Remedial Steps to Combat Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Are you sick and tired of Seasonal Affective Disorder? Do you want to take control of your emotions especially during the gloomy days of fall and winter?  Then you can try several effective steps that have been proven to work against SAD.

1.  Make sure that you really are afflicted with Seasonal Affective Disorder.  Being depressed sometimes is just a normal event.  But if your condition lasts for many days or even weeks and it affects your normal daily life, then you are probably suffering from SAD.  This is especially true if you experience cyclical depression episodes for at least two years during late fall and winter.

2.  The simplest step you can do is to allow natural illumination into your house.  Make it as bright as possible by keeping the curtains always open.  Keep away those dark colored drapes and use only light colored upholsteries, sheets, and pillows.  If you can change your wall paper, use bright and funky colors.  This will make your house lighter and could probably help improve your condition.

3.  Try to exercise often and do outdoor physical activities.  You can try skiing or outdoor ice skating.  These recreational sports will improve your circulation and you can be exposed to lots of light.  If you have a portable home gym, use it more often and transfer it near the windows. 

4.  At work, you can ask to be transferred to a spot near the window in order to get as much light as possible.  If you have your own office, change your curtains to lighter shades and always keep it open.  You can also add additional lighting fixtures that can give white illumination.

5.  You can join a support group for those suffering from Seasonal Affective Behavior.  Peer support is a good measure to fight depression.  You can also try to get professional help and advice specifically on stress and depression management. 

6.  You can take a break and have a vacation.  You can take a trip to sunny places, beaches, and resorts.  The fresh air, warm surrounding and especially sunlight could help against Seasonal Affective Disorder.

If all these prove ineffective or not feasible, then it is time to get professional treatment or advice.  There are many solutions to treat Seasonal Affective Behavior.  Probably the most effective treatment is through Light Box therapy.  This kind of treatment utilizes white light and illumination to restore your normal health condition.

Because Seasonal Affective Disorder is caused by decreasing day light due to the changing seasons, the Light Box apparatus could provide you with bright lights that can mimic regular outdoor day light.  So your regular home lighting or fluorescent lamp is not enough to fight severe Seasonal Affective Disorder.

It is important though to consult your physician or therapist before purchasing a Light Box.  These devices can be purchased online or over the counter and it doesn’t need a prescription.  So you have to take responsible steps before buying one.  Professional SAD therapists can suggest what type of Light Box is suitable for you and can give valuable advice on how to use it at what frequency.

A typical Light Box is a small apparatus that can emit 10,000 lux of illumination.  The light is filtered by anti ultra violet rays diffusing screen.  The UV filter will eliminate the danger of ultraviolet radiation which is bad for your eyes and screen.  You should sit in front of the Light Box for a specified period.  During the therapy, you must avoid unnecessary movements especially eye movements away from the light.  Complete focus on the light emissions of the Light Box is essential in order to get maximum benefits from it.