Brits admit mental health takes a nosedive over Christmas
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Mental health campaign #IAMWHOLE is an award winning movement co-founded by Rizzle Kicks star Jordan Stephens. The campaign is aimed particularly at young people, encouraging them to speak out, seek help and get support in order to change some shocking statistics. In a new study of 1000 people who have experienced mental health challenges, 64 percent said that January 2022 is harder on their mental health in comparison to other years. The reason why some individuals may struggle more in January than the rest of the year is because of a condition known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD) – a type of depression that comes and goes in a seasonal pattern – but #IAMWHOLE aims to tackle this condition.
The NHS explains that SAD is sometimes referred to as “winter depression” due to the time of year that symptoms become more apparent.
Yet some individuals can also experience symptoms during the summer, feeling better in the winter.
Although mental health conditions affect every individual slightly differently, some common symptoms of SAD include:
- A persistent low mood
- A loss of pleasure or interest in normal everyday activities
- Irritability
- Feelings of despair, guilt and worthlessness
- Feeling lethargic (lacking in energy) and sleepy during the day
- Sleeping for longer than normal and finding it hard to get up in the morning
- Craving carbohydrates and gaining weight.
Talking exclusively to Express.co.uk, mental health coach Stephen Daltry explained that the condition is said to affect around two million people in the UK.
Yet, data retrieved by #IAMWHOLE found that only 56 percent of individuals were aware that SAD is a recognised cause of both depression and anxiety.
Daltry went on to say: “If you’re susceptible to low moods, and the dark grey and lack of sunlight in these months can actually affect the way our brain works. It can make us feel more sleepy, affect our mood and affect our appetites.”
The NHS adds that the main theory behind the case of SAD is that the lack of sunlight might stop part of the brain called the hypothalamus wfrom working properly. As a result of this, the production of hormones like melatonin and serotonin is disrupted.
One person who has first hand experience on how SAD can affect you is Abigail, who explained that when she was 16, she first felt “something was wrong”.
Talking to Rethink Mental Illness, a mental health charity in the UK back in 2020, Abigail said: “It was Christmas and I was working in the hospitality industry. Naturally this was an exceptionally busy time, not only at work but also with friends and family, with everyone preparing for the festive period.
“After Christmas though, the drop off was almost immediate. All the business of the last couple of months stopped, and I was suddenly faced with several months of not much happening until the Spring.
“It was as though my body had just shut down and I wanted to hibernate. I was physically and mentally exhausted without having any reason to be. I’d cancel plans with friends because I couldn’t see the point of meeting up with people.
“A friend was talking about her husband, and how he’d developed an illness I’d never heard of before. The longer she spoke, the more I began to recognise my own experiences in what she was saying. But doesn’t everyone feel that way?” I can remember asking.
“Ever since that first winter, I’d never once questioned why I was feeling like I was. The mental fog that I’d experienced meant that I told myself this was just how people felt at the start of the year and that there was nothing to be done but sit it out. To find out that that might not be the case was ground-breaking. I still experience low moods at the start of the year, but I’m better prepared now.”
In order to try and help individuals with SAD, #IAMWHOLE have teamed up with BrewDog, to release a new alcohol-free charity beer SAD AF. The new campaign has called on men in particular to open up and talk to friends and family about depression this month.
The campaign was launched along with a hard-hitting celebrity video which stars Stephens reciting a self-penned poem ‘I’m Sad AF’ and other celebrity endorsers including Danny Dyer and Youth Mental Health Ambassador and Love Island star Dr Alex George.
When asked what his three top tips for protecting your mental health were, Daltry said: “Just getting outside. The fresh air can be amazing. Also exercise, swimming, jogging, walking whatever it takes. That 10,000 steps a day is unbelievably good for your health.
“It is also about relationships and connections. Asking yourself ‘how can I reach out to people and offer support’. Getting together and making plans trying to build some enthusiasm for the future is key, as generally people with depression don’t see any great opportunities in the future.
“Then things like sleep and diet, all the things connected to our physical health as well, can enable us to feel better. These things are quite simple and obvious, but a lot of people when they get in a low mood they tend to pull the shutters down and isolate themselves, particularly men.
“I have been in this industry for 30 years, and quite frankly, 50 percent of a positive result is just me listening to somebody and giving them the space to offload, and that is literally all you have got to do, to help someone get their stress levels down.”
In addition to the methods Daltry recommends, the NHS recommends these following treatments that individuals with SAD could try:
- Lifestyle measures – including getting as much natural sunlight as possible, exercising regularly and managing your stress levels
- Light therapy – where a special lamp called a light box is used to simulate exposure to sunlight
- Talking therapies – such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or counselling
- Antidepressant medicine – such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
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