When the days are short and the nights are long, do you feel like crawling in a cave or at least under the covers until springtime? Do you feel like Lord Byron expressed-“I am always more religious on sunshiney days”?
Mood variation dependent on the amount of sunlight affects many of us, mostly women. Symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder, as it is called, mimic those of depression-fatigue, lack of interest in things that used to be pleasurable, cravings for carbohydrates and weight gain.
If this is describing how you are feeling, here are 10 Tips:
- Get outside even if it’s just to rake leaves or shovel snow at least 10 minutes a day.
- Open all the blinds and curtains in the house to let all the sunshine in that is available.
- Take your laptop or book to sit by a window.
- Make sure you are taking enough Vitamin D.
- Replace your light bulbs with full (broad) spectrum ones.
- We are mammals. If you are getting sleepy earlier than usual, don’t fight it. Go to bed.
- If you must start your day before sunrise, set a timer on your bedroom light to come on a half hour before the alarm goes off.
- If possible, plan your vacations in January or February and go south to sunnier climes.
- Push yourself out of the cave. Get together with friends and do something fun. Join a Meetup group.
- Remember it won’t last forever. Each day from today on will have a few more minutes of sunshine!