--- description: Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)--a type of depression most prevalent in colder, darker months--affects roughly 15 million Americans each year. We asked Dr. Norman Rosenthal, a... title: Beat Winter Blues image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Beat Winter Blues by [Alexandra Sifferlin](/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 7, 2016 11:05 AM CUT by [Alexandra Sifferlin](/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 7, 2016 11:05 AM CUT Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)–a type of depression most prevalent in colder, darker months–affects roughly 15 million Americans each year. We asked Dr. Norman Rosenthal, a SAD expert and the author of Winter Blues, for tips to thwart it. EAT SMART Foods like legumes, oats and almonds–which have a low glycemic index–will give your body a long-lasting energy boost. MAKE PLANS In addition to talking with a therapist, which has been shown to relieve SAD symptoms, making plans with friends is a great way to avoid feeling isolated. FIND LIGHT Rosenthal suggests going for a 20-minute walk early in the morning, when natural light is brightest. There are also special light-therapy boxes that can illuminate an office or a cubicle. STAY ACTIVE Several studies have found that exercise can alleviate and even prevent depression, likely in part because of the release of feel-good chemicals in the brain. –Alexandra Sifferlin ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4170781/beat-winter-blues/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4170781/beat-winter-blues/"},"headline":"Beat Winter Blues","datePublished":"2016-01-07T11:05:06.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T13:51:28.462Z","description":"Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)--a type of depression most prevalent in colder, darker months--affects roughly 15 million Americans each year. We asked Dr. Norman Rosenthal, a...","url":"https://time.com/4170781/beat-winter-blues/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alexandra Sifferlin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4170781/beat-winter-blues/","name":"Beat Winter Blues"}}]}] ```