I suffer from seasonal affective disorder in the winter. Some form of winter depression is extremely common in colder climates, but for me it can get pretty severe.

One of the biggest problems I’ve faced as the days get shorter is a sudden lack of work capacity. I become unable to do tasks that seemed basic a few months earlier, and I end up having to cut some of my obligations in half.

It’s especially hard for me to maintain creativity in the winter. Personal and professional projects suffer as a result, and I feel less fulfilled as an artist.

Over the last couple of years I’ve explored solutions to this problem. While I haven’t found the perfect fix, certain lifestyle changes have made a huge impact on my productivity and creative energy. In particular, the food I eat (and avoid) determines a lot about my mood.

Yesterday my husband asked me to write out some of my goals for the winter and how I plan to reach them, especially as I enter a time of transition in my web content job. Food wound up high on the list, and I realized how much my change of diet has helped me be more productive on the shortest days of the year:

• I treat myself to animal products during meals out with friends or on special occasions, but my weekday fair is close to vegan.
• Smaller portions. After cutting back I’m certain American portion sizes weigh me down physically and creatively.
• Veggies for breakfast. Kimberly Snyder’s Glowing Green Smoothie is wonderful.
• No more coffee. That’s right, I gave up coffee for a month in September and guess what? It worked! My energy is up and afternoon crashes are a thing of the past. I haven’t looked back. Okay except that once. Twice. Every so often.
• A sunset drink. Light and dark are such a huge part of seasonal affective disorder that I’ve found it helps to mark the end of the day, which of course gets earlier as the year progresses. I have a glass of wine or mug of hot cocoa and sit for a few minutes, reminding myself that it’s about to get dark and that that’s okay. If you suffer from SAD, I highly encourage trying out this ritual for a while.
• Tea breaks. Taking a break for tea gets my tired eyes away from the computer and forces me to let work sit for a minute. I always see it fresher when I come back.
• Taking care with carbohydrates. It’s common with SAD to crave pasta and other heavy carb dishes in the winter. I love pasta; but I’m learning to eat it only occasionally and to enjoy gluten-free options, which don’t alter my mood with intense sugar lows.

If you’ve made dietary changes to boost your productivity and creative success, I would love to know your tricks!

_
(Photo by Ariel da Silva Parreira)