Many Prairie residents will feel a mood drop as the days get shorter and darker, the temperatures drop, and popular outdoor activities come to an end. Without a plan to stay active and connected, that drop could become Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. Moose Jaw psychologist Frances Hammel-Kampus explains:

“So definitely we start with normalizing it, right? I think we all to some degree experience a shift in how we’re feeling one way or another with the change of season and that can be different for everyone. But I would often describe, giving the analogy of imagining your brain is an internal solar panel and this solar panel helps to regulate mood, energy and sleep. And we know that during the long winter months that solar panel doesn’t get enough charge.”

Hammel-Kampus shared her advice for staying emotionally proactive starting with thinking about your exposure to light.

“We want to think about movement, we want to think about connection, healthy routines and even making sure that we’re getting little pieces of joy regularly.”

She suggests those are five ways to increase resiliency and describes it as a winter survival kit for mental health.

(With files from discovermoosejaw.com)