Fall means SAD… looking for alternatives to SSRIs in alleviating depressive feelings

Question

Jennifer · Answer

sad light: I bought one when I first moved to the PNW and used it every day during the sad season and it really worked.

Jes · Answer

Choose to like the ugly days: This sounds annoying, but I truly live by it: choose to like bad weather. Tell yourself you love grey days/ rain/ snow. Every time it happens say I love this and find reasons for it to be true. Maybe it’s the way the light looks in a certain room or the tea you make on those days or the special sweater you wear. Notice the thing you love on the worst days and lean into it every time. Eventually the feeling will just be true.

even*cleveland · Answer

Cold, cold water: My favorite mood-regulator. Awful at first, but exhilarating after. If you can't get to the shores of a great lake or wild river (something about the fresh air amplifies the effect), a cold pool works well, too. The trick is immersion, which offers a magic that showers lack.

Pictured: Au Train Beach on Lake Superior, where the water is never warm.

cee · Answer

yoga with adrienne: Unfortunately. Everyone was right when they said exercise does make you feel happier, make you sleep better, etc. which is a hard lesson I find myself learning every few months when dopamine chasing (aka poor spending habits) catches up to me. And it balances out my SSRI side effects. Horrible.

Anna · Answer

Fresh OJ: Not from a carton. Get yourself the whole fruit to squeeze, maybe throw in a little ginger and lemon. Yummy and sunshiny. If you live near a good juice shop that works too.

GK · Answer

Philips SmartSleep Wake-up Light: This alarm clock has been life-changing for me. As we head into darker mornings, this alarm clock mimics the sunrise and is essential for waking me up.