Hope Counseling & Consulting Services, LLC

11/11/2025

11/08/2025

Seasonal affective disorder: Symptoms, causes, and treatment

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that’s triggered by a change in season. It usually begins in the fall or winter, but it can happen in spring or summer also.
SAD affects about 5% of US adults, and it can start at any age.1 Anyone can experience seasonal affective disorder, but it’s more common in women, people with a history of depression, and people who live far from the equator. The condition often lasts about 40% of the year, with the most challenging months typically being January and February.
Unlike the less severe and much more common “winter blues,” SAD is a mental health condition that can interfere with your day-to-day functioning. The good news is that, like other forms of depression, it can be treated.
SAD vs. the winter blues
“Winter blues” isn’t a clinical diagnosis, but a more general way to describe the low state many people experience when seasonal factors like lack of sunlight, cold weather, holiday stress, and loneliness impact their lives.
Like SAD, winter blues involve seasonal feelings of sadness and low energy, but they’re usually milder and don’t last as long. They tend to go away on their own or can be managed with healthy self-care—but if they persist or get worse, professional mental health treatment can also help.
Symptoms of SAD
Seasonal affective disorder affects people differently, but their symptoms can include:
o Feeling sad or down most of the day, almost every day
o Loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed
o Difficulty concentrating
o Low energy levels
o Restlessness or irritability
o Changes in appetite or weight
o Changes in sleeping patterns
o A sense of hopelessness or worthlessness
o Thoughts of death or su***de
If you’re in crisis, help is available now. Call or text the free, confidential 988 Lifeline at 988. You can also text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line. Both resources are available 24/7.
Causes of SAD
While the cause of seasonal affective disorder isn’t fully understood, it’s believed to involve changes in the brain that result from reduced sunlight exposure. Additional risk factors include:
o Having a family or personal history of depression, anxiety, or other mental health disorders
o Living in a place with long, dark winters
o Being unable to spend enough time outside during daylight hours
SAD and other kinds of depression can also be influenced by factors like stress, trauma, grief, isolation, illness, substance abuse, chronic pain, genetics, family relationships, and lack of social support.
Treatment for SAD
Evidence-based treatments for seasonal affective disorder include light therapy, talk therapy, antidepressants, or a combination of these approaches.2
o Light therapy—sitting close to a therapy box that emits very bright light (at least 10,000 lux) each morning for about 30 minutes—is thought to help replace the lack of sunlight in fall and winter. It can substantially improve SAD symptoms.3
o Antidepressant medications such as SSRIs or bupropion are often used to treat SAD.
o Talk therapy can help you develop strategies for managing symptoms of depression.
o Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) may be especially helpful for relieving symptoms of seasonal affective disorder.4
While many people with SAD have low levels of vitamin D, which the body creates when exposed to sunlight, it’s not clear whether vitamin D supplementation actually helps relieve symptoms.5
At-home strategies
Certain healthy lifestyle changes can help you manage symptoms of both SAD and the winter blues:
o Experience natural light as early in the day as possible.
o Move your body regularly.
o Eat a nutritious, balanced diet.
o Spend time with friends and loved ones.
o Limit or avoid alcohol and drugs.
o Limit or avoid screen time, especially in the evening.
o Practice relaxation techniques such as mindfulness and meditation.
o Practice good sleep hygiene.
o Wake up and go to bed around the same time each day.

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10/28/2025

10/27/2025

"I was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing I noticed was the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for me.
He handed me a laminated card and said, 'I'm Wasu, your driver. While I'm loading your bags in the trunk, I'd like you to read my mission statement.'
Taken aback, I read the card. It said, 'Wasu's Mission Statement: To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest, and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment.'
This blew me away. Especially when I noticed the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean!
As he slid behind the wheel, Wasu said, 'Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.'
I said jokingly, 'No, I'd prefer a soft drink.'
Wasu smiled and said, 'No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, lassi, water, and orange juice.'
Almost stuttering, I said, 'I'll take a lassi since I’ve never had one before.'
Handing me my drink, Wasu said, 'If you'd like something to read, I have Good Housekeeping magazine, Reader’s Digest, The Bible, and a Travel + Leisure magazine.'
As we were pulling away, Wasu handed me another laminated card, 'These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you'd like to listen to the radio.'
And as if that weren't enough, Wasu told me he had the heater on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for me.
Then he advised me of the best route to my destination for that time of day. He also let me know he'd be happy to chat and tell me about some of the sights or, if I preferred, to leave me with my own thoughts.
'Tell me, Wasu,' I was amazed and asked him, 'have you always served customers like this?'
Wasu smiled into the rear view mirror. 'No, not always. In fact, it's only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard about power of choice one day.'
'Power of choice is that you can be a duck or an eagle. If you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you'll rarely disappoint yourself. Stop complaining! Don't be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.'
'That hit me right,' said Wasu. He continued and said, 'It is about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.'
'I take it that has paid off for you,' I said.
'It sure has,' Wasu replied. 'My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year, I'll probably quadruple it. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on it.'
Wasu made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like ducks and start soaring like eagles. I hope we all decide to soar like an eagle and not quack like a duck."

Credit goes to the first owner ✍️

10/16/2025

Back in the day, Stallone was a struggling actor in every definition. At some point, he got so broke that he stole his wife’s jewelry and sold it. Things got so bad that he even ended up homeless. Yes, he slept at the New York bus station for 3 days. Unable to pay rent or afford food. His lowest point came when he tried to sell his dog at the liquor store to any stranger. He didn’t have money to feed the dog anymore. He sold it at $25 only. He says he walked away crying.

Two weeks later, he saw a boxing match between Mohammed Ali and Chuck Wepner and that match gave him the inspiration to write the script for the famous movie, ROCKY. He wrote the script for 20 hours! He tried to sell it and got an offer for $125,000 for the script. But he had just ONE REQUEST. He wanted to STAR in the movie. He wanted to be the MAIN ACTOR, Rocky himself. But the studio said NO. They wanted a REAL STAR.

They said he “Looked funny and talked funny”. He left with his script. A few weeks later, the studio offered him $250,000 for the script. He refused. They even offered $350,000. He still refused. They wanted his movie, but NOT him. He said NO. He had to be IN THAT MOVIE.

After a while, the studio agreed, gave him $35,000 for the script and let him star in it! The rest is history! The movie won Best Picture, Best Directing and Best Film Editing at the prestigious Oscar Awards. He was even nominated for BEST ACTOR! The Movie ROCKY was even inducted into the American National Film Registry as one of the greatest movies ever!

NO ONE KNOWS WHAT YOU ARE CAPABLE OF EXCEPT YOURSELF! People will judge you by HOW you look. And by WHAT you have. But Fight on! Fight for Your place in history. Fight for your glory. NEVER EVER GIVE UP!

Even if it means selling all your clothes and sleeping with the dogs, IT’S OKAY! But AS LONG AS YOU ARE STILL ALIVE, Your STORY IS NOT OVER.

Keep Up the Fight. Keep your dreams and hope alive. Go get it !!!

Source: BelowZeroToHero and actors.co.ke
Compiled: Motivational Stories

10/16/2025

Mental health matters. You matter.