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Seasonally SAD

A sunny winter getaway to Las Vegas and subsequent return to Toronto is what finally made the penny drop for Emmanuel Lopez.

The bouts of low mood he’d been grappling with for years always seemed to come on as the days began growing shorter in the fall, lingering all winter long. 

An estimated three per cent of Canadians live with seasonal affective disorder, a form of depression that typically occurs during the dark winter months. And another 15 per cent experience a similar seasonal pattern of low mood and other symptoms to a milder degree.

Recognize yourself, or someone you love? There are a number of things you can do that may help ease SAD symptoms, particularly if you start as soon as daylight hours begin to diminish.

To find out more, you can read this health feature I wrote for the January/February 2019 issue of Good Times: Seasonally SAD.

My heartfelt thanks go out to the interviewees who generously shared their time, stories, and expertise:

 

Image by Reimund Bertrams from Pixabay