Aloha,
Summer’s here and surf’s up! Especially as the 4th of July is upon us, it’s time to pull out the barbeque and party!
And summer is like that for a lot of us.
But for others, summer can be the difficult time of the year.
How so?
Well, some people suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD usually shows up in the winter, but about 10% of people with SAD experience it in the summer (especially in countries nearer the equator).
Summer also disrupts schedules. Kids are home and want to be entertained, people are going on vacations at work, and our patterns can be thrown off by later sunsets and earlier sunrises. For people who have used a steady routine to assist with depressive symptoms, summer can wreak havoc.
All of a sudden, summer ain’t sounding so sweet!
In our culture today, depression – mild to severe — seems to be running rampant. I could write a bazillion pages about why I think that’s so!
But the more important questions is, “What to do about it?”
If you or someone you care about is depressed, where do you turn?
Click here to read my latest Psychology Today blog article. It covers 4 different options for overcoming depression, whether it’s related to the season or is just more apparent at this time. Use this summer to take the steps you need to take to finally move beyond it!
Mahalo!
Dr. Matt
