New Moon and Depression (+Understanding the relationship)
By
OptimistMinds
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Author bio
The Optimistminds editorial team is made up of psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health professionals. Each article is written by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter. The article then gets reviewed by a more senior editorial member. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the subject matter and highly cited published material.
This article will explain how the New Moon can affect your mood to the point it can make you feel depressed. Aside from that, the article will explain what are some things you can do to prevent the New Moon from having such an intense impact on you.
Can the New Moon make me depressed?
Yes, some people may feel symptoms that are similar to depressive symptoms. The New Moon is the beginning of the lunar cycle, and although many people use this time to set their intentions of what they want in the future, to some people the New Moon can have a more negative impact.
Some people may feel it impacts their mood because it is common for the New Moon to make you more closed off. It leaves you more introspective, and it seems that since the moonlight is so little in this period, our energy can also be a lot less than it normally is.
This explains why some people may feel more tired, and less social when there is a New Moon. This moment can also change your sense of emotional well-being, it can lead people to become more preoccupied, angry, or even sad.
There has even been research that showed how in the New Moon patients with the diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder experienced changes in their mood. This moment can also affect your sleeping pattern.
Because there is less light, and you feel more tired, you may realize you will sleep more, and along with that, it can leave you feeling a little disconnected from your daily things.
To some people, the New Moon can also lead to a release of emotions that had been piling up. If that is the case, you may want to take better care of your emotions for the next lunar cycle.
With all of that, it is possible to affirm that the New Moon can bring you to experience depression-like symptoms. It can bring isolation, lack of energy, or motivation, sadness, fatigue, and irritability.
But it is important to keep in mind that this most likely will not be a depressive episode, since it may be a fleeting situation, and a depressive episode usually lasts longer and affects all aspects of your life.
Still, it doesn’t mean you should just take what the New Moon makes you feel. So let’s discuss what are some ways you can cope with not feeling great during the New Moon.
What are ways to cope with the New Moon?
If there is a New Moon ahead, you usually feel it in a negative manner, one that resembles a depressive state. So here are some ways you can cope with the New Moon.
Try to care for your sleep
New Moon can make you feel more tired, and with a lot less energy, it may be hard to stay awake. What you can do is care for your sleeping pattern before the New Moon, and also organize your schedule during that period so you don’t have a lot to do, and don’t feel overwhelmed by it all.
Leave this period of the lunar cycle to be more relaxed, and centered on yourself, your desires, and your intentions.
Take some time and disconnect
Too much screen time is always a bad idea. But when the New Moon is upon you, and you need to focus more on yourself, it can be extremely detrimental to your mood. Take some time out of social networks, and if you don’t feel like it, you don’t even need to answer any of your friends.
Give yourself some time to reflect on what has been, and what you want for the future. Being in touch with your most inner self is the job to be done during the New Moon.
It is okay to say no
You may start to feel more irritated, and need to isolate yourself during the New Moon, and that is perfectly normal. Care for your emotional well-being, and make it a priority. If you don’t want to go to an event, or some friends gathering, it is okay.
Blaming yourself will only add up to the stress and angriness you may be feeling. Don’t fight this urge to be by yourself, but embrace it. That need, the same way as the New Moon, won’t go on forever.
Get in touch with how you feel
Getting in touch with your emotions, and your spiritual beliefs can be extremely helpful at this moment. If you have an altar with things you believe in, or if you tend to use crystals to help you connect to your spirituality, it may be time to use those.
The New Moon is a good moment to clear your energy and prepare yourself for what is to come.
Become more aware of your emotions
Making a journal in which you share the lunar cycle and your emotions will allow you to understand your patterns and how each phase of the Moon affects you. In time you will get a grip on how the New Moon makes you feel and can care for it more actively.
Cleanse yourself
As said before, the New Moon is the perfect moment to clear your energy and prepare for what is to come. And some rituals can help you do that. For example, you can take a bath with sea salt. This will remove all the negative energy, and leave you clean to start the new cycle.
Care for what you eat
If the New Moon often causes you to experience mood swings, you may try to prepare yourself some nourishing and comforting food. If you need some alone time, it can be a moment of great distraction, and if you are open to being with people, maybe having a fun dinner with some friends will most certainly help your mood.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): Can the New Moon make me depressed?
Can the moon affect my sleep?
There has been some talk about how the moon can affect people’s sleep. One of the most common things said is that the full moon can lead people to have trouble sleeping. But there is no scientific evidence to that.
A study done in 2013 with 33 volunteers discovered that people took 5 minutes more to fall asleep when there was a full moon. And during the full moon, they also spent 30% less time in deep sleep than compared to other phases of the moon.
And even though some people will say this was related to the light of the full moon, the study was made in closed space. Leaving us to question what may have caused that.
Can the moon affect my health and mood?
There is no concrete evidence that the moon affects people’s mood or health. But what is known is that the moon often affects other living organisms such as corals.
But even though it is not clear the effect it would have on humans, what is known is that the moon has a clear impact on many things that can impact our mood, sleep, and vitality. For example, it is what is connected to gravity, and our sleeping schedule.
What is the energy of each moon phase?
The new moon is mostly focused on being introspective and understanding what you want from the new beginnings. It is time to set your intentions for this next cycle. The waxing moon is when you put all of your intentions into action. It is a time of committing to what you desire.
The full moon talks about abundance, it is the moment in which the seeds from the full moon will bloom. As for the waning moon, it is a period to renew and rest. It is a moon that centers on releasing things, and leaving behind what no longer fits you.
What I shouldn’t do during a full moon?
There has been a lot said about what you should do on the new moon. But here are all the things you should avoid doing when there is a new moon: first, you should avoid starting things. This is mostly the time to welcome closures.
In the same way, you shouldn’t start bug discussions since they will, most likely, lead to worse-case scenarios. It shouldn’t also be the time to take mind-altering substances, so as not to diminish your intuitive power.
You should also make things easier during the full moon. Don’t overextend your schedule. Rather than that, focus more on the inside. Take things slowly, in the full moon, you must learn to trust the process and know that things will work themselves out in a way.
What causes me to feel too emotional?
There are a lot of reasons that can lead you to become emotional. The first thing to keep in mind is that you are human, and humans have emotions. Accepting your feelings is a process of self-acceptance. It can be that you become emotional due to genetic factors, which can also be related to affective disorders, such as depression.
Lack of sleep can also have an impact on your emotions. It is known that not sleeping enough can make you lose control of your emotions. Your diet can also impact your emotional well-being, processed food, for example, can make you feel sluggish.
Some people can also be highly sensitive, and this is a personality trait, which causes them to be more emotional. Other situations that can make a person more emotional are going through stressful moments, or big life changes such as divorce, grief, or any form of a traumatic situation.
A person can also become more emotional due to health reasons. If they are going through a hormonal change, the way a woman goes through when they are entering menopause can lead them to feel more emotional. Thyroid issues can also affect how you feel.
Aside from that, being more emotional can be a reaction to many mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, or personality disorders. If that is what you are going through, you should look for professional help.
Conclusion
This article explained how the change to a New Moon can lead a person to experience intense emotional changes, which can relate to a depressive state in some cases. It also clarified what are ways people can deal with those moments to not be hit so hard about it all.
If you have any questions or comments about this article, feel free to write them in the section below.
References
https://www.bustle.com/life/6-weird-ways-the-moon-can-affect-your-mood-17020547
Does a New Moon Affect People’s Mood? How the New Moon Can Affect Your Mood
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