Light Therapy

A practice card

Morning daylight, and sometimes a light box, is something many people use for a low mood that comes with darker months — worth trying, not guaranteed.

When

When mood and energy seem to dip specifically as the days get shorter, more than at other times of year.

What's actually happening

Light is thought to help set the body's internal clock, and getting more of it earlier in the day, especially in darker months, is something many people find useful for mood and energy. A light box is a manufactured way to get a similar kind of light when real daylight is scarce. The evidence supports a real but modest effect.

What to change

Go outside, even briefly, earlier in the day rather than later, especially on darker mornings.

If getting outside isn't possible, sit near the brightest window you have for part of the morning.

If mornings are dark for months at a time, a light box, used as its instructions describe, is worth trying.

Dim the lights in the evening, so the contrast between day and night stays clear to the body.

Talk to a doctor before using a light box, especially with bipolar disorder or an eye condition.

Where to start

roughly placed · getting outside early comes first

Pick one

Five at once is how these lists fail. Tap a number — the ones up and to the left give the most for the least.

What to expect

This helps some people some of the time, and it isn't a fix for depression on its own. Pick one of these and try it for two weeks, particularly through a stretch of short days, before judging whether it's doing anything.

choose one, and the fortnight starts

This is a teaching, not treatment. If you’re struggling, a doctor or therapist can help. If you’re in danger right now, call your local emergency number or a crisis line (in the US, call or text 988).