <a href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/leafgroup_ca5e0_wellgood?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FDefeating-SAD-Happiness-Through-Seasons%2Fdp%2F172250630X%3Ftag%3Dwgtrx11318-20%26asc_refurl%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.wellandgood.com%252Fhow-to-cope-with-summertime-sad%252F%26asc_source%3Ddirect%26asc_campaign%3Dno-campaign&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Fhow-to-cope-with-summertime-sad%2F&amp;event_type=click\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Defeating-SAD-Happiness-Through-Seasons\/dp\/172250630X\"><em>Defeating SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder): A Guide to Health and Happiness Through All Seasons<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<div class=\"experts-in-article noskim py-[24px] px-[40px]\">\n<p>Experts In This Article<\/p>\n<ul class=\"!ml-[18px]\">\n<li> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.normanrosenthal.com\/about\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.normanrosenthal.com\/about\/\">Norman Rosenthal, MD<\/a>, professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University and a leading expert in Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) <\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<hr\/>\n<p>Just like a lack of exposure to light can cause a depressed mood in the winter, an overexposure to light in the summer could cause in some people a state of agitation. He likens it to the feeling of having too much coffee: The stimulant (light or coffee) makes you feel good up to a point, but then it can backfire. At the same time, heat\u2014and for <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/US\/extreme-heat-affecting-3rd-us-residents-sunday-forecasts\/story?id=102233204\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/US\/extreme-heat-affecting-3rd-us-residents-sunday-forecasts\/story?id=102233204\">one third of the country right now<\/a>, climate change-fueled extreme heat\u2014can further put your body under stress and make you feel uncomfortable.<\/p>\n<p>The combination of being physically too hot and getting too much light exposure is what Dr. Rosenthal thinks leads to summertime SAD.<\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content \" style=\"\" data-module-init=\"related-content\" data-module-immediate=\"\" v-cloak=\"\">\n<div class=\"related-content__wrapper \" v-cloak=\"\" :class=\"{'is-loaded':isLoaded}\">\n<p> <span class=\"inline pr-6 text-seafoam-dark\">Related Stories<\/span> <\/p>\n<p> <related-content class=\"related-content__links\" parent-article-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/how-to-cope-with-summertime-sad\/\" current-title=\"Summertime SAD Is a Thing\u2014Here\u2019s How To Deal\" current-image=\"summertime-sad-425x285.jpg\" v-on:parsely-posts-loaded=\"onPostsLoaded\" start-date=\"2023-02-16\" tag=\"div\" inline-template=\"\" url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/how-to-cope-with-summertime-sad\/\" secret=\"w5ztterVB03LGZJLfXS0hf3EvQBuFFIWew9hmVQxthU\" apikey=\"wellandgood.com\" limit=\"3\"> <\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"related-content__card mb-[10px] sm:mb-[20px]\" :class=\"{'related-content__card--full':posts.length === 1}\" v-for=\"(post, key) in posts\"> <a v-on:click.prevent=\"trackLinkGA($event, key)\" :href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/how-to-cope-with-summertime-sad\/post.url\" data-url-source=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content__link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content__card--image bg-tan\" :style=\"{ backgroundImage: 'url(' + post.image_url + ')' }\"> <img :src=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/how-to-cope-with-summertime-sad\/post.image_url\" :alt=\"post.title\"\/> <\/div>\n<p> <\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/related-content> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cWhat happens is your body is beginning to feel very exhausted and depleted, but your brain isn&#8217;t turning off,\u201d Dr. Rosenthal says. \u201cPeople have got a combination of being depleted by the heat, lacking in energy, lacking in drive, lacking in \u2018oomph,\u2019 at the same time as they&#8217;ve got this kind of not very pleasant activation by the long, very bright light days. So they&#8217;ve got what we call an agitated depression.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/blog\/insight-is-2020\/202306\/what-is-agitated-depression\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/blog\/insight-is-2020\/202306\/what-is-agitated-depression\">Agitated depression<\/a> is of particular concern for mental health professionals, since this state of depression, as opposed to a more lethargic one, can result in people acting on impulses to self-harm.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s even more reason to take summertime SAD seriously, beyond a human recognition that not all people thrive or suffer under the same conditions.<\/p>\n<p>Luckily, there are some steps you can take to alleviate this depression, with the first and most important one being a recognition that your feelings are real, and that your biology may be to blame \u201cOnce you understand what&#8217;s going on, then you can at least manipulate your environment to try and combat the things that are causing you to be depressed or sluggish or agitated,\u201d Dr. Rosenthal says.<\/p>\n<h2>How to combat summertime SAD<\/h2>\n<h3>1. Cool down<\/h3>\n<p>The first step is trying to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/how-to-stay-cool-without-ac\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/how-to-stay-cool-without-ac\/\">beat the heat<\/a>. Don\u2019t be shy about using your air conditioning. And try getting access to some cool water for bathing, like a bath, river, lake, ocean, or pool.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNobody&#8217;s done a systematic study to say what&#8217;s gonna make them feel better, but I&#8217;ve had many, many patients now that say if they stay cool, if they have cold baths, cold showers, if they&#8217;re lucky enough to get up to some cold lakes and swim there, that this is really, really good for them,\u201d says Dr. Rosenthal.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Reduce light exposure<\/h3>\n<p>Make like a celeb at an awards show and wear those sunglasses inside. Okay, you don\u2019t really <em>have<\/em> to do that. But wearing sunglasses outside (and even inside if you are game), wearing blue light\u2013blocking glasses, and drawing the shades in your home could reduce that agitating dose of extra light.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Change your scenery<\/h3>\n<p>Places like Europe and tropical beaches are popular summer vacation destinations, but if you know you get depressed during the summer, consider planning your vacations to cooler climates instead for some relief. A more extreme version of this is to opt for living in a more northern, temperate environment over a more southern, warmer one.<\/p>\n<h3>4. Seek professional help<\/h3>\n<p>Work with a therapist to address your mental health. Dr. Rosenthal suggests that cognitive behavioral therapy can be effective in treating SAD. You can also use medication to both alleviate, and prepare for symptoms. For example, if antidepressants are right for you, plan to speak with your doctor about this in the spring time so they have time to take effect before the summer rolls around.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRecognize that it&#8217;s an entity and that it&#8217;s not your fault and that it&#8217;s something to do with your biology,\u201d Dr. Rosenthal says. \u201cAnd also, that there are ways to treat it.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimers__after_content mb-[18px] mt-[16px] pt-[16px]\">\n<div class=\"outline-earmark relative mt-[8px] pt-[10px] pl-[20px]\">\n<p>\n            Our editors independently select these products. Making a purchase through our links may earn Well+Good a commission.          <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If sunny summer days make you want to hide under the covers, blast some Lana Del Rey, and snap at anyone who bothers you, you don\u2019t need to feel alone. The summertime blues, or, in more extreme cases, summer Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), are a very real thing. \u201cSocrates long, long ago said, there&#8217;s some &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6592,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6591"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6591\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6592"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}