Seasonal Affective Disorder

While some people look forward to fall many of us dread the changing of the seasons. It's not the cold weather that we dread, it's the seasonal depression that sets in from fall to spring. I've suffered from SAD since I was very young. Only in the last few years have I found ways to boost my mood without prescription medication. I thought I would share some of these with you and see what works for others.

1. Exercise! Lifting weights leaves me feeling good long after the session is over. It also helps with those few extra pounds I tend to gain over the holidays and regulates my appetite better.
2. Creatine. There have been clinical trials that have shown creatine helps improve depression, especially in women. We can get creatine from food, but I just add a scoop of a creatine supplement (which are fairly cheap) to my coffee in the morning.
3. Vitamin D. My Vitamin D levels tend to be very low, even during the summer. Taking a supplement for it takes the edge off of the depressed feelings.
4. Light therapy. I used to use a tanning bed to get light exposure during the winter, but I've switched to a desk top lamp. A few minutes in the morning helps how I feel the rest of the day.

Anyone else have things that work for them?

All of these. I used to do the tanning bed for light exposure too.

Above all I've found that just staying active/involved helps tremendously. Everyone needs those lazy days on the couch every once in a while but I tend to stay more motivated and happy when I'm active. Sometimes thats as simple as taking on an indoor project or baking cookies with my daughter.

YES! Just having something to do helps. If I spend most of my days stuck to the couch it is much worse. Even baking and cleaning help. I don't need to spring clean anymore because I deep clean in winter.