T-R PHOTO BY ADAM SODDERS - Just as with any New YearÕs resolution about physical health, mental health and wellness resolutions call for a healthy diet, as well as plenty of exercise and activity.

New Year’s resolutions often center on getting in better physical shape, from losing weight to gaining muscle and strength, but experts say mental health is equally important for overall wellness.

That can be especially true for those who suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), sometimes called seasonal depression. The condition is a type of clinical depression triggered by the lack of sunlight beginning in late fall and lasting through to spring.

“It’s a problem with the circuitry, so to speak,” said Ardent Counseling Center Executive Director and Clinical Director Scott Terry, a licensed clinical professional counselor, of seasonal affective disorder.

He said the lack of sunlight during the cold months causes some people to go into a depressed state.

Center Associates Clinical Director and Licensed Independent Social Worker Kim Hagen said peak SAD season is on its way in central Iowa.

“We tend to start seeing it at the end of October,” she said. “It’s the worst in February, especially when we’re having a really long winter.”

Both Terry and Hagen said light therapy is one of the go-to treatments for people impacted by seasonal affective disorder. They said large lights used in therapy mimic the effects of sunlight and can ease depression caused by the lack of light.

Vitimin D, which people get from sunlight, may also be lacking in people who suffer from SAD. Supplements can help replenish those vitimin D stores in the body, Hagen said.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy was another treatment she said is often recommended. In severe cases, as with other forms of clinical depression, she said medication may also be used to help treat the condition.

She and Terry said people who suffer from SAD can also find relief from regular exercise and a good diet rich in vegetables, fruits and complex carbohydrates. Cutting out pop, alcohol and smoking were other suggestions, and Terry said meditation can help as well.

The same advice holds true for anyone wanting to prioritize mental health and wellbeing in 2019 as part of a New Year’s resolution, they said.

Terry said “connecting to yourself and connecting to others” is important for people looking to create and maintain good mental health.

Hagen said physical and mental health are linked and should not be thought about as separate entities.

For people suffering from SAD, the professionals said it is especially important they seek help if necessary.

“It’s a brain response, this isn’t like somebody is trying to be depressed,” Terry said of seasonal affective disorder. “It’s like if you’ve got a broken arm. No matter how strong you are, your arm is still broken.”

Hagen said anyone whose depression is interfering with their work, family, school or social life should seek help.

“If they feel like their level of distress is impacting their daily functioning then they should seek out mental health treatment,” she said.

Terry, based in Fairfield, runs the Ardent Community Wellness Center in Marshalltown and ArdentCenter in Grinnell, among other centers in the Midwest. The Marshalltown location can be reached at 641-352-3031 and Grinnell at 641-236-1644.

Center Associates can be reached at 641-752-1585.

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Contact Adam Sodders at

(641) 753-6611 or

asodders@timesrepublican.com