Light therapy?

I have been exploring different ideas to improve my motivation throughout autumn. I've had a good look at Seasonal Affective Disorder and how to cope with this. Do I have SAD? I'm not sure but it certainly seems like a good place to start.

A highly promoted treatment for SAD is to use light therapy which has set me thinking. My house is not well lit. It has small windows for the room size and at both the front and back of the property the light is blocked by other buildings and a rather large tree. It doesn't help that we have badly placed lighting that is going to be dealt with some day. This is a big contrast to our previous property that had enormous windows. I am also reluctant to turn on lights when they aren't needed. For the past two weeks I've been deliberately turning them on earlier than usual and looking back on it I'm sure it is making a difference to me.

I have also had a look at light therapy boxes but there do seem to be a lot available second hand, almost as if people buy them but don't use them for long. Whether this is due to them not working or simply not being able to get into the habit of using them I don't know but rather than waste money on one of these I have found an old 150 Watt light bulb that now follows me around the house on gloomy days, especially if I'm lacking motivation. Not exactly low energy but for now better than buying another gadget to clutter the house with. Long term we will see how it goes.

It is a strange thing to explain how the glow of the light bulb makes me instantly feel warmer, my heart is lighter and suddenly I'm ready to tackle things. I hope that this continues!

Other managing techniques are to make sure that you take plenty of exercise and to spend at least part of the day outside. All good things that I'm trying to do anyway though not always successfully.

I have a feeling that I will find autumn easier when the living areas of my house are fully decorated. This is where we spend most of our time but are the most unfinished. I've almost gone blind to the dog scratches in the door, the half painted walls that resist paint and yellowed gloss. I'm a big believer in our environment affecting how we feel and after 4 years in this house it is time to get these jobs done.

I've just realised that we are about to pass our 4 year anniversary of moving here. It really doesn't feel like we've been living in our cottage that long. We have done so much but there is still a long way to go.