5 Steps to Deal with the Winter Blues (Part 2)
- January 15, 2018
- Blog
- 4 Comments
One year ago I wrote “5 Steps to Deal with the Winter Blues.” The ideas work, but over the year it was sometimes difficult to do the things that would make me feel better. I thought about getting a SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) lamp but didn’t know where to start.
Sometimes it’s as easy as a search online. I started reading Winter Blues, Fourth Edition: Everything You Need to Know to Beat Seasonal Affective Disorder, by Norman E. Rosenthal. It gave me information that helped me purchase a SAD lamp.
The current thinking is to use the lamp for periods of 15 minutes or so (up to one hour). I turn mine on in the morning and read while eating breakfast. Fifteen minutes later my timer dings and I turn off the lamp. It’s that easy.
But does it work? For me, I’d say yes. It’s not that I’m suddenly euphoric, it’s that I’m able to continue throughout my day with better feelings. Is it a placebo? Frankly, I don’t care. Whatever works to get me through the dark and cold and keeps the negativity from bleeding into my thoughts and sapping my will (without compromising my health!) is fine with me.
In case anyone is wondering, this is the model I bought:
Verilux HappyLight Liberty 10,000 LUX Light Therapy Energy Lamp
“…bleeding into my thoughts and sapping my will…”
Powerful negativity. You could use that line in a story. Just saying.
LOL Thank you! I’ll tuck that into a file and maybe it will fit into a story one day.
I agree with Marie. That’s an amazing line.
Thank you for this series.
I find my light therapy lamp quite helpful as well.
Thanks! Yeah, I can’t believe I refused to buy one for so long.