“I take solace in the cold”

“I believe there’s no better time to go walking than winter. I love bracing walks that make your cheeks tingle, your heart race and leave your hair in a windswept mess.

“Whenever I’m striding out on a clear frosty morning I think back to those 30°C days in the summer when I’m so swelteringly hot I can barely move, let alone go for a walk, and I feel extremely thankful for the colder weather.”

Alex, 30

“I visualise brightness”

“In the winter months, I love to make brightness a part of my daily routine. I learnt sun salutations as a kid as my parents believed it’s important to sync your day with sunrise, so I try to get ready and prepare ahead of time, and when the sun rises, I try to do mindful meditation or yoga even if it’s just for five mins as sunlight often has a direct impact on my mood.

“On the days that it is dark and rainy, I try to do a meditation in which I visualize bright yellow light and focus on it – it’s a personal exercise I do to feel more energized.

“As an artist I also visualise it more literally – during winter I choose to use brighter colour palettes even if the subject of my art is traditionally blue. I also use a lot more sun and sunlight imagery to make up for the lack of sun.”

Sravya, 27

Seasonal affective disorder: 11 women on the techniques they use to look after their mental health during dark autumn evenings