How to Fight Winter Blue

Winter’s short days are more than cold. For many people, winter depression, the most common type of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), is as much a part of the season as hats and scarves.

Winter serious SAD sufferers may need medical treatment. Those feeling a little blue can help themselves by sticking to a healthy lifestyle.

Here are some tips:

Pace yourself. Don’t expect to do everything you normally can. Set a realistic schedule. Don’t listen to negative thinking, like blaming yourself or expecting to fail.

Get involved in activities that make you feel good or feel like you’ve achieved something. For example, play table tennis or badminton.

If you are feeling depressed, you may feel like staying away from friends. Yet this is a time when friends’ support can be helpful. Call them regularly. Remember, the more we put off calling or visiting a friend, the harder it is to rebuild a friendship.

Think clearly about what’s wrong or right. Instead of giving in to vague feelings of sadness, look at your problems objectively. Break down problems into specific issues that you can work on.

Regular exercise helps to prevent and ease depression.

Eat well. Studies show that a healthy diet can help to maintain (keep) a healthy body and mind. The vitamins, minerals and micro—nutrients found in balanced diet may help our bodies to produce feel-good hormones(荷尔蒙). Foods containing chemicals to help produce feel-good hormones include bananas, turkey, nuts and seeds. Eat at least five pieces of fruit and vegetables every day.

P.S.  Symptoms(症状) of SAD:

No interest or pleasure in things you used to enjoy.

Increased need for sleep.

A change in eating habits, especially an appetite for sweet or starchy(含淀粉的) foods.

Weight gain

A heavy feeling in the arms or legs

A drop in energy level

Difficulty in concentrating

Overly emotional

Avoidance of friends and social situations

Frequent feelings of guilt

Long-term feelings of hopelessness, and physical problems, such as headaches

1.The writer of the passage agrees that             .

A．the cold in winter makes us suffer from SAD

B．hats and scarves protect us from SAD

C．every one of us meets SAD in winter

D．we are blue mainly because of short days in winter

2.We may infer that       , according to the passage.

A．more darkness will make us sad

B．we should wear hats and scarves in winter

C．a healthy lifestyle prevents us from serious SAD

D．staying away from friends makes us depressed

3.．When we pace ourselves, we                     .

A．don’t do anything we can	B．make a practical plan
C．face depression easily	D．think something of guilt

4.The underlined expression “ease depression” in the passage probably means “        ”

A．reduce depression	B．be easy with depression
C．face depression easily	D．make an easy depression

5.The passage includes the following except             .

A．the earlier we meet friends, the easier it is to rebuild a friendship

B．if we give in to unclear feelings of sadness, we’ll be caught in the SAD

C．playing table tennis helps us achieve whatever we want

D．feel--good hormones from a balanced diet can help a healthy body