Light box therapy is one method of addressing seasonal affective disorder at home.
By: Dean Vaglia | Metro | Published October 22, 2025
METRO DETROIT — With fall’s arrival and winter’s approach, shorter days paired with colder weather can do a number on people’s mental health.
Seasonal affective disorder is a sub-type of depression that is influenced by seasonal patterns, typically occurring in relation to the winter months. While research surrounding SAD has not been able to find a definitive cause for why it occurs, it nevertheless has been found in “millions” of people, according to Oakland University psychologist David Schwartz.
“Most of the thinking in a lot of the research seems to point to that when the days get shorter and we have less sunlight, that those affect things like the hormones in our body, as well as neurotransmitters like serotonin (and) melatonin, and that can cause changes within the brain chemistry that can affect depression,” Schwartz said. “It often can affect people who are already prone to other types of depression as well or who have other stressors going on in their life, but sometimes it can happen completely independently of that too. The one silver lining with this type of depression is that it is highly predictable, so that gives us plenty of time to prepare and know it’s coming and do a number of things that can hopefully mitigate some of its effects so that it’s not as severe.”
The effects of seasonal affective disorder can be debilitating, and one also does not need to be clinically depressed to find oneself impacted negatively by the changing of the seasons. Luckily, there are ways that have been devised to mitigate these season-induced issues that do not require medical help — though those who believe they might have seasonal affective disorder are encouraged to meet with a psychologist.
One common way of countering the seasonal darkness is to undertake light box therapy, which involves spending a prolonged amount of time around a bright light.
“(Light boxes) are actually rather inexpensive now; you can find them in the $20-$40 range,” Schwartz said. “They usually recommend 20 minutes a day or more sitting in front of that light during the winters when we’re not getting as much sunlight. Of course, anything anyone can do to get themselves outside and exposed to real sunlight is going to be helpful for that too; when we have those rare days when the sun comes out in the winter, even if it’s cold, taking a five or 10-minute walk or sitting on your balcony or porch of your apartment can do wonders.”
Redesigning spaces to take on a summer theme or feel can be a way of getting the brain into the right mood. Schwartz has worked with students where corners of dorms have been turned into little slices of summer with inflatable palm trees, light boxes and even some sand. Putting up pictures of summer scenes to remind you that the winter will eventually end helps as well.
On furthering the redecorating aspects into full interior design overhauls, Steph Morris, of interior design firm North + Birch Interior Design, says using fabrics such as linens and building cozy spaces around windows can go a long way in making the winter months livable.
“We use a lot of linens in our designs,” Morris said. “A lot of our designs are pretty timeless and linen is a classic textile that’s stood the test of time. It’s good in any season; it’s really cool and crisp in the summer yet still very cozy in the winter, and it also has a great hand that gets softer over time. There’s a relaxed feel about it because we expect linen to wrinkle and show some movement in it, but also, it’s still very classic and tailored all at the same time.”
Another recommendation from Morris is to incorporate houseplants and use more earthy tones for furniture and other elements when possible. In order to get more light into a space, Morris says to work in more accent lighting and use warmer-colored bulbs around a residence.
“That soft, ambient lighting (from accent lights) is extra cozy in the winter, so we keep the ceiling lights on a dimmer and then we really warm up the space through wall sconces and table lamps,” Morris said. “We use a warmer wattage often referred to as a ‘daylight’ light, especially in the table lamps.”
When Schwartz is working with someone who is known to be affected by seasonal affective disorder, he works with them to set up a variety of little things to help them get into a summer mood despite the season. Developing and listening to a playlist of summer music can help put the mind in brighter, warmer times. Patients with seasonal affective disorder may also be asked to incorporate as many summer behaviors and activities as possible into their daily habits.
“Some (behaviors) obviously they can’t do during the winter … but there’s a lot of things we do during the summer that we probably don’t realize we stop doing during the winter,” Schwartz said. “If we keep those same routines, it helps us keep in that mindset of looking toward the summer (and) is also just a reminder that spring is coming. We know that there’s a time limit to this.”
It’s the fact that seasonal affective disorder has a sort-of time limit in the arrival of spring that, in Schwartz’s eyes, makes it easier to manage than other forms of depression. The end is always in sight and — with enough therapy, redecorating, habit rewiring and work with professionals — the light at the tunnel’s end will be as warm as it is bright.