No matter what your faith or cultural background, as the holiday season approaches, you may notice, as many people do, that instead of feeling a sense of warm anticipation, you feel a sense of dread. The media is advertising things you can do and buy that are "guaranteed" to make your holidays more meaningful and jolly. You notice that others are bustling about on holiday errands and missions of good will. Why do you feel so bad? And what can you do about it? In this column, I will share some of the reasons that some people find that this "joyous" season falls far short of expectations, and ideas on how you can help yourself to feel better.

Short Days and Long Nights

Do you notice that as the daylight shortens through the fall and into the winter, you feel more and more sad and fatigued? You may have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning. You lack motivation and have a difficult time experiencing pleasure. Your self-esteem plummets. To make matters worse, you may crave sweets and, as you give in to these cravings, your clothes become tighter and tighter.

In recent years, the phenomenon of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is related to lack of light through the eyes, has become widely accepted as a cause of this malaise. The good news is that it is often easily relieved, sometimes quickly, and more often gradually, over a period of weeks by increasing exposure to natural and full spectrum light sources (light therapy).

What Can You Do to Help Yourself?

1. See your health care provider. If she or he does not have expertise in addressing Seasonal Affective Disorder, ask for a referral to someone that does have this expertise. Naturopathic physicians and other health care providers are often helpful sources of information on SAD.

2. Increase your exposure to natural light. Get outdoors for at least half an hour each day - more if possible - even on cloudy and stormy days. Taking a walk or getting some other kind of exercise while you are outdoors will help you feel better as well. Although window glass is said to block 50% of the light, if you must be indoors, spend your time near windows.

3. Replace fluorescent light bulbs in your home and workspace with grow lights or "full spectrum" bulbs that are available in most hardware stores. They are more expensive than regular bulbs, but well worth the expense.

4. Use a specially designed light box. Many people find that they benefit from using a specially designed light box. I have used one for years and find it is absolutely essential - well worth the initial expense. Light box options and information on how they are used can be found through an Internet search.

5. Take good care of yourself in every way. Focus on eating healthy food. Instead of eating those sweets that you crave, eat healthy meals that contain lots of fresh vegetables, including root vegetables. Limit your intake of sugar, caffeine and alcohol. Get plenty of exercise. Do things you enjoy. Arrange to spend lots of time with loving family members and friends.

Too Much To Do, Not Enough Time

As the holidays approach, your expectations of what you will do or need to do may increase. In addition, the expectations that others have of you may increase as well. For instance, there may be foods you have always been responsible for cooking, gifts you are expected to buy and decorating to do, as well as obligations in your place of worship and the community. You may also want to be part of outreach to others who are less fortunate. At some point you begin to feel totally overwhelmed. What can you do?

1. Assess the things you have planned to do over the next month or two. Write them down. Check off those that you really enjoy and that are most meaningful to you. For instance, if you always get together with your sister whom you see only once a year on a certain day, that may be very important to you. But writing holiday greeting cards may feel like an overwhelming chore. Then, stop doing those things that you don't check, the things that you least enjoy. You may want to confer with family members as you change these plans. When I first did this - stopped making holiday cookies and breads - I thought I would hear all kinds of complaints from my adult children. They barely noticed!

2. Be creative about gift giving. If gift giving is part of your holiday tradition that you want to keep, and you find the crowds, lines, and time difficult to manage, you might consider shopping through catalogues and the Internet. Your family might be willing to exchange simple handmade gifts rather the more costly and labor intensive purchased gifts. Another option would be for each family member to choose one other person they will buy a gift for, insuring that everyone receives a gift without this being a hassle for anyone. If your gift giving includes gifts for members of other families like aunts, uncles and cousins, you may want to consider one family gift, rather than individual gifts for each person.

3. Be ready when others ask you to do things. Avoid saying "yes" right away. Instead say, "I'll think about it and get back to you." Then consider carefully if this is something you really want to do before you say yes.

4. Take time to relax without feeling guilty about it. Play some music you love. Take off your shoes. Loosen your clothing. Lean back. Spend the next few minutes, or an hour or two, doing absolutely nothing. You deserve this time to yourself!

5. Check out any new physical and emotional symptoms or any that have worsened. Don't delay getting health care because you are too busy, you think these symptoms will go away after the holidays or that you just have "the holiday blues." The stress, cold and darkness of the winter season make everyone more vulnerable to illness.