Bypass
the
Winter
Blues
story, by Dr. John Nicoletti

The crowds are gone, summer staff has departed and the sun sets for the final time of the season. Now what? This change may initially be met with a sense of relief, but can give way to more negative physical and psychological reactions.

Humans require a balance of both light and dark in order to flourish. When we are exposed to prolonged periods of either lightness or darkness, the body's circadian rhythms become out of whack or desynchronized.

In other words, the body becomes confused and does not know when it should activate, deactivate, sleep, eat, or repair itself. This disruption may lead to depression, irritability, apathy, insomnia, excessive sleeping or a variety of other psychological or physiological problems.

These problems can become worse when combined with isolation, extreme cold weather, and trying to co-exist with a small group of people.

In order to prevent or minimize these symptoms the following pointers can be used along with your own personal coping techniques:

• Settle Your Personal Affairs and Responsibilities--Try to gain closure in financial and personal areas of your life before the base closes.
• Structure Your Sleeping, Eating and Waking Time--The body requires predictability in the areas of physical needs. Develop a routine.
• Exercise, Exercise, Exercise--Physical activity is the great stress manager and anti-depressant.
• Don't Overuse Alcohol--Alcohol can alleviate stress and elevate moods, but it can have a rebound effect and drop you further into a negative emotional mood.
• Prevent Boredom--Try different activities, interests and hobbies. Don't get in a rut except for sleeping and eating times.
• Set Personal Goals--The mind and body does best when it is challenged.
• Don't Over Sleep--Try to not get more than a maximum of eight or nine hours of sleep per night. If you sleep more than nine hours on a regular basis, you may become more depressed and tired.
• Stay In Touch With The Outside World--We need to have anchor points.
• Develop 'On Ice' Support Systems--There is no replacement for a good friend or confidant. Don't be afraid to share your feelings with someone you trust. Venting has been shown to counteract depression as well as help our immune system.
• Journal--When you can't find anyone to talk with or don't feel comfortable sharing your feelings with another person, write them out. Journalizing is a good opportunity to express oneself, in an uncensored manner, without a fear of repercussion.
• When The 'Winter Blues' or depression starts to overtake you, push yourself--Depression chemicals are 'downers' they make us feel like not doing anything, including getting out of bed. You must force yourself to do activities even though it does not sound fun or it feels like it requires too much energy. Fake it 'til you make it.
• Set Up Celebrations--Give yourself something to look forward to.
• Ask For Help--When you have tried getting better on your own, but nothing seems to work, Reach Out. There is a lot of talent at McMurdo, take advantage of it.