These Are The Best Crystals To Help Pep Yourself Up On Long Winter Nights

The days are getting shorter and darker and the Pimm's jug is going into retirement for another year. Yep, transitioning from those sunnier months to darkness and runny noses can be grim for lots of people, so this winter, you should make sure you're prepared. If you notice a shift in mood when the days get less sunny, you could have something called seasonal affective disorder. But don't worry — it's fairly common and treatable, and there are a ton of remedies for it. And here's a new one to try. These are the best crystals for seasonal affective disorder.

I can understand your skepticism. Like, "how are these pretty looking rocks going to cure my depression?" Well, short answer — they're not. If you are feeling