Hello, dear readers of the KtoNaNovenkogo.ru blog. For many people, with the onset of autumn, their good mood decreases or completely disappears in an unknown direction. Getting up early for work, college or school turns into a challenge.
It’s dark, damp and cold outside, and your whole being screams “I don’t want to go anywhere!” Let’s go back to our warm bed and sleep there until next spring!” In the evening, twilight also quickly sets in, discouraging the desire to go somewhere or do anything.
Habitual joys become faded, and there is no motivation to come up with something new. I want a minimum of activity, a maximum of peace.
This condition is popularly called autumn blues. What is it, where does it come from and, most importantly, what to do with it - let's figure it out.
What is blues
The word "blues" comes from the Latin "hypochondria", which in simple language means "everything is bad, nothing helps."
Synonyms are often used in everyday life :
- "spleen";
- "gloomy mood";
- "despondency";
- "boredom";
- “longing”, etc.
Surely in your environment you have heard the following expressions more than once: “I was attacked by the blues,” “I fell into the blues,” “I became depressed,” “Autumn blues,” etc. Thus, a person is trying to explain that his emotional and physical state, to put it mildly, is “not very good.”
It’s worth immediately making a reservation (or describing yourself) that the blues are not only an autumn phenomenon. This condition can most likely “visit” you in the spring (rarely in winter and summer). For this reason, many people confuse the blues and depression, mistakenly believing that the first happens only in the “golden time”, and the second whenever (you will learn about their differences below).
In the old days, it was believed that only the aristocracy could mope, since the cause of this illness was seen in boredom. Representatives of this class led a well-fed and measured lifestyle: they rested until lunch and attended dinner parties in the evening. It was believed that the common people, who had no time to “look up the mountain” due to the large amount of work, had no time to suffer.
Rescue menu
As mentioned above, diet directly affects our state of mind. There is a list of products that will help you keep your spirits up even in the cold season.
How to cope with winter blues with food? Make sure your anti-stress menu includes:
- All available vegetables, fruits and berries;
- Black chocolate;
- Cereal mixtures with dried fruits;
- Energy muesli bars;
- Nuts;
- Hard cheeses;
- Products containing B-group vitamins or a vitamin complex;
- Herbal infusions or decoctions that act as a natural antidepressant.
Pharmacy preparations or homemade herbal preparations are an excellent way to maintain physical and mental balance. How to get rid of the blues and apathy with the help of herbal teas? Use fees that include:
- Raspberry and nettle leaves;
- Rosehip berries;
- Mint, lemon balm, chamomile;
- Ginger;
- Valerian root;
- Oregano;
- St. John's wort;
- Motherwort.
Instead of sugar, add honey to your drink. This is a powerful natural antidepressant that will fill the body with valuable vitamins, strengthen the immune system and energize.
Symptoms
Moping people (about 10% of the entire planet are prone to this) experience the following mental symptoms :
- fast fatiguability;
- irritability;
- dissatisfaction with oneself and others;
- drowsiness;
- despondency;
- apathy;
- tearfulness;
- absent-mindedness.
On the part of the body, you can observe low blood pressure, fatigue, heaviness, and dizziness. The body seems to want to freeze and irritably resists any attempts to stir it up.
The overwhelming melancholy leads to the fact that a person begins to eat away his bad mood. Food gives us pleasure by triggering the production of endorphins. As a result, the depressed person often gains excess weight, which can lead to even greater mental distress.
This condition is also accompanied by a decrease in libido. This affects the relationship with the partner - the couple quarrels out of nowhere, and the lack of sexual intercourse only aggravates their situation. Someone who is in painful melancholy may even begin to look for “adventures” on the side, believing that the matter is in his cooled feelings.
Related complaints
- Decreased mood;
- Loss of sexual desire, attraction;
- lack of energy or drowsiness;
- Thoughts about suicide;
- Feeling that you are to blame for much or everything;
- Feeling of loneliness, abandonment;
- Feeling of depression, “blues”;
- Apathy - lack of interest in something;
- Feeling trapped or hopeless;
- Excessive anxiety for various reasons;
- Feeling of inexplicable, debilitating fatigue;
- The future is hopeless;
- Tearfulness.
