this video is sponsored by optimizers there's something about winter that seems to change the lens through which i view life instantly winter seems to be almost a symbolic time of hardship a period in life that if you succeed in you'll come out ahead but only if you prepare with the proper intent like in the tail of the ant and the grasshopper if you don't prepare for the hardship of winter when it's upon you it might already be too late it's common to feel less motivated during the winter months some have said that south asian people feel sad more strongly because we are people of the tropics you might find yourself sleeping more than before putting on an extra NUMBER_TOKEN pounds and overall being more lazy and lethargic and if so maybe you are someone like me who struggles from seasonal affective disorder otherwise known as sad sad is a largely undiagnosed form of depression because it doesn't last throughout the whole year according to psychology today seasonal affective disorder is estimated to affect NUMBER_TOKEN million americans and another NUMBER_TOKEN to NUMBER_TOKEN percent may have mild sad i'm not making this video to alarm people but if you ever get that feeling around april or may where you step outside and you feel much lighter you feel way happier for no reason what you might realize is that all winter you were feeling a sort of mild depression that you just weren't aware of because it was just insidious and it's only when you get out of it that you realize oh i was in a little bit of a slump i actually think there's no way to counter sad for me fully because it does hit me pretty hard but this year i'm trying to work extra hard to have great habits to get myself through winter feeling good feeling positive so i want to share those with you in this video three strategies for combating seasonal depression getting through winter thriving not just living according to the american psychiatry association this typically lasts around NUMBER_TOKEN of the year it's more common amongst women than men but the article continues by saying that sad has been linked to a biochemical imbalance in the brain prompted by shorter daylight hours and less sunlight in winter as the seasons change people experience a shift in their internal biological clock or circadian rhythm that can cause them to be out of step with their daily schedule so if you are feeling less motivated it's completely normal it's like a biological impetus the most common symptoms are feeling sad losing interest in activities that made you previously excited a change of sleep patterns typically maybe you sleep too much or you have insomnia at night so if you think you have sad it won't hurt you to implement these tactics to fight back against winter depression and if you don't suffer from seasonal depression these strategies should still like make your brain chemistry better make you feel better but before i get into the tips i want you to consume the information and if you find it helpful make a plan don't just watch the video because your mental health is super important and it should be a point of focus so watching a video is not enough you actually have to take what you can make your own plan around it and see what you can implement the first overarching strategy is to increase your dopamine levels you know when your mother nags you and tells you you're not good enough that's what this feels like of course easy ways to do this are to exercise more meditate more reduce your sugar intake but also a strategy that has been making an
START_SPONSOR_TOKEN this video is sponsored by optimizers END_SPONSOR_TOKEN