How to spot the difference between winter blues and seasonal depression

Seasonal depression, also known as seasonal affective disorder is a form of depression thought to be caused by the lack of sunlight during the winter.

A counselor in Rapid City said winter blues can be as simple as feeling sad and needing warmth, whereas seasonal depression also includes feeling unmotivated, worthless, and sleeping excessively.

However, there are ways to manage these symptoms including exercising, being social, and getting involved in our community.

Those coping skills are different for everyone but Stacy Keyser said self-talk applies to all of us.

"We all have self-talk and sometimes we do not realize how negative that self-talk might be, so something as simple as I can do this, winter won't last forever, I am a worthwhile person deserving of love and respect, I am going to go and be a joy to another person, so to counter those negative thoughts that are ruminating within our minds, and being able to do that. I think we can all do that because we all have self-talk, we just sometimes don't know what's going on in there," said Stacy Keyser, counselor at Rapid City Counseling Inc.

Keyser said those who think they may have seasonal depression should talk to a friend or family member for support.

People can also call the Crisis Care Center to get connected to professional help at 605-391-4863.