mental health for first responders: lifestyle factors that help

Real talk: there's so much BS floating around about seasonal affective disorder. Let's clear the air. ## Myth #1: "It's all in your head" **Truth**: seasonal affective disorder is like a broken phone app. It involves your entire nervous system, hormone production, and brain chemistry. It's as "in your head" as a broken leg is "in your leg." ## Myth #2: "Just think positive" **Truth**: This is like telling someone with a broken bone to "just walk it off." Positive thinking can be helpful *sometimes*, but it's not a cure-all, and suggesting it is just makes people feel worse about feeling bad. ## Myth #3: "Strong people don't struggle with this" **Truth**: Some of the strongest people I know deal with seasonal affective disorder. Strength isn't the absence of struggle - it's continuing to show up despite it. ## Myth #4: "You can snap out of it if you really want to" **Truth**: If willpower alone could fix seasonal affective disorder, therapy wouldn't exist. This is like saying you can cure diabetes by wanting it hard enough. ## Myth #5: "It's just an excuse" **Truth**: Nobody wakes up thinking, "You know what sounds fun? Having my nervous system completely dysregulated today." People with seasonal affective disorder are often working twice as hard to appear "normal." ## Myth #6: "Medication is cheating" **Truth**: If you needed glasses, you'd wear them. If you need medication to help your brain chemistry, that's healthcare, not weakness. ## The Bottom Line seasonal affective disorder is real, it's medical, and it's not your fault. You're not broken. The goal isn't to eliminate all difficult feelings - it's to build a life where you can experience the full range of human emotions without being destroyed by them.