BBC随身英语｜如何应对冬季忧郁情绪？

How to survive the winter blues

It's the middle of winter, and the prospect of warm sunny days is a long way off. For some of us, it's the most depressing time of year, where daylight is limited and the weather is often miserable – this is when the winter blues set in. So what can be done to lift our spirits?

The shorter days and longer nights can make us feel down, and that can cause us to eat more and exercise less. Some fear loneliness and isolation during the long dark months.

Those people who suffer this seasonal mood swing more seriously are described as having seasonal affective disorder – or SAD for short. It's a type of depression with a seasonal pattern caused by a lack of light and is thought to affect the part of the brain that rules sleep, appetite, mood and activity levels.

Jenny Scott-Thompson is one person who was diagnosed with SAD. She told the BBC: "I struggled with periods of exhaustion and misery that seemed out of proportion to what was going on in my life." She was prescribed light therapy, which involved sitting in front of a light box. As well as going outside during daylight hours, this is believed to help anyone who is affected by the winter gloom.

Although having more light is an obvious cure, antidepressants can help those with more severe depression by artificially elevating the amount of serotonin in the brain. But this isn't suitable for everyone, and many of us can try to just alter our mindset.

Clinical psychologist Laura Keyes says, "it can be helpful to think about how to adapt your eating and exercise patterns to the change of season, just as this happens in nature with plants and animals adapting." It might sound easier said than done, but accepting winter and thinking positively may energise us.

Writing for the BBC Social website, Esther De La Ford asks "What if we explored what this phase of winter has to offer us, instead of grieving those things that it is taking away?" She suggests we use this time for rest, reflection, slowing down, stillness and renewal. Maybe this might stop us longing for summer?

词汇表
prospect [ˈprɒspekt] n. 前景，展望，期望的事物
depressing [dɪˈpresɪŋ] adj. 令人沮丧的，使人消沉的
winter blues [bluːz] n. 冬季忧郁，冬季忧郁症
set in （不好的事物）开始，到来，袭来
lift one's spirits 提振精神，鼓舞士气
isolation [ˌaɪsəˈleɪʃn] n. 孤立，隔绝，隔离
mood swing [muːd swɪŋ] 情绪波动
seasonal affective disorder (SAD) [ˈsiːzənl əˈfektɪv dɪsˈɔːdə(r)] 季节性情感障碍（指冬季时因日照缩短而表现出的抑郁）
be diagnosed with [dʌɪəɡˈnəʊzd]  被诊断出患有
prescribe [prɪˈskraɪb] vt. 开（药、处方），嘱咐（疗法），建议
light therapy 光照疗法，光疗（利用光线来治疗某些医学或精神疾病的疗法）
light box 光疗灯箱（用于治疗冬季缺乏光线引起的情绪低落）
gloom [ɡluːm] n. 阴郁，忧郁，昏暗
antidepressant [ˌæntidɪˈpresənt] n. 抗抑郁药
elevate [ˈelɪveɪt] vt. 提高，提升
serotonin [ˌserəˈtəʊnɪn] n. 血清素（与情绪调节相关的神经递质）
alter one's mindset [ˈɔːltə] 调整心态，改变思维模式
easier said than done 说来容易做来难
energise [ˈenədʒaɪz] vt. 使充满活力，使精力充沛
grieve [ɡriːv] vi. 感到悲痛，哀叹，惋惜
stillness [ˈstɪlnəs] n. 沉静，静止，寂静
renewal [rɪˈnjuːəl] n. 恢复，更新，重生

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