Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a common malady, especially in a place like Wisconsin, where I live and practice medicine. In Wisconsin wintertime the days are short and often overcast. This lack of light can change a person’s brain chemistry and cause them to feel depressed.

What helps?

One of the most effective treatments for SAD is light.  Believe it or not, just sitting under a special light for 30 minutes every morning can help balance out that altered brain chemistry.

While only some people experience SAD, all of us are prone to Spiritual Seasonal Affective Disorder. The darkness of pain or loss—or just the stress of everyday life–can gradually pull us down into a pit of despair or hopelessness that drains us of energy and suffocates our joy.

One of the best ways to prevent this SSAD, and to treat it when you have it, is to spend time with God at the beginning of each day. 1 John 1:5 says “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” When we spend time with Him, we are sitting under the brightest light in the world.

Are you suffering from SSAD? Or do you want to prevent it? Make a plan. And then follow the plan. Spend at least 30 minutes every morning sitting in the God’s bright presence. When you do this consistently, you will find that gradually your perspective– and your joy– is restored.

What is your favorite way to experience God’s presence in the morning?