Don’t Get SAD This Winter With These Easy Tips

This is the time of the year a lot of people get SAD. And by SAD I mean seasonal affective disorder. It affects over 10 million Americans, including many in the Grand Valley.

When it gets cold outside and the clouds seem to be gray every day, people get the blues, feel lethargic, and act moody. The technical diagnosis for it is SAD, which stands for seasonal affective disorder and it's more common than you might think. Here are some tips to help control it.

1. The days are shorter and cloudier, so make sure you can get some sun exposure when you can. Your body needs that Vitamin D.

2. Get up and get moving. It's easy to want to lay around the house and be lazy when it's cold and gray outside. You'll feel better if you can stay motivated.

3. Build a fire. It's romantic, warm and it'll give you are reason to get close to someone special. And fires have been proven to be good stress relievers.

4. Eat healthier. We all want comfort food when it's cold outside. Chili, potato soup and shepherds pie fill us up and make us warm, but also makes us lethargic. Try and eat foods that contain omega 3 fatty acids- like fish.

5. Slow down with the booze. Let's face it, after a good night of drinking, the next day we feel lazy and unmotivated. Help yourself get up and going by not drinking so much.

Have fun this winter and don't get SAD.