One other thing organization does is help cut down on the unnecessary stress. The holidays can be a time of brightness in the midst of a dark winter, but only if you're not adding to your depression by feeling behind or absolutely incapable of making merry. So I start planning early-really early. Christmas-cards-ready-to-be-mailed-in-October early. It doesn't make December a breeze, but it does help.
Give yourself a break: I have a friend, a Jungian analyst, who says that he's been helped every year by thinking of it not as SAD, but as SAO. "Seasonal affective order," he calls it. Having studied American Indian culture, he found that many tribes put on moccasins this time of year because it was a time to "walk softly on the sleeping earth." That idea-that there is something intrinsically quiet and meditative about fall and winter--helps him give himself a break. And it's helped me too. We live in a go, go, go culture, but many animals and native people believe winter is a time to turn inward. So by all means, do what you need to in order to feel better, but when you're having a down day try to cut yourself some slack.
Use Technology: I've never considered myself a techy person, but when it comes to SAD-related gadgets, I'm your girl. I've got a light box, a dawn simulator, and I've been known to put all of the lights in my bedroom on an early-morning timer. A few weeks ago I broke down and bought an Apple iTouch, and now the world of Apps is open to me.
It turns out, there are some apps that may help ease me into the morning.
The popular "Ambiance" app allows users to wake up to the sounds of nature. Keeping that in mind, I downloaded a few files of birdsong, and one lovely wind chime sound. Now, even if the air outside the window is subzero, I can wake up to the sound of spring.
Another new app is "BluWave"-a blue light therapy application that uses the iPhone/iTouch's LED screen to deliver light that some experts say can help regulate circadian rhythms. For $2 I'm willing to try!
What about you?
These are just a few of the things that make it easier for me to bear the long winter. What about you? Do you have any tricks-besides medication, and other well-known treatment therapies-that help you through your SAD months?
