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Welcome to January and the beginning of a new year here at Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka. We had a great streak going with our holiday season—we gorged on food during Thanksgiving, illuminated our homes for Christmas, and maybe even got a little silly on New Year’s Eve. But now that we are back to work, it probably feels like the fun train has come to a screeching halt, right?
While it is natural to feel a little less than excited to return to school or work after a long vacation, it is crucial to be mindful of your mental health during this time.
The “winter blues” tend to hit hardest during January. Often described as the most depressing month of the year, January temperatures find themselves at their lowest, sunlight comes at a premium, and our wallets and purses hurt just a little bit more after holiday spending.
An associated depressive phenomenon often attached to the winter seasons is Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, and can be explained simply by a lack of light, a drop in temperatures, and issues mentioned above of finances and lack thereof.
“Winter blues is a general term, not a medical diagnosis. It’s fairly common, and it’s more mild than serious. It usually clears up on its own in a fairly short amount of time,” says Dr. Matthew Rudorfer, a mental health expert at News In Health, an outlet within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “SAD, though, is different. It’s a well-defined clinical diagnosis that’s related to the shortening of daylight hours.”
Although some may suffer from SAD, most of us might just be battling a case of the winter blues. It also doesn’t help that COVID-19 continues to make its way through U.S. military installations here in Japan and brings with it all sorts of policies, restrictions, and safety concerns.
The good news is that you can beat the winter blues by focusing on general mental awareness, and over the next couple of months we are going to give you a few tips on how to do just that!
For now, here are our top recommendations for beating the winter blues:
• Put more focus into your relationships — keep in touch with family or make new friends during this time.
• Spend more active time outdoors — go for a run, a hike, or even to get a breath of fresh air.
• Create and stick to a routine — whether a new diet or physical fitness plan, commit to a regimen and see where it takes you!
• Find a new hobby — have you wanted to try out a new sport or game? Get out there and try something new!
• Self-care — treat yourself to something nice every once in a while!
We will help each other on this journey through both winter and COVID-19. We will find ways to both cope with and mitigate the winter blues through tips and tricks, words from mental health specialists on base, and ways to contact various agencies to get the help you need when you need it.
Don’t let these “blue” months or COVID-19 negatively impact your time here in Japan. Stay strong, stay positive, and stay tuned for beneficial information that can help us through trying times.
If you are seeking help or assistance, please reach out to the Fleet and Family Support Center at 243-3372, or the USNH at 243-5352 for relationship counseling and other related support services.
For more than 75 years, CFAY has provided, maintained, and operated base facilities and services in support of the U.S. 7th Fleet’s forward deployed naval forces, tenant commands, and thousands of military and civilian personnel and their families.
| Date Taken: | 01.14.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 02.13.2022 23:06 |
| Story ID: | 414570 |
| Location: | YOKOSUKA, KANAGAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Resiliency in winter: a wellness series, by Patrick Ciccarone, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
