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Get some bright light.

It’s well-known that more people feel down in the winter months, when sunlight is reduced. Light has a positive effect on mood.

In a study conducted at Northwestern University on depressed pregnant women, an hour of bright-light therapy per day improved their depression symptoms after five weeks, compared to therapy with a dimmer light. You can create your own bright-light therapy by taking a one-hour walk outside in the morning.

“Light therapy has been used to treat seasonal depression in the past,” Waller says. “We’re seeing it now successfully used to treat symptoms of nonseasonal depression.”