7 Ways To Stay Happy This Winter

Friday, December 2, 2011 7 Ways To Stay Happy This Winter Your shopping list is growing ever-longer, it's getting dark earlier and earlier, a mountain of greeting cards awaits your attention and the family feuds just don't seem to stop. What's not to love about the holiday season? Despite the supposed good cheer surrounding the holidays, the end of the year is actually a stressful time for many. Some studies say that as many as 1 in 10 people in the northern states suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder or winter depression. "We certainly see dips in mood and energy levels in the winter months. There are a lot of demands on you during the holidays -- social obligations, shopping lists," says Dr. Drew Ramsey, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University and author of "The Happiness Diet." Dr. Norman Rosenthal, psychiatrist, Seasonal Affective Disorder specialist and author of the book "Winter Blues" agrees: "Many of us just can't achieve the expected level of happiness that commercials portray." But the holidays don't need to be a season of sadness. All you need is a plan -- especially one that includes exercise, healthy eating and a host of mood-boosting activities. Check out our winter happiness plan below. New Flu Strain, H3N2, Makes Health Experts Nervous Rihanna Reportedly On 24-Hour Health Watch: Can Stress Be Dangerous? Medical Breakthroughs of 2011 BLOG POSTS Rubin Naiman, Ph.D.: 10 Ways We Manage Sleeplessness That Make It Worse Given the acute distress often associated with sleeplessness, it's not surprising that so many of us respond to it with limited stop-gap, band-aid type solutions. In my practice I've found that so much of what we do to manage sleeplessness simply makes it worse. Chris Gentilviso: How I Lost 25 Pounds -- All Without Going To The Gym I've dropped a full pant size to a 34-inch waist. I'm wearing medium shirts for the first time since the Bush Sr. administration. And if I want a donut, I can still eat one. Heather Bauer, RD, CDN: Thanksgiving. One Week Later: 3 Ways To Keep Trimming Post-Turkey It's been just over a week since that gluttonous gathering we call Thanksgiving. Have you been traipsing around overwhelmed with guilt about the feasting that took place? Are your stretchy pants taking center stage in your closet this week? Rita Altman, R.N.: The Alzheimer's Generation: What We've Learned In 30 Years Reflecting on the progress we've made in diagnosing, understanding, and treating Alzheimer's the last 30 years helps us to prioritize new advances in the decades ahead.

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