As the days are getting shorter and gloomier, lots of people have been complaining about feeling more anxious or depressed for no apparent reason. If you are one of those individuals, you could be suffering from SAD also called the Seasonal affective disorder, and here are simple natural things you can do to feel better and more optimistic.

1. Go see your Doctor, be it a Naturopathic Physician or a Medical Doctor, and get them to test your Vitamin D levels. Usually the medical laboratories recommends to assume that living in a temperate zone, you are Vitamin D deficient, I do recommend however its better to know how low. Based on the results, you naturopathic doctor or medical doctor will generally recommend the required dose. If you are low and are a female, it might also be a good idea to test you bone density and calcium levels. Quite often these will be effected as well.

2. Do fun things in and around the house – Just because the weather has become colder, it does not mean that your heart has to feel the same way – COLD. No, warm up your heart with different chores that you enjoy but never get around to in the summer. Here are a few examples: cleaning up the garden, one day at a time, and make sure you do it when the sun is out, this will help you body manufacture some Vitamin D as well. You can restart old projects in the house that you had a good mind to finish when you started them, and pace yourself.

3. Change your decorating theme in the house to reflect on warmer colors – light brown, taupe and beige could be very comforting with warm burgundies and maroons. Spice up your fireplace with some decorative pieces that you like – maybe a photo frame with pictures that bring back good memories. And nothing beats the smell of warm bread (you can bake healthier versions) with a warm cup of hot chocolate with lots of little marsh mellows floating in them.

4. Light therapy is available at various health stores and regular pharmacies. So for those really bad days, give yourself an extra 15 to 20 minutes. You should use them daily for about 20 – 25 minutes depending on the model. If going south is an option, make sure you take full advantage of the sunlight while you are away.

5. Your sleeping hormone melatonin also plays a role in SAD / Seasonal affective disorder, so make sure you are resting well, and getting a minimum of 7 – 8 hours of sleep a night. A small cereal snack might help you sleep better, as it releases serotonin, your feeling good hormone and also helps with Seasonal affective disorder. If you are suffering from insomnia, this will worsen feelings of sadness and depression. Ask you naturopathic doctor to test your hormonal levels to make sure this is not causing the problem.

By: Toronto Naturopath, Sushma Shah, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.