Survey: Everyone has their tips for dealing with seasonal depression. What are yours?

As we enter the final stretch of winter seasonal affective disorder – also known as seasonal depression or SAD – is back on the rise. SAD affects 5% of Americans each year but that number spikes in the Pacific Northwest to between 8% and 10%, according to estimates.

The number of people in the region who face a mild form of SAD is 30%, according to the University of Washington’s Health and Wellbeing site, with some estimates being significantly higher.

With its gray, gloomy winters, Bellingham is no stranger to SAD. From Vitamin D pills to indoor plants, seemingly everyone in town has their own tips and tricks for dealing with the dark winters. The Bellingham Public Library even offers light therapy lamps that members can check out for three weeks at a time to combat SAD.

The Herald is conducting a survey of its readers to see how they deal with season depression for a future article. What are your tricks for handling the long winters? Let us know in the survey below.

This story was originally published February 14, 2024 at 11:33 AM.