<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"Cold, gray days can make for cold, gray moods. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a serious thing, often brought on by short winter days; about 4 to 6 percent of the population have it. And if you find yourself falling into the same patterns during certain times of the year&amp;#8212;feeling like your arms and legs are heavy, you&amp;#39;re super-tired, wanting to sleep all the time, unable to concentrate, avoiding going out with friends&amp;#8212;and the symptoms don&amp;#39;t ease after a few weeks, it&amp;#39;s very worth talking to an expert.\nPinterestFacebookBut anyone can get a case of the winter blahs. Here are some things you can do to get the sun shining again&amp;#8212;even if it&amp;#39;s just in your heart (aw).\nEat complex carbs: That means pushing away the refined stuff&amp;#8212;sorry, cake and cookies!&amp;#8212;and have portions of things like brown rice with veggies, a slice of whole-grain toast with a little cheese, or low-sugar granola containing oats and nuts. These kinds of carbs help your brain produce serotonin, which helps level out your mood. Plus, complex carbs keep you feeling fuller longer&amp;#8212;so there&amp;#39;s less chance of an energy crash.\nExercise: You&amp;#39;ve heard it before, now you&amp;#39;ll hear it again. Sweat sessions have been proven to reduce stress, improve sleep, and ward off feelings of anxiety and depression. Even just 20 minutes of biking, walking, dancing, or exercising in your favorite way can get those lovely endorphins moving.\nGo outside: Hey, since you&amp;#39;ve got to get out of the house to work out anyway, get the outdoors working in your favor. Exposure to natural light helps diffuse seasonal blues. Take advantage of the outside light by getting up a little earlier than usual (ergh, I know) and adjust your sleep schedule so you go to bed slightly earlier.\nMake dates&amp;#8212;and keep them: Sometimes the last thing you want to do when you&amp;#39;re feeling down is interact with other people&amp;#8212;but there&amp;#39;s good reason you should! Being with pals keeps you from feeling isolated and can even get you smiling&amp;#8212;which has health benefits all on its own.\nGet a light box: Because natural light isn&amp;#39;t always an option&amp;#8212;thank you very much, snow clouds&amp;#8212;you can get your hands on a light box, which provides 100 times the light of an indoor bulb. Turn it on, then sit next to it (without looking directly at it) and catch up on some reading, work, or email.\nSkip out on caffeine: Not only do coffee and tea have dehydrating effects, caffeinated sodas can also cause your insulin levels to spike, while making your blood sugar levels plummet. The upshot? Fatigue. Zzzz.\nAnd if you want even more tips, definitely check out the Happiness Challenge&amp;#8212;those winter blahs will be gone before you can say polar vortex.\nDo you get the blues when winter hits? How do you deal?"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.glamour.com/story/depression-tips-happy-winter-b>