The feeling of dread when you look out the window at 5 pm to see that darkness has fallen. The extra fatigue picked up when working in the winter. Sleeping late and not having much energy in spite of it. Feeling more hopeless and worthless as the snow comes.

These are all symptoms of seasonal affective disorder, or as it is better known, seasonal depression. SAD affects more than 3 million Americans each year with varying severity. While it tends to resolve once the cold and darkness fades, the effects are real and can cause real consequences if not checked up on. There are many varied symptoms of SAD according to the Mayo Clinic, including:

• Feeling depressed nearly every day
• Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed
• Having low energy
• Having problems with sleeping
• Experiencing changes in your appetite or weight
• Feeling sluggish or agitated
• Having difficulty concentrating
• Feeling hopeless, worthless or guilty
• Having frequent thoughts of death or suicide
• Oversleeping
• Appetite changes, especially a craving for foods high in carbohydrates
• Weight gain
• Tiredness or low energy

Experiencing prolonged periods of any of these symptoms indicates that you need to contact a doctor. Seasonal depression may just be a fight for part of the year, but it brings with it the same or similar effects of clinical depression. It's the same fight, just in a different time span.

So why does SAD occur? According to Mayo, there are three main reasons:

• Your biological clock: The reduced level of sunlight in fall and winter may cause winter-onset SAD.
• Serotonin levels: Reduced sunlight can cause a drop in serotonin, a brain chemical that affects mood, that may trigger depression.
• Melatonin levels: The change from warm to cold can disrupt the balance of your body's level of melatonin, a hormone important for mood and sleep.

As someone who has been personally affected by SAD, I have experienced treatment firsthand. I have never been medicated with an antidepressant, but there are many other ways to cure and help with the symptoms of SAD:

Therapy: Yes, as simple as it sounds, regular ol' therapy is a great way to fight off the effects of SAD. Sometimes, the best medicine is a shoulder to cry on.

Vitamins and Supplements: I have a running joke with my friends about my seasonal "large dose of vitamin D". Get it? Vitamin D2 and D3 are both great for boosting melatonin.

Light Therapy: One of the biggest aspects of the seasonal onset of SAD is the shorter amount of daylight. Special lights can be purchased to boost serotonin levels and keep your circadian rhythms on track.