When Crystal Nicholls was a dancer lion king In London’s West End, she found herself feeling more irritable and unhappy in the autumn and winter. Also, she danced more than usual thanks to extra performances added during the festival.
“We had a pretty packed Christmas schedule, but I felt like all I wanted to do was hunker down, sleep more, and not go out, which made it hard to find the energy to do all these extra gigs,” Nichols recalled. road.
Many dancers have increased workloads during the winter break. Those with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) may also have difficulty coping during this particularly hectic time. Nichols, now a health and performance coach, said that despite the debilitating nature of seasonal affective disorder, there are many tools dancers can use to cope with the winter workload while paying attention to their mental health.
What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?
Seasonal affective disorder is a form of depression characterized by seasonal patterns with symptoms lasting about three to five months. SAD is typically associated with the fall and winter, but some people may feel the effects in the spring and summer. Kristen Mackel, a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in working with athletes and creative people, says people with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) may experience symptoms ranging from mild to severe, such as fatigue, cognitive difficulties, changes in appetite, and irritability. Anger and longing for isolation. If someone has these symptoms periodically for two years in a row, they usually qualify for a diagnosis.
“In the winter, there is less exposure to sunlight. “Most of us go to work when it’s dark and leave when it’s dark,” Mackel said, noting that a lack of sunlight and its impact on the body’s circadian rhythm may contribute to SAD symptoms. . “For dancers, this can be particularly troublesome because nutcracker The season comes right at the beginning of winter.
seek treatment
If you know you have seasonal affective disorder (SAD), it’s important to seek treatment from a mental health professional before the seasons change. Mackel said she usually starts developing a response plan with her clients eight to 10 weeks before symptoms appear. Even if you’re not sure whether you meet the diagnostic criteria for SAD, Mackel and her business partner Leigh Skvarla, MD, LPC, emphasize the importance of seeking treatment as soon as possible. “If you don’t meet all the criteria for depression or seasonal affective disorder, that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve mental health care,” Scovara said.
She adds that for some dancers with seasonal affective disorder, the winter performance season can actually act as a mood booster. Being with colleagues during rehearsals, combined with the excitement of performing regularly, can alleviate symptoms of seasonal affective disorder. However, symptoms of depression may come into full force after closing the door at night. “if nutcracker is the peak of your season, then you might experience something similar to the post-Olympic blues,” Michael explained. “If you put all your energy into rehearsing every day, once you get there, you’ll have a support team when you nutcracker It’s over, and that support team is gone.
With the help of a mental health professional, you can develop a range of skills and techniques to help you cope with seasonal blues. Skvara and Markle said they often use a method called behavioral activation to help clients build confidence and a sense of competence in their daily lives. Clients create to-do lists filled with easy-to-complete tasks like brushing their teeth and getting dressed for the day, using smaller tasks to build momentum to tackle bigger obstacles later.
“If you have something more difficult later in the day, like a tech class or an audition, and you really need to feel better, we’ll put these surprisingly small, achievable tasks on your to-do list ,” Michael said.
Nichols emphasizes the importance of self-care tools. For her, taking her dog for a walk outside during the brightest hours of the day and planning time to spend with loved ones are an important part of her daily routine. She also recommends mindfulness techniques, such as journaling to check in with your emotions. It might help to give yourself little things to look forward to during the winter, such as a special cup of tea in the evening.
Medications can be a helpful complement to treatment, Michael said. Likewise, light therapy is designed to reduce symptoms of seasonal and non-seasonal depression, which are often triggered by a lack of sunlight exposure.
“Breathing exercises and yoga can also help reduce some symptoms of low mood and anxiety,” says Nichols. “These are things you can do while seeking support.”
Spring and summer sadness
Leigh Skvarla, PhD, LPC, who co-founded the Center for Grit and Growth with Kristen Mackel, a licensed clinical social worker, said it’s important to remember that for some people, SAD develops in the spring and summer, not in the spring and summer. “When the world around you, your culture, your studio or your peer group is saying, ‘This is a fun time,’ but you’re actually saying, ‘This is really bad,’ it really makes you Feeling invalidated,” she explained. If you’re used to experiencing SAD during the warm, sunny months, it’s still important to seek help and have a solid plan to deal with it.
