Sunshine, hygge and a healthy diet can all help you get through the more miserable months. Follow our guide to avoiding SAD.

Winter is coming. And while the experience probably won’t be as traumatic for most of us as it was for the characters in Game Of Thrones, the season can wreak havoc on our happiness levels, thanks to the combination of dark evenings, low temperatures and the difficulty of exercising outdoors. (Oh, and perhaps some unwise Christmas eating and drinking decisions.) No wonder the “winter blues” are so widespread – or that, for about five per cent of us, they escalate into Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a form of depression. For serious cases, it’s essential to seek medical advice. For the rest of us, here’s how to achieve a midwinter mood-boost:

We’ve evolved to slow down in winter – think of it as a low-key version of hibernating – but when that slowdown leads to unhappiness, an artificial dose of summer can do the trick. Light therapy lamps, which replicate sunlight, come in a variety of sizes. Some are as big as TVs, others are small enough to throw in your backpack – and some come in the form of “dawn simulator” alarm clocks, which brighten gradually to wake you. (Use them for no more 20–30 minutes a day, unless a doctor tells you otherwise.) A vitamin D supplement might help, too. Or just get out of the house whenever it is sunny: among other effects, light suppresses the sleep hormone melatonin, so it’ll perk you up.

When it comes to winter happiness, the people of Denmark know what they’re talking about: in January, it’s often dark for around 17 hours a day. Hence the untranslatable Danish concept of hygge, pronounced “hoo-gah”, which means some combination of cosiness, comfort and usually camaraderie. (The idea is spreading: several books on the topic are now out in English, and it was a Collins Dictionary 2016 Word of the Year.) A candlelit dinner with friends after a bracing hike is classic hygge. So is a drink beside a roaring pub fire. The point is to choose activities that make a virtue of the season, instead of trying to pretend it’s not happening. Huddling by the hearth is no fun unless it’s cold or dark outside, after all.

The hibernatory feel of winter has most of us overindulging in comfort foods, but in fact a healthier diet is a far more reliable way to keep your happiness levels high. (Dark chocolate is definitely permitted, though: it’s been shown to stimulate serotonin production, leading to a more upbeat mindset.) Yet as always when it comes to happiness, it’s equally important not to force things. Struggle too hard to eat well – or make yourself upbeat, or exercise religiously, or keep working productively – and you’ll probably just feel worse. It’s OK to slow down a little in winter; indeed, it’s even OK not to feel full of happiness all the time. We’re humans, not machines, and we go in cycles. There’ll be plenty of time for exuberance in spring. For now, hunkering down in the warmth – perhaps in the company of a glass of whisky – is officially appropriate for the season.