To keep from feeling SAD, try talking about it

Next Thursday will usher in the first day of winter, meaning that it’s officially time for you to enjoy some hot cocoa by a roaring fire… have fun in the snow with the grandkids… and take invigorating walks in the cold, crisp air.

For a lot of people, however, it’s also time to feel SAD.

Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, can get the best of you no matter how much you enjoy Christmas festivities or cold weather. The lack of exposure to enough sunlight can make you feel tired, trigger feelings of anxiety, and tank your serotonin levels, which can lead to depression.

While the typical treatment for SAD — sitting in front of a light box for around 30 minutes a day — is said to be the most effective way to improve symptoms, researchers at the University of Vermont claim that they’ve found a better way.

They say that it’s cheaper (since you don’t have to buy any equipment) and actually works better at keeping these wintertime blues at bay. Here’s what you need to know.

Talk is cheap (but helpful!)
You wouldn’t know it by all the skin cancer warnings you hear all the time, but sunshine is your friend.

It causes your body to produce vitamin D, activates key immune cells, and it just plain feels good! It’s that old “sunshine on my shoulder” that made John Denver so happy!

So, as the days grow shorter (in my part of the country, it’s dark before 5!) and we lose the benefits that sunshine provides, SADness starts to creep in.

It happens to around 14 million Americans — and, for many, it can be a devastating blow to functioning normally during the winter months.

As I said, light box therapy has long been considered the best way to fight SAD. But along with having to purchase one (which can run you from around $70 to over $300), you need to devote chunks of time to either just sitting in front of it or toting it around the house with you.

Instead, these Vermont researchers discovered an even more effective solution is to simply talk about it.

Now, before you dismiss that as some crazy talk from researchers with too much time on their hands, changing the way negative emotions affect you by talking about them is as a well-established psychological treatment called cognitive behavior therapy, or CBT.

The Vermont study spanned several years and some very cold, dark New England winters! The researchers gathered 177 volunteers suffering from SAD who used both CBT sessions and light box therapy.

While the light box did work, CBT worked better. Close to half who used the light box had their SAD depression return, compared to just over a quarter of those who used CBT.

As the lead researcher said, “The degree of improvement (using CBT) was substantial.”

The concept of CBT is that by being able to recognize how destructive (and often spontaneous) perceptions can influence how you react to something, you can change your mood and how you respond to a situation (or season!) — just by nipping those thoughts in the bud.

And the success of CBT isn’t just based on someone saying that they feel better — brain scans have shown that this treatment can cause subtle changes in the brain regions linked to mood regulation.

But you don’t need to sign up for expensive “talk therapy” sessions or go see a doctor to be prescribed a risky antidepressant. If you have at least one understanding friend (perhaps one who has SAD as well!), talking about it with them can help you “challenge and change” your negative responses to these short days, that may be enough to improve how you feel.

But if you do need to see a professional, CBT has been shown to be so effective for many conditions (including insomnia!) that it could very well be covered by your insurance.

Other things you can do to help include getting outside for a walk whenever possible around noon, taking a daily fish oil supplement with omega-3 fatty acids, and, of course, taking a vitamin D supplement.

Usually 2,000 IU of D will do, but it’s a very good idea to get your blood levels checked to see if you need a higher amount.

“This is one of the best ways to treat seasonal affective disorder” Charlotte Grainger, Reader’s Digest, rd.com