Winter is coming. For some that sentence brings a smile to their face as they think of snowfall, holidays, and cozy nights by the fireplace. Others dread the slushy roads, darkness, and frigid temperatures. And for a significant portion of the population, those winter blues get in the way of their everyday functioning, a condition known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
"Five percent of the U.S. adult population suffers from full-blown SAD," psychiatrist Norman Rosenthal, M.D., shares on this episode of the mindbodygreen podcast.
Rosenthal was actually the first scientist to describe seasonal affective disorder (and develop light therapy as an effective treatment). He declares the key to combating the winter blues is to prepare during autumn—aka, right about now.
Below, find some of his top tips to prevent seasonal depression and proactively care for your mental health, no matter the time of year:
Original Article
