How Can You Help With Seasonal Depression in New York?

These tips can help us all deal with the worst time of the year in New York.

It's been about a full day into the first official day of the Fall season and I already want to puke and cry. I can't even begin to tell you how hard it was stomach all the "Happy Fall" posts on Facebook and how upsetting it really is to some of us. This might be a good time for me to take a social media break because I don't need to see people in a pumpkin patch posing with a giant pumpkin in a ridiculous outfit, people picking an apple with a big doofy grin on their face or the thousands upon thousands of "fall is all" hashtags. Ugh....EW.

As you can tell, I don't handle this time of year or winter well. I am for sure one of the many people who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) here in New York. There's a good amount of people who do suffer from (SAD) and the name itself really explains it all. Many people have bad symptoms of it when it gets colder like no energy, feeling sad, not feeling good in general and being extra moody and cranky. Thankfully, there are some great ways to deal with SAD and it ranges from all kinds of things.

What can you do to help with Season Affective Disorder symptoms while living in New York?

Yes...please send HELP. Here are some ways to help with SAD symptoms:

• Light Therapy-You can purchase a special light that mimics natural outdoor light and it helps change your brain chemicals. It's better to use it right in the morning so you are exposed to bright light when you are waking up
• Make your environment brighter- Open the blinds right away in the morning, try to get rid of anything that blocks sunlight and try to sit near a window at home/work
•  Vitamin D- consult with your doctor about your levels and if you are low on Vitamin D ask for some supplement suggestions
• Get enough sleep- Nobody is up to handling anything when they are sleep deprived and have no energy
• Eat a balanced diet- Eating well will provide with you with even more vitamins and minerals to combat SAD
• Increase social interaction-it may feel like you don't want to do anything, but isolation makes SAD worse. Try to do something social atleast once a week to help lift your spirits
• Exercise- It will help you relieve stress, anxiety and give a head start on the summer body
• Try to plan a trip somewhere warm in the winter- This will give you something to look forward to and give you a much needed break from the cold, even just a long weekend would help

SIDE NOTE: Please get medical help or consult a therapist if your symptoms are dangerously bad.

Hopefully these tips and suggestions help us all out. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that it's a mild fall and winter, we get more sunny and warm days and everything goes fast and we just cruise right into next summer.

SEE ALSO: SHOCKING DATA: How Seasonally Depressed Are New Yorkers?