The weather is colder, the days are shorter and many struggle to maintain a happy, healthy mindset. This time of year, during the cold, dank, dreary months of winter, seasonal affective disorder, SAD, sets in for many people, and according to Psychology Today they often suffer symptoms like extreme fatigue, difficulty concentrating, low motivation and weight gain.
 
With SAD, the lack of sunlight causes the brain to work overtime producing melatonin, the hormone that regulates your body clock and sleep patterns and a hormone that has been linked to depression. That's why all things considered, the farther north from the equator you live, the greater the risk you'll have some degree of winter depression.
 
Here are 8 ideas to get past the winter blues: