The days grow shorter, night comes early and lasts longer.
Your energy level might not feel quite like it was and you feel a lot less likely to do the normal things you’re used to doing. You know that it’s more than just being down about winter coming. You also know it’s more than just feeling trapped indoors. It’s a mood that’s hard to shake and, sometimes, even harder to understand. This is known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). It’s here again, but there are things you can do to make the best of the cold slump.

If you thought you were the only one feeling down during the holidays, then you’ve got company. SAD is more common than you might think. In fact, this periodic ailment affects various people based on predisposition and region. So, if it’s in your gene pool, or/and you reside in a particular region, SAD might be waiting to greet you with an unwelcome handshake when the time arrives. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to thwart that dumpy introduction.

Change Your Menu

Did you know that you could help prevent Seasonal Affective Disorder with a mere change of diet? What do you typically eat during the cold months of the year? Comfort foods are common stuffing for this time of year, but what kind of soothing supplements are you ingesting? Certain types of food can be counterproductive to your natural production of serotonin.So, you may want to seriously consider changing your diet or adding vitamins to your daily regime.There are foods that can increase those mood-enhancing levels.Try looking for foods that contain specific vitamins and minerals, such as:

• Vitamin D (a liquid vitamin D supplement works just fine)
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin B complexes
• Anything you don’t get from vitamins, you can get from broccoli, spinach, oatmeal, eggs, salmon or shellfish.

Bright Lights, Big Boost

Part of that depressive dump involves lack of sunlight. When winter grows near, daylight hoursbecome less available. Light equals mood upturn. Without it, seasonal depression is a lot more apt to arrive. The technical name for it is light therapy.
Light therapy replicates vitamin D and produces similar effects like that of liquid supplements. There are, fortunately, particular types of lamps that can duplicate the sun’s ray. You don’t have to be afraid of winter’s arrival when you have a few of these on hand. Implement your own light play by employing this method. Plugging in can offer you distinct benefits, such as:

• Large improvement rate: studies show that 75% of SAD sufferers benefit from effective light therapy.
• A therapist can direct you toward verified lights that can improve SAD.
• Bright light therapy can be comparatively inexpensive compared to other treatments for SAD.

Get Moving

Exercise has countless health benefits, but one of those includes batting off SAD. Engaging some aerobics increases endorphins, which naturally alleviate depressive effects. Jumping on a treadmill, taking a power walk, or joining a weekly yoga class could be a simple answer to a seasonal slump.

Seasonal Affective Disorder is a drag but there are options to get above it. Don’t let gray skies and short days drag you down. Take in some sun or a liquid vitamin D supplement and you should be fine.