ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOX) — If the cold, overcast winter days are making you feel glum, it's not unusual.
"It's a feeling like you're trapped inside," according to Connie Fischer with Mental Health America of Eastern Missouri. "It doesn't feel like you can do the things you want to do, like a walk, because it's so cold."
Seasonal Affective Disorder is a form of depression directly caused by lack of sunlight.
Fischer says definitely see a doctor if you're sleeping a lot, have low energy, have appetite changes and feeling major depression symptoms.
A lot of people, including those with SAD and those who just feel they need relief from the dreary days, find relief from special light boxes.
"You can just set it on your desk and have it facing you during these gloomy months and it might help lift you a bit," Fischer told KMOX's Debbie Monterrey.
If you get one of these boxes, just don't use it in the evenings before bedtime, because it curbs melatonin production just like your electronic screens.