As the seasons change and the weather gets colder, seasonal depression is making a comeback. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is depression related to the changes in seasons. The symptoms start taking place in the early fall and go on through the winter months. This happens because of the dreary weather that takes your energy and makes you feel moody.

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, four to six percent of people in the United States have SAD and around 20 percent of them have a mild form called “the winter blues”. This happens when the days get shorter and colder.

In these months of seasonal depression, self love and care are really important things to focus on.

Self love is loving all aspects of yourself, even the things you don’t like about yourself, your weaknesses, and your flaws. People don’t take loving themselves seriously in this day and age, but it is still a very important thing to do. Ways to practice self love are to stop worrying about others’ opinions of you, putting yourself first, and being kind to yourself. These things may be hard to do, but they will help achieve self love.

Self care is taking care of yourself to make your mental and physical health better. Some ways to practice self care are eating healthy, exercising, and sleeping the recommended eight hours. According to Southern New Hampshire University, having a self care routine has been clinically proven to reduce anxiety and depression. Like self love, these things may be hard, but are important.

Practicing these things are good for the mind, body and soul.