Overcoming Seasonal Depression Symptoms in Calgary

Calgary occupies a latitude of 51 degrees north latitude - about the same as that of London, England- but whose climate is continental and provides some of the longest and coldest days in the land. At the end of November Calgarians are even getting up in the dark and commuting to work in the dark and recording less than eight hours of sunshine. The long winters are not only uncomfortable to the one in five Albertans who undergo the seasonal mood changes. In fact, they are capable of causing a kind of depression. This depression interferes with sleeping, eating, vigour and the level of meaningful interaction with the surrounding people. These can all be considered symptoms of seasonal depression.

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Cold, quiet winter days can intensify seasonal depression symptoms, as shorter daylight hours and isolation affect mood and energy levels.

Why Calgary’s Climate Creates the Perfect Storm

The cause of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is the lack of sun light that interferes with the circadian rhythm of the body and prevents the body to release serotonin. Calgary aggravates this with extreme cold that discourages outside activity.

In addition, chinook wind periodics induce high and low barometric figure fluctuations that compel headaches and unstable mood. This combination of climate factors is known to influence how seasonal depression symptoms occur in affected individuals. There is also geographic seclusion by green spaces during snow periods that last several months.

The reason why the situation in Calgary is peculiar to other Canadian cities such as Vancouver or Toronto is the amount of other factors interacting with each other through altitude, arid climate, and temperature variations. One January chinook has been known to lift the temperature by twenty to ten degrees in one afternoon. However, it may take it down ten degrees the following morning.

The University of Calgary scientists have pointed out that such rapid fluctuations may destabilise mood regulation of people. This especially happens in those who are already prone to depressive episodes and other seasonal depression symptoms.

Recognising seasonal depression symptoms Beyond “Winter Blues”

Majority of Calgarians anticipate to be a bit poor in January. The worry comes in when the state of low mood lasts beyond two weeks. It becomes more serious when there is profound sleep alteration. It also becomes serious when one experiences an appetite change to the extent that result in significant weight gain or loss of it.

In addition, concern grows when one feels like he cannot arrange physically to do things he used to enjoy in the past, say, at Olympic Plaza skating.

As a result, many people overlook the more serious seasonal depression symptoms unless they pay attention to these markers. These are pointers that what one is undergoing has gone beyond seasonal readjustment concerning the clinical level.

Through depression counselling, the individual will be able to find out these patterns before they are established. The trained counsellor would be able to tell what exactly has caused the sadness.

They will know whether it is situational, seasonal mood disturbance and whether it is a major depression episode. As a result, the counsellor can treat them differently, depending on whether they are displaying typical seasonal depression symptoms or something else.

How Counselling Addresses Seasonal Depression symptoms

The cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is the most researched treatment of seasonal depression. By collaborating with the client, a therapist with CBT training identifies such negative thought patterns that are triggered in the winter seasons such as "I will not feel normal until spring" or "There is no sense in even trying to be social when it is this dark" and revises them with evidence-based coping mechanisms unique to the client and the surroundings he or she lives in. Notably, CBT addresses both the psychological and physiological aspects of seasonal depression symptoms.

One of the elements of CBT, behavioural activation, turns out to be effective especially in the situation of Calgary. The therapist and the client develop a schedule together. They never wait until feeling inspired, but they instead update them with appealing and meaningful activities, even when it is in the minus-thirty conditions.

This could be organised morning day exposure, scheduled social engagements or rehousing indoor hobbies. These activities had been discarded when energy quantities began to shrink. This often happens at the same time as seasonal depression symptoms start to appear.

Calgarians with depression that falls outside seasonal trends can find solutions to the problem through methods such as the Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) or the trauma-based counselling.

During the therapy process, many find themselves realising problems with their winter depression to be merely compounded grief over unresolved issues in their relationships or in their workplace. Sometimes the burnout has accumulated over months. This often co-occurs with seasonal depression symptoms or similar manifestations.

When professional counselling should be taken into consideration

The bar is less than it might seem to the majority. Depression therapy is not restricted solely to individuals in crisis. In case you have felt that during the period of October -March, your mood is dropping significantly, in case you are drinking more alcohol or smoking more marijuana to get through evenings, in case your relationships have failed because you are isolating, or you just feel that you are surviving winter but not living through it, all these are good reasons to visit a qualified counsellor.

People should also seek help for seasonal depression symptoms if their experiences have intensified during the darker and colder months.

A community of registered psychologists / certified counsellors specialising in depression therapy is growing in Calgary. The Beltline and most of the neighbourhoods of Kensington now have practices that have evening and weekend appointments. They also have online counselling services, and have free initial consultation to enable the finding of the suitable therapeutic fit.

The hardest part is usually that first step even a twenty minute telephone call. All that comes thereafter is a push. For those experiencing seasonal depression symptoms, reaching out to a professional can be that vital first step.