Winter Blues

Struggling a lot with anxiety, depression, and binge eating lately. Had a really healthy summer---really focused on myself, exercised 2-3x/week, at healthy foods, no binge eating and rarely ate sweets. Now that winter is here it's like a trigger has switched in my head. I feel like i have no control or even desire to be in control of myself or my health. My depression is taking over despite taking medication, and my anxiety is driving me to binge eat for comfort, which is causing me to gain weight, which is fueling my depression in a huge way. Need to find a way to get back on track and start caring about myself again. It seems i would much rather just stay in bed and watch tv than get out of the house and live life. Any advice to help me dig myself out of this dark place?

[schrodingercat]

Firstly, please don't feel alone in your experience! What you described sort of sounds like seasonal affective disorder -- "depression in a recurring seasonal pattern" -- and it's a very real thing that affects a surprising number of people.

Down to your question! You might consider finding an accountability partner: a friend, spouse, or therapist who can check up on you regularly or even exercise with you. It's a sort of added force that can help some people, and it doesn't have to be a specific person -- you could also pick a club about something you enjoy or make some kind of commitment to others that requires your presence or contribution. Sometimes just getting started can go a long way.

If you aren't already, do please consider a counsellor or therapist. They don't work for everyone and it's perfectly okay if they don't for you, but they can be an excellent resource for advice and help.

One last thing: if you do think you have seasonal affective disorder, light boxes/light bulbs with a balanced light spectrum (specifically, the sunlight spectrum) can help too. I know it sounds a bit odd, but it might be worth looking into. ^^

Stay strong! ^.~