Winter in Alaska isn’t just cold. It can feel like the sun barely shows up. I wake up, and it’s dark. I go to work, still dark. By the time I drive home, it’s dark again. Every winter, those long, dark days can drag me into the winter blues — grumpy mornings, sadness and low energy.
This year, I wondered: How could I feel better during Alaska’s long, dark season without a huge effort or blowing my budget?
For this Alaska Survival Kit, I talked to two experts who shared five simple strategies.
1. Turn your bedroom into a cave
Debby Maloney, a nurse practitioner at Vitae Integrative Medical Center in Anchorage, said she sees many of the same patients each year as winter begins, seeking help for symptoms of seasonal depression. She said prevention is key because it’s easy for some people to descend into the winter blues by letting small things slide…