Seasonal Affected Disorder (SAD)
 
As Well as being Dyslexic I suffer with a condition called SAD (seasonal Affected Disorder). When I mention this to people they say “is that really a thing”, yes it is and its kinda debilitating at times. The issue is the loss of day light which causes various symptoms

• A persistent low mood
• A loss of pleasure or interest in normal everyday activities
• Irritability
• Feelings of despair, guilt and worthlessness
• Feeling lethargic (lacking in energy) and sleepy during the day
• Sleeping for longer than normal and finding it hard to get up in the morning
• Craving carbohydrates and gaining weight

For some people, these symptoms can be severe and have a significant impact on their day-to-day activities.


For years I did not realise why I felt the way I did and it seemed to affect my job in the winter months. I find that once the day light returns in spring its like ive had a massive boost of energy I want to do things be active , uber happy and enthusiastic about everything.


The winter for me is a real drag and it starts around Sep as the day’s light is beginning to become less and less. I feel totally fed up for no reason, cannot get going on things I know I should be doing.


Light therapy is a good way to counter the effects, normally in the form of a light box. A very bright light which signals the brain its sunlight. Various ways of using a light box there are ones that are like and alarm clock and slowly get brighter simulating sunrise. Ive got one of these but found I was waking up before it went off (so pretty much a waste for me). Alternatively sit in front of one for 15 min’s a day in the morning.


What I now use which I find absolutely perfect are ear lights, it looks like an MP3 player but instead of music they omit light into the ear. This light stimulated the brain via the inner ear, sounds crazy but trust me I’ve found after 5 days I notice the difference. I start using them from end of Aug until late Feb.
What I like about this system is I get up in the morning , grab a coffee put the earlight in and catch up with social media or emails, its only on for 12mins then I am ready to start the day.


I wanted to share this as I imagine there will be loads of people that are unaware that they may suffer with SAD and just put it down to other things (insert problem). Just take a step back or ask a family member do they notice a difference in mood during the winter months.
Also if you are an employer you may find a trend with some of your staff that work exceptionally well in the summer and seem to lack that same sparkle in winter. This could be affecting your business, productivity , profitability and also having an impact on moral (especially if its a leader). I would seek some professional HR advice my go to person would be Tanya Brink (link to profile) for best way to approach the situation. 


Am just about to embark on this winters light therapy I feel it coming on already


Good luck fellow SAD sufferers "Get The Lights On"


www.duggsytone.com

 
Failure the very word invokes negativity  when expressed , “oh Jane is a failure, john’s just failed to gain that job” you get the idea.
 
What most people see is success, the end result the world class athlete, the Michelin star chef, the billionaire business man, the football player that broke the latest transfer figure, the actor that’s a box office hit.
 
What ever the arena or interest we are aware of the success the end result, the perfection.  Its like the façade of a lavish building we don’t see behind the back where all the actions taking place the things people don’t want us to see. There is a problem with this in people especially those that may currently feel like a failure or struggling with some kind of adversity, feel even more of a failure which can be very damaging.
 
Failure is so important as the saying goes
“Learn from your mistakes”
 
What most people are not aware of lets take the successful biz person. Unless they were handed a few million pounds from a relative the successful businessperson has failed prob more times than they were successful. The fundamental difference is they take that failure and use the learning to prevent the same thing happening and do what ever they were trying faster and more effective.
 
Its like learning to ride a bike no one just jumps on a bike for the first time and peddles away do they!. Either they have stablizers or  a balance bike to practice on. When the day comes to take the stabilizers off, guess what they prob fall off. Now we could simply say “oh that’s it ill never ride that bike and give up” or we can get back on a practice some more adjust how we sit, how we control the bike and balance better. Eventually were off riding confidently and safely. Just imagine that Olympic athlete winning a cycling gold “they have fallen off too”…
 
Failure and also adversity do something that will be life changing, either positive or negative. When a human feels they cannot get any lower or have lost everything they either give up or it can be like hitting a reset button. The only way is up everything they once thought was important say not losing that job or becoming homeless and penniless. It strips away the façade it reveals what truly important and to all those successful people that have experienced true adversity true failure it’s the fundamental building block to their success.
 
I only have to look at my own story to see some failure points times of adversity where I’ve come back stronger more determined and with the guts if you like to be the best I can be.
 
Over the last few years I’ve met some pretty amazing people, then heard some of their stories. What I’ve come to realise is people I admire , are great people fantastic business people , have had a pretty hard time at least once in the past.
 
So if you are currently feeling that you are in the worst place you’ve ever been then know this what happens next is determined on how you react to the situation you find yourself, cast away preconceptions and focus on what is truly important to you.
 
 
“you cant make an amazing omelet without breaking a few eggs”
 
what I mean by that statement you have the raw ingredients you “the egg” without failure or adversity you’ll just be an egg , become an omelet something even better than you was before.
 
www.duggsytone.com