Causes of the blues
All reasons can be divided into two groups, each of which corresponds to a specific season of the year:
- Spring blues are a consequence of a weakened body after winter. Vitamin deficiency and the dance of hormones against the backdrop of changing weather conditions are noticeable to our body. Some people experience worsening chronic pain. The snow is melting, slush and dirt are everywhere - an unpleasant picture that evokes negative emotions;
- autumn – there is less sun, shorter daylight hours, rain and low cloudy skies. There is grayness all around, pressing on the psyche.
Form of expression
Symptoms of emotional fatigue are very specific and indicative. They cannot be confused with anything else. Blues makes itself felt through frequent irritability (and for no reason), mood swings that occur several times a day, and feelings of anxiety about one’s own health or appearance. Sometimes people are so immersed in their own experiences that they are ready to make a problem out of a trifle, greatly exaggerating its significance.
No matter how the blues manifest themselves, it is important to recognize it at the very beginning in order to prevent it from developing into a syndrome of chronic fatigue and self-dissatisfaction. Most often, a state of internal discontent appears in the autumn period
This is due to the fact that the summer heat gradually leaves, solar energy no longer warms. That is why it is at this time that existing chronic diseases worsen and physical ailments arise.
The benefits of this condition
American scientists have proven that in moderation, blues can even be beneficial . And that's why:
- a good mood makes a person do rash acts (on emotions). And vice versa, with sadness and apathy, mental processes slow down - decisions are weighed and thought about for a long time, there are fewer mistakes;
- There is a connection between creativity and blues. It is known that all creators create precisely in moments of strong emotional experiences. At this time, reality is seen on a more subtle level, and this perception is reflected in poems, stories, music, songs, art paintings, etc.
- blues is a good opportunity to pay attention to yourself, especially if this has not been done before. Perhaps a person needs this time to restore resources that he thoughtlessly spent - he was nervous, ran somewhere, did not pay attention to his health and mental state.
Why is it sometimes good to mope?
It seems that sadness deprives all motivation and forces the brain to be lazy. But research by a team of psychologists from the University of New South Wales proves otherwise. It turned out that blues in moderate doses is even beneficial.
According to scientists, good weather and a joyful mood make people absent-minded, forgetful, and prone to hasty decisions. But the worse the weather, the better the brain works. So a bad attitude makes people more collected, concentrated, able to think more carefully and carefully.
Over the past decades, there has been growing evidence of a relationship between creativity and blues. This doesn't mean that being in a bad mood guarantees genius, but creative people do perceive the world in a more nuanced way. Famous personalities who managed to transform the blues into creativity are Gogol, Dostoevsky, Darwin, Tolstoy, Stanislavsky. So sad autumn melancholy is the best time to develop your talents.
Yes, sometimes you need to feel sorry for yourself just because. Therefore, the season when nature itself is sad can be used with a clear conscience for spiritual sadness. Especially if we have been too active for a long time and, due to the endless race, have stopped noticing simple but such important things: meeting with friends, favorite hobbies, reading.
The difference between the blues and depression
Those who don’t know what the blues are often confuse it with depression, believing that the first is a mild form of the second. However, it is not.
True clinical depression is accompanied by a serious hormonal imbalance and is diagnosed in the presence of specific symptoms that have been present in a person for at least 2 weeks. Melancholy and despondency are relatively short-term phenomena.
Let's compare these two states :
- in a bad mood, an individual realizes that he needs positive emotions, he wants them. With depression, people are indifferent to what is happening to them and don’t want anything;
- With the help of simple actions and self-discipline, you can force yourself not to mope (more on this below). The same cannot be said about depression - it is almost impossible to pull yourself together and change your mood at will;
- A depressed person feels bad in any case. A bad mood comes with bad weather and goes away on a sunny day;
- With depression there are no emotions. Blues is accompanied by a range of feelings (irritation, anxiety, anger, etc.);
- the moping person is sad in 1-2 areas of his life (work, personal life, specific employment). Depression envelops the entire existence;
- melancholy and despondency do not have a serious negative effect on the body, unlike depression (psychosomatic disorders are observed);
- When people have the blues, they don’t even think about taking their own lives. Prolonged severe depression can lead to fatal consequences.
