4 winter essentials that keep me less SAD

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While I've never gone to a doctor for a formal diagnosis, anytime I hear or read talk of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), I think "yep, that's me!": my favorite day of the year is whenever daylight savings time begins and I loathe the day it ends. Months of dark and cold? No, thanks. I'm tired, cranky, and utterly unproductive.



Of course, life must go on and I've had to find ways to cope. I still detest this time of year, but I think this winter has been my best yet, so I thought I'd share the remedies that have made winter more bearable for me:

• Water. This one is obvious, but when I'm depressed, I turn to tea and cola and lots of other unhealthy things which only further feed my whole cycle of bleh. I've been intentional about keeping water intake up this season which we all know has lots of benefits, especially when combined with #2:

• Lemon. I find most any citrus to be uplifting and energizing, but I especially love lemons. I prefer to cut them up fresh and throw them in my water, but if not, I turn to lemon essential oil. Besides adding it to water, the scent is so uplifting and energizing! Skinology Beauty Solutions sent me a huge 4 oz. bottle of Therapeutic Grade Lemon Essential Oil with a dropper that is super convenient. I've been using it for everything from aromatherapy and household cleaning  to the occasional scalp treatment. Ahhh.

• Vitamin D. We know I love my Arbonne and I was thrilled when they introduced a spray D+B12 vitamin a few years ago. I took it last year and didn't notice much, but this year I started taking it a month before DST and realized one dark night that I wasn't nearly as irritated as I would normally be. Plus, the B12 is a great bonus for me as a vegetarian.
• Daylight. I don't know why I never bothered with this before. I guess because I hate the cold (duh). I now force myself to go outside at lunchtime and take a walk. Even if it's 5 minutes to the end of the street and back, it's fresh air and natural light.

What do you do to keep your spirits up in the winter months?

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