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Black America Web
30-04-2025
- Health
- Black America Web
Sun's Out, Still Down? Understanding Seasonal Depression In Spring And Summer
Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE Source: Inside Creative House / Getty It's finally feeling like spring is in the air! The weather is warming up, the pollen invasion is winding down, and summer is just around the corner. Time to shake off those winter blues, touch some grass, and engage in some much needed summer fun. But what if your mood is still feeling dark and cold despite the sunny weather? Or maybe even because of it? Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) typically impacts people during the winter months. However, studies show that seasonal depression isn't limited to just one time of the year. While it's less common, summertime seasonal depression is very real and thankfully, there are effective ways to ward off summertime SAD and look forward to brighter days ahead. RELATED: Here's How Social Connection Helps Combat Depression Source: Jacob Wackerhausen / Getty SAD affects about four to six percent of the population who typically experience an increase in depressive symptoms during the winter months, when days are shorter and colder and people are more isolated. However, about 10 percent of those with SAD experience their symptoms in the summer months. Researchers are still trying to definitively determine what causes SAD but many believe extreme weather to be one of the culprits. Winter weather limits the body's access to Vitamin D from sunlight which can cause a dip in serotonin levels leading to an unhappy mood. However, the excessive heat of the spring and summer months can be equally unbearable and depressing as the winter cold. Trying to beat the heat by staying indoors and remaining isolated can lead to depressive episodes. Symptoms of summer depression are consistent with typical SAD symptoms and include loss of appetite, trouble sleeping, changes in weight, depression and anxiety. Source: Drazen Zigic / Getty While for many people, summertime comes with fun in the sun, the warm days can also bring with them new stresses and triggers. Maintaining a routine is important for maintaining good mental health but the spring and summer months often come with multiple changes in personal schedules. Planned summer travel plus prolonged breaks from school for students or parents with children can disrupt sleep, meal times, and other self care habits which can lead to depression. Summer weather also puts body image issues on full display. Studies show that Black women experience higher rates of body dysmorphic disorders (BDD) and as temperatures rise, clothing becomes more revealing and insecurities can be on exposed. Feelings of embarrassment, inadequacy, or over exposure can cause anxiety, body dysmorphia, or isolation from outdoor social activities. Speaking of socializing, the spring and summer months are plentiful/abounding/have no shortage of outdoor activities to get involved in. But that can also create a sense of pressure in some people (or FOMO) to say yes to every plan, draining their bank accounts and their mental battery. If everyone else is having a good time having fun in the sun, why can't you? Experiencing SAD in the spring and summer months can lead to feelings of shame and guilt that only exacerbate depressive symptoms. There is help available for people who struggle with seasonal depression at any time of the year. If you're experiencing what you think may be depression symptoms, consult a physician or therapist right away. You can also preemptively combat summertime SAD by planning ahead for the warmer months. Eating a healthy diet to maintain balanced mood and energy levels, getting enough sleep, and staying as active as possible through exercise and socializing can also help you feel better. A doctor might also describe medication to help offset feelings of depression and anxiety. Most of all, don't get down on yourself if you're not feeling up to fun in the sun this spring and summertime. Everyone is different and enjoys different things. The most important thing you can do any time of year is to take care of yourself in the unique ways that you need. DON'T MISS… Prayer Garden: Why You Need One and How to Create It Let the Sunshine In: Surprising Health Benefits of Sunlight 7 Wellness Spas to Add to Your Bucket List Take the Plunge: Surprising Benefits of Cold Therapy for Your Body, Mind, and Skin SEE ALSO Sun's Out, Still Down? Understanding Seasonal Depression In Spring And Summer was originally published on
New York Post
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Women will do this if they think you're hot — and they might not even realize it: dating coach
There's a body of proof that she's into you. Coquettish glances and flirtatious smiles — they're often good indicators that a lady is hot-to-trot for what a guy's got. But the cutesy cues are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to telltale hints that a woman wants the man on the receiving end of her sensuous stare, so says a dating coach who's decoding the come-hither gestures of a gal on the prowl. 3 Dating coach Gracie Pleshcourt has virally shared the top five clues that woman drop when they're romantically interested in man. InsideCreativeHouse – 'Five body language signs women do when they find you attractive,' wrote Gracie Pleschourt, a romance pro with a knack for helping fellas find love, in the closed-captions of a clip with 2 million TikTok views. The relationship savant, from the Midwest, then revealed the most obviously subtle moves of a wannabe-sweetie. 'Play with her hair,' Pleschourt listed as the No. 1 demonstration of desire. 3 Hair twirling and head tilting are just two of the main moves that ladies often make when they want a date, according to Pleshcourt. Scott Griessel – 'Adjust their top,' she said of the second-most sultry signal. 'Plays with jewelry. Tilts her head and listens. Touches her lips,' all took the third, fourth and fifth spots on Pleschourt's risqué roster. But, if the body language isn't quite translating, folks can always fall back on their funny bones. 'Laughing or giggling at the other person's jokes is an effective flirtation tactic for both sexes,' Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair, a professor at NTNU's Department of Psychology, in a recent study. 3 Science has proven that joking and laughing are prime flirting tactics for both men and women. – Then, of course, there's the 'sticky eyes' method. 'You pick your target, stare at them until they look back at you,' Chelsea Anderson, a self-crowned 'professional life-hacker,' explained to her more than 6.8 million social media fans. 'Once you make eye contact, you look away like you've been caught.' 'The next time you look at them and they meet your eye again, don't look away,' she continued. 'Let them break first — you're going to have to hold [your stare] uncomfortably long.' 'And in about 45 seconds they will be in front of you as if they'd been summoned,' Anderson assured. 'It's one of my most powerful hacks.'
