KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Winter weather impacts all aspects of our lives, from road conditions to school closures, and kicking the "wintertime blues" is no easy task for some.
"The wintertime blues is a real disease," explained Mark Schloegel, a Brookside neighborhood resident.
Schloegel is right, the wintertime blues are real.
It's what Holly Miles, a former psychiatric nurse and the executive director of the Greater Kansas City National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), says is called seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
"We see increased fatigue, sleep more, maybe there’s some changes in appetite and it can vary from individual to individual," Miles said.
Wednesday afternoon people of all ages gathered at "Suicide Hill" and it's where KSHB 41 found Schloegel and his two children sledding.
"I don’t get outside every single day, the blues creep in," he said. "I try to get outside, even if it’s a walk around the block, I’ll do it.”
Remaining active is one of the best ways to kick seasonal depression. It can be difficult due to inclement weather when the body isn't collecting important nutrients from the sun.
"The biggest thing with the winter we tend to see is that lack of sunlight. When we have the decreased daylight hours we see is their serotonin levels start decreasing and that’s kind of one of our natural mood-boosting transmitters," Miles explained. "With the decreased sunlight we see our melatonin levels go up and that’s our sleep hormone."
It's why people impacted by "seasonal depression" can often feel down. Miles recommends people do their best to stick to their normal routine, maintain a healthy diet, or call a friend on the phone."
"Just look for connection," she said. "Find people that you have things in common with. Give them a call. If it’s something that you need a little bit more assistance with, we have that at NAMI."
NAMI is a non-profit organization that offers free resources to individuals experiencing mental illness.
"We have amazing support groups for individuals living with mental illness but also their families or anyone that really is part of their support system and they’re all free. We offer them in person, we offer them virtually," Miles added.
Miles told KSHB 41 that children operate better in their daily routines as well. Unscheduled snow and remote learning days can have an impact on a family's mental health.
"We all kind of get into those habits of this is what our days look like Monday through Friday," Miles said. "Anytime that’s disrupted it’s going to have an impact."
Miles works from home and finds her own mental health slightly declining in the winter. She attributes it to a lack of sunlight and purchased a $20 desk lamp that emits Vitamin D the body would traditionally take in from the sun.
"You can do it from the comfort of your home," added Miles.
While much of the winter weather causes some disruption to a weekly schedule, finding one's sense of purpose is the best medicine.
"Find something that even if it’s five the ten minutes that brings you a little bit of joy in your life, it’s going to make a huge impact on your overall mental health," Miles said. "Mental health does not discriminate. It will affect everybody... Know this snow is going to melt one of these days and we are going to have brighter days ahead."
For more information on NAMI's free mental health resources, click here.
If you or someone you know has the thought of suicide, dial 988 for a free anonymous suicide lifeline.
—
KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Share your story idea with Ryan.
