Friday, March 7, 2014

Cabin Fever!

I've held it together all winter.  Usually I start complaining the day the temperature hits below zero and I don't stop until spring. But not this winter, I've been embracing the cold and the snow like a champ. Until March 1st....

I just couldn't take it anymore. All the endless snow and more days when the temperature fell far below zero (-28 degrees F at my house!)- I began to wonder if I was completely insane for living in such a place. So needless to say I have a serious case of Cabin Fever!  

In the past, I mostly just suffer through.  I take my multivitamin, try to get enough Vitamin D and sleep.  Exercise has always been a great help. But this winter, since it seemed to hit me so hard, I decided to look in to some different solutions for lifting my mood and alleviating some my symptoms of Seasonal Effective Disorder.

Typically I use Passionflower tincture for mood support, but the old tried and true St. John's Wort seems to
be winning out after a winter such as this one. After further research I found these other products that may help with symptoms of Seasonal Effective Disorder:
*Melatonin. This natural hormone helps regulate mood yet seasonal changes may reduce natural levels.
*Omega-3. Another name for Omega-3's is essential fatty acids. Note the word essential. We require these essential fatty acids for optimal functioning of our bodies. For mood, they help transmission of nerve impulses.
*5 HTP. This amino acid helps increase the body's natural production of serotonin.
*Florida. I here it's sunny and warm there, sun and warm weather will eliminate all of your symptoms.