Life is so unpredictable.

One moment your face is beaming with a ray of happiness and then the next day you suddenly feel weak, with low energy, and unable to accomplish anything. If you are experiencing the latter, then you are suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

Long ago, the feeling of sadness was closely associated with changing seasons. The transition from summer to winter to spring leads to mood swings. A person switches starts off their happy mood then becomes depressed and tense.

No person is immune from feeling sad, men or women, young or old, rich or poor, people will always experience sadness.

Here are five helpful tips that can help you combat sadness:

1. Soak up the morning light. Natural light occurs early in the morning between 6:00 am to 8:00 am. Walk or sit by the window between those times. Staying indoors will keep you from getting natural light. Indoor lights at home or in the office represents only about a tenth of the natural light.

2. Avoid too much alcohol or caffeine. People make the common mistake of drinking alcoholic beverages or coffee when they feel sad. While it can provide temporary relief, coffee can cause anxiety, muscle tension, or a gastrointestinal disorder. Alcohol, on the other hand, is a depressant. Alcohol can aggravate depression. As much as possible, refrain from using these drugs as a remedy for your sadness or depression.

3. Get regular exercise. While experts admit that there are no concrete studies on the effectiveness of exercise on sadness, there is no harm in trying. The moment you feel depressed, you become less involved in doing things which intensifies as time wears on. With regular exercise, you keep the momentum of having happy disposition.

4. Eat lunch outside. If your lifestyle does not allow you to enjoy morning light, try to do it during your lunch break. While natural light in the morning is most effective, getting it during lunch is better than none at all.

5. Eat foods containing the amino acid trytophan. According to medical experts, people with SAD have decreased secretions of serotonin. Trytophan is a precursor of serotonin and eating food rich in this amino acid can help elevate the production of serotonin. Foods rich in trytophan include turkey, milk, and egg white.

If all else fails and you are still suffering from sadness, then it is time to seek professional help.

Try these five tips and you will no longer feel the urge to sit and pout in one corner of your room.

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