Helping Our Student with SAD

 It is likely that at some point in your life you have heard the acronym S.A.D. SAD stands for Seasonal Affective Disorder.

SAD is a condition that often occurs in the winter months, when we see fewer days of sunlight and spend more time indoors.

Here is Michigan we have the added concern that, according to the Farmers Almanac, Michigan is the 7th cloudiest state in the United States. Michigan annually sees only about 170 sunny days a year. Of those 170 days, Farmers Almanac states that only about 65-75 of those days will be clear and sunny.

The sun is a great source of light which helps us balance chemicals inside our bodies, chemicals responsible for helping us maintain stable and positive moods.

The Mayo Clinic report that during the winter months, with the reduction in sunlight we often see changes in our biological clocks, reduced serotonin levels, and reduced levels of melatonin. Melatonin is the chemical which aids with our sleep cycle; sleep is key to reducing stress, anxiety, and helping to refresh and ready us for the next day. Serotonin is our brain's mood chemical; this chemical sends messages in our brains which helps us regulate and stabilize our moods.

With all of the internal changes to our systems comes a change in behaviors and moods. Someone experiencing SAD can see: social withdrawal, school problems, anxiety, eat disorders, and even suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

It can be challenging, as an adult, to handle our feelings and emotions. It is especially challenging for our youth. Our brains Prefrontal Cortex is not completely developed until around the age of 23-25. This part of the brain is responsible for reasoning our behaviors and making rational choices. We can help our students begin to train and grow this part of their brain. As we do this, we help them learn ways to cope with challenges such as, SAD.

One of the key ways to aid our students is to support them in their mindfulness and well-being.

Recent studies have shown that Exercise, more than even medication, is the best way to aid with mood. A daily exercise routine can help create a long-lasting positive affect on your mood.

Mindfulness, which means to be fully present in the here and now, helps us be more aware of our needs and how to meet them. A great mindfulness activity is a daily mood check in. Asking our students how they are feeling at the start of the day. Then ask them to set a positive goal (like was discussed in the previous post). And remembering to include asking them for a gratitude.

Our well-being can be lifted and supported with a daily gratitude practice. Once we start to help our students state one daily gratitude it is important to expand this practice and help them work on telling others they are grateful for them. Doing something kind for another person has been proven to boost our moods for months at a time (just from one kind act and one extended gratitude!).

Another way we can address well-being is to make sure to eat well. We are more likely to make health eating and life choices if we have a bowl of fruit sitting on our counters. 

Remember, the behavior team at school; myself (behavior specialist) and the social workers; have set up many social groups on google meet. Ask your students to explore the Mindfulness Google Classroom. They will find mindfulness activities along with posts on times for meets to socialize. 

I hope that this post has helped you to look at mindfulness in a new way. In a way that can help your student and you work on combatting SAD and attending to your positive well-being.