DO YOUNG PEOPLE NOT CARE? NOT TRUE!
Seasonal affective disorder usually first begins at a young age, worsens with age, and is more common in women than men.
The disorder manifests itself differently in different people.
Some feel melancholy, are tearful, they miss the bright colors of life, they want to wrap themselves in a warm blanket with a glass of wine until summer comes... and, in principle, this is where the symptoms end. Over time, everything fades away and the person continues his usual life.
Other people have more severe symptoms, including thoughts of suicide. In this case, the help of a doctor and sometimes even hospitalization is required.
How to deal with sadness
- If you know that you tend to feel blue at any time of the year (this happens to you from time to time), then it is better to prevent this condition . For example, take restorative vitamins, create a busy schedule of enjoyable activities, etc. Play ahead.
- Contact with animals has been proven to significantly improve your mood. Therefore, try to be around them more on such days: petting pets, playing with them. If they don't exist, maybe it's worth getting one? Pleasant care for a kitten or puppy will inevitably distract you from gloomy thoughts. As a last resort, every city has a zoo.
- Reading positive books and watching comedy films - good, kind stories capture your attention and take you into the world of the characters, where you join their feelings.
- Movement is life. And also an excellent cure for melancholy. Sports, walking, dancing, swimming - anything to avoid lying in bed 24/7. During physical activity, the brain releases endorphin, serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin (happiness hormones). Help yourself using your own physiology.
- The colder it gets, the brighter your clothes should be. We perceive bright, rich colors You don't have to dress in the colors of the rainbow. It is enough to have one colored item of clothing (scarf, jacket, gloves, hat, shoes). Don't forget about accessories - bags, clutch, backpack, wallet, phone case, etc.)
- Do yourself a favor - remember what you dreamed of, what you wanted for a long time, but there was no time, no opportunity? Maybe go somewhere, see something, buy something, eat something, communicate with someone, take part in something.
- Avoid alcohol during this time as it is a depressant. Drinking alcohol in order to relax and “make yourself feel good” is a common mistake, as a result of which you waste hormones of happiness, which you already lack.
- If you don't know what to do for yourself, do good for others. Good deeds also lift your spirits. This works for almost everyone.
- If your blues are of “autumn origin” and are associated with a lack of light , then surround yourself with the missing lighting. Buy brighter light bulbs and additional floor lamps. Try to walk outside more during the day, work near a window, and don’t close the curtains at home during the day.
- Don't beat yourself up about your condition. We are people and nothing human is alien to us. Including blues. Accept your condition and support yourself, instead of scolding for your weakness. Self-criticism will only aggravate an uncomfortable situation, and a kind attitude will help you get out of it as quickly as possible.
Apathy due to tyrosine deficiency
A common cause of lack of energy and motivation is a deficiency of an amino acid called tyrosine. It keeps the brain active.
If you find it difficult to start the day without a cup of black coffee or other stimulating drink, or if you feel weak or unfocused, you may be lacking tyrosine.
With a lack of tyrosine in the body, a person feels indifferent and does not react very intensely to positive and negative events, which is diagnosed as one of the symptoms of apathy.
There may also be problems with attentiveness and decreased concentration levels.
It is recommended to include protein-rich foods in your diet, such as chicken or fish, lean red meat and eggs.
Another option is to take medications containing L-tyrosine.
Signs and symptoms of depression - how to identify the disease in yourself or loved ones
Experts have identified the main signs of the disease:
- Loss of appetite, resulting in weight loss.
- Panic attacks, fears.
- Lethargy, apathy, fatigue, a special type of laziness (procrastination).
- Memory lapses, absent-mindedness, sudden mood swings.
- Blues, depressed state.
- Drowsiness or, conversely, insomnia, etc.
And, importantly, you are overcome by destructive thoughts and fears (destruction - destruction). And now is the time to talk about the fears that prevent you from living
And now is the time to talk about the fears that prevent you from living.
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