Greta Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 My recent thread about places that I might want to move is motivating me to ask if anyone here has successfully treated/managed their Seasonal Affective Disorder. I don't have any symptoms here in New Mexico, because it's sunny year-round. But I had SAD when I lived in upstate NY, and I was pretty miserable. There are several places that my husband would love to move to, and which I think I would really enjoy, except for the lack of sunshine. Does light therapy really work? Or anything else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Light therapy really helped my husband and we are in very cloudy west Michigan. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemom Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Light therapy has worked for me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Light therapy helps. Light therapy PLUS "something else" makes a huge difference. For most people, that "something else" is usually an activity that gets you out of doors for at least an hour or a good amount of indoor physical activity. There are many good SAD lights on the market that are effective with as little as an hour a day 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 For me, consistent light therapy, plus vitamin D, exercise, and getting outside are very helpful. Light therapy works best if you start it before you think you need it. I know that I am much more on top of things if I start it in mid-October at the latest. If I forget, then I am further into SAD and have trouble being consistent with self-care. For me, having a big dog that needs to be walked rain or shine, blizzard or fair, insures that I get outside and having the right clothing makes that bearable. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 Thank you all so much for the encouraging replies! It makes a lot of sense to me that it would work better when combined with exercise. My husband struggles with depression (not seasonal, but all the time) and he has said that his medication doesn't work well unless he exercises vigorously, and then the two seem to have a synergistic effect. Also, thank you Ellen for the tip about starting it before you think you need it. That makes sense - easier to prevent the symptoms than to treat them, right? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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