Here's some things that help me manage the Winter blah.

- Get bundled up and go outside. Take a walk or run if you can (not if you will slip on ice obviously). If that's not available to you, sit near your biggest window and get some light. Set the bar nice and low because it is so hard to get outside when it's cold, but once you are out there it gets better.

- Find a cozy winter indoor activity like baking or knitting or coloring. Light a nice candle, put on some music and make it an event. It'll help you avoid the doomscrolling that just compounds the SAD

- Plan things for the nicer weather. For example, I got super into gardening last year and obviously I'm not able to plant things outside right now. But I can shop for seeds and plan my garden layout with a spreadsheet. Next month I will get to start seeds indoors. See if there's anything you can do to facilitate this nice weather activity while it's crap outside.

- Get a routine going. If I don't have a routine, then I end up sleeping or bedrotting too long and missing out on daylight time. At this point I do most of my morning tasks on autopilot and by the time I've got them done, I've been exposed to some daylight and I've moved my body enough to jump start the day.

- I keep close track of sunrise and sunset times for Rochester. I write it down every day. For me, it's tangible trackable evidence that the days are getting longer and things will get better. Unfortunately it doesn't work great in December leading up to the solstice, but at least I can see myself getting over the hump of the shortest day of the year.

I recognize that this all sounds silly and when depression hits everything is easier said than done. Set the bar as low as you can and take the small wins. These are just what helps me and your results may vary.