How to combat seasonal affective disorder
Uplifting products to boost your mood this winter
image House of Gucci / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
words Sophie Lou Wilson
If you suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), you might approach the winter with a sense of dread. Shorter days and less sunlight can impact our mood, energy, appetite, concentration and sex drive. It’s no wonder then that many of us often feel sluggish and sad during the colder months. If you have symptoms of depression during winter but not in summer, or if your depression worsens during winter, you might be experiencing SAD, which is possibly the most fitting acronym there ever was.
If you think you might have SAD and it’s impacting your ability to cope with daily life, you should consider seeking professional help. Your GP might recommend medication or talking therapies to improve symptoms. Light therapy is another popular treatment route. A holistic approach including Vitamin D supplements, aromatherapy, exercise and self-care activities to de-stress can also help combat symptoms.
Light therapy, which involves using a special lamp to simulate exposure to sunlight, is one of the most popular ways to treat SAD. Lumie offers a range of wake-up lights that tap into your body’s natural circadian rhythm and SAD lamps to be used 30-60 minutes a day to improve sleep, mood and energy during the winter months.
However, SAD lamps aren’t the only way to boost your mood this winter. The NHS also recommends regular exercise and managing stress levels while it’s been suggested that vitamin D supplements and essential oils can help combat symptoms as well.
Below, we’ve curated a handy toolkit from sunlight lamps to essential oil diffusers for relieving symptoms of SAD to make winter more bearable.
SAD LAMP
Halo SAD Therapy Light
£219.00
Lumie’s multifunctional light therapy lamp simulates sunlight to help boost your mood and help stop you feeling sluggish and lethargic. Use for 30-60 minutes a day throughout the winter months to positively influence your melatonin and serotonin levels to make you feel happier and more energetic.
VITAMIN D
Food-Grown Vitamin D
£12.00£15.00
In the summer months, we get Vitamin D from direct sunlight. We’re more likely to sit in the park or go for long walks when the weather’s good. In winter, however, we spend more time indoors and even when we do go outside, it’s often dark and cloudy. Public Health England recommends Vitamin D supplements to support a strong immune system and reduce systems of SAD. So, boost your mental and physical wellbeing with a dose of Wild Nutrition’s Vitamin D.
JOURNAL FOR WELLNESS
Joy wellness journal
While it’s a less direct way to combat SAD, journaling can help improve your mood, relieve stress and allow you to better understand your emotions. Daily journaling can help you understand the factors impacting your mood. If you know that you’re more prone to depression and low mood during the winter months, be kind to yourself and integrate some healthy and uplifting habits into your routine. Papier’s wellness journal lets you set intentions, track your mood and make feel-good goals so you can feel your best whatever the weather.
LISTEN TO YOUR BODY CLOCK
Sunrise Alarm
£49.99
It’s hard to find the motivation to get out of bed when it’s still dark outside, but mornings spent getting ready in dim light are a winter inevitability. Lumie’s Sunrise Alarm taps into your body’s natural circadian rhythms, simulating sunrise to help rouse you from sleep naturally.
GET ON BOARD
Keep it Local / Board
£40.00
Exercise, hobbies and socialising can all help combat SAD. Why not combine all three with HAVE A GD TRIP’s skateboard for bad skaters? Whether you’re hitting the ramps for the first time or you’re a seasoned pro, skateboarding can help you get outdoors, make new friends and feel good.
ESSENTIAL OILS
Nebulising Aromatherapy Essential Oil Diffuser Kit
£64.95£65.00
Whether you want to get a better night’s sleep, boost your energy or uplift your mood, essential oils have many therapeutic benefits. Reports suggest that some essential oils can have antidepressant benefits, but even if all they do is stimulate your senses and make your space feel cosier, Clarity Blends’ diffuser is an essential part of your winter blues toolkit.
All products are selected independently by our editors from the Woo online store, a carefully curated platform for feel good fashion, beauty, wellness and lifestyle. Discover more here.
