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NOTE FROM SWEET GREENS: This post, Winter in May? Going Green to Beat the Winter Blues was written by Jenna. Jenna is a freelance writer who focuses on personal finance, eco-lifestyle, and health.

I know that a lot of you around the country are still dealing with winter – snow in May, no fun! Even if you don’t officially suffer from Seasonal Affect Disorder, dealing with the prolonged winter is difficult for anyone. Sure, you appreciate the break in the heat and the cooler wetter days when it first arrives but as it drags on—especially since snow in May isn’t rare anymore—it’s easy to get gloomy. It is important during the last dregs of winter that you take steps to keep your mood and your home as easy to live with as possible.

Believe it or not, one of the best ways to deal with the winter blues is to go green or “green up” your home. Seriously! Think about it for a second: going green helps improve the overall environment in your home, which can improve your mood. It also, often, helps reduce your utility costs (which tend to spike in winter as you run the heater and keep the lights on longer) which reduces stress. So what, specifically, should you do to green up your home for winter?

1. Go Green Literally

Plants are a fantastic addition to any home. They scrub the air, making it healthier to breathe. They also add moisture to the air, which is always helpful during the winter when the air—even when it’s raining—is drier than it is during the summer. Beyond that, there’s the decorative factor—bright green plants add a great decorative touch to a room. Plus, you can always go to a retailer like Willis Orchards to buy palm trees or other organic tropical plants and flowers and pretend you’re at the beach!

2. Daylight LED Bulbs

People who are diagnosed with Seasonal Affect Disorder are usually told to spend some time each day sitting in front of special “sunlight” lamps. These are lamps that are designed to replicate the light and warmth of sunlight and have proven quite effective. They can also be quite expensive. There are, however, cheaper alternatives that you can find with a little investigating. Daylight simulation LED bulbs can be bought piecemeal from most home improvement stores. These are different than sunlight lamps in that they don’t mimic the warmth of sun, just the sun’s light. Look for LED bulbs that are at least 2,000 Kelvins though 5,000 Kelvins is better. Put these bulbs in lamps around your home—it will look like the sun is shining indoors.

Note: LED bulbs are more expensive outright but they save tons of money over time and are better for the environment!

3. Air Flow

During the winter, we tend to bundle up—both our persons and our homes. We latch the windows and close the doors, trying to keep every iota of cold and dry winter air out. It’s understandable that you don’t want to pay to “heat the outdoors.” At the same time, spending copious amounts of time in a stuffy room can do just as much to sour our moods as not getting enough light. Fresh air is important! It’s amazing how we don’t notice the air flow much at all until the air around us just sits still!

There is ducting that you can install in your home to keep air flowing year round, even when the windows are closed. Or, you can simply open your windows a few times a day to let some fresh air inside. There are a couple of ways to do this: you can do this in the late morning or early afternoon when the air outside is warmest. Or, at night when you’re going to bed, you can open the windows in rooms like your kitchen or living room—rooms that won’t need to be reheated right away.

These are just three of the things that you can do to “green up” your home to help combat those winter doldrums. What are some of the things you’ve been doing?

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