7 Easy Strategies for Seasonal Affective Disorder

Strategies for Seasonal Affective Disorder can be found with a simple Google search.

But often these come from people who Just Don’t Get It.

They give advice like “Exercise,” “Improve your diet,” “Do yoga,” “Take up a winter sport,” or “Get out of the house and socialize.”

Stuff someone who’s already depressed just won’t do.

This blog is about easy advice that works.

Here are seven simple strategies someone who suffers from Seasonal Affective Disorder will actually be capable of.

Disclaimer: I’m not a medical/mental health professional. This is not medical advice. Anyone suffering from mental health difficulties should consult a doctor.

The problem with most strategies for Seasonal Affective Disorder

Most strategies for Seasonal Affective Disorder are simply too difficult for someone already suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder.

As I explain in Don’t Challenge Yourself, advice too hard to follow is worse than useless. 

It fails to help you, and shames you into feeling like a failure who couldn’t take the advice.

When advice is too hard to follow, it’s not your fault. It’s the fault of the person giving the advice.

The people giving this advice mean well. They want you to feel better.

But if you weren’t working out, doing yoga, and eating healthy before suffering from SAD, you won’t start when you can barely get out of bed.

Strategies for Seasonal Affective Disorder you can actually do

What can you actually do to fight SAD?

Focus on easy solutions. 

The ones that don’t involve extra work and initiative. 

That don’t rely on additional willpower right when you have far less willpower than usual.

Like these:

1. Get as much sunlight as you can

Open your blinds.

Hang out in the room in your house with the most windows.

Sit in a spot that gets direct sunlight.

All you have to do is change where you sit.

Easy.

2. Go outside more

Suffering from SAD makes you less inclined to go out and do things.

And during COVID, we should all minimize time outside the house.

But a lot of people are working or taking classes from home.

If the weather’s nice, take your laptop to the porch, balcony, or yard.

You can maximize your outside-time without any effort or change to your schedule.

(True story: While writing this article, I thought, “Oh yeah. I should do that,” and took my computer outside.)

3. Shift your schedule to maximize daytime

If you are someone who can change your sleep schedule without much difficulty, avoid sleeping in past sunrise.

Get as much daylight as possible.

Make sure to get to bed early, so you still get enough sleep. Cutting back on sleep will make your SAD even worse.

Changing sleep schedules is easy for some people and hard for others. If this advice is hard for you, ignore it without any guilt.

4. Give your Seasonal Affective Disorder a name

An extremely easy strategy for Seasonal Affective Disorder is to assign it a name.

Like ‘Larry’ or ‘Sadie’ or ‘Mr. Willikins.’

Treat it like an outside entity rather than a part of yourself.

Separating yourself from your disorder makes it easier to rise above it.

5. Get a light-therapy box

One of the easiest strategies for Seasonal Affective Disorder is to buy a light-therapy box.

A light-therapy box emits around 10,000 lux with minimal UV light. You put it near your face for 20-30 minutes each morning, and it replaces the sunlight you’re no longer receiving.

Note: While light-therapy boxes are available without a prescription, consult your doctor before using one. Especially if you use psychiatric medication or have a history of eye diseases.

Make sure to buy the right kind. See this Mayo Clinic guide to picking a light-therapy box.

Or buy this one, which is $38 at publishing time and well-reviewed. (Affiliate link)

6. Get a sunrise lamp alarm clock

You can also buy a sunrise lamp alarm clock, which gradually increases light before you wake up.

This simulated sunrise helps you wake up more refreshed, putting your circadian rhythms in sync with your actual sleep cycles.

Here is a well-reviewed one that’s $40 at publishing time. (Affiliate link.)

7. Avoid windows at dusk

I previously recommended spending the day in a room with lots of windows.

But set an alarm for a half-hour before sunset. 

Then move to a room with as few windows as possible. Shut the blinds and turn on all the lights, so you don’t notice it getting dark.

For me, seeing it get dark in the late afternoon really triggers my SAD. As the light of the world fades, the light of my mood fades with it.

Avoiding this experience can be very helpful.

Conclusion

I hope these seven easy strategies for Seasonal Affective Disorder will help you feel a bit better in this difficult time.

Please let me know if they work for you.

And if you have any other strategies for Seasonal Affective Disorder, I’d love to know about them.

Additional Note:

I now have a Buy Me A Coffee account to accept donations.

Nobody should feel obligated to donate. But I do work very hard on Self Helping Yourself. (As well as Five Boosts, and now Rockstar Excel.)

If you find these valuable, I would love for you to show your appreciation.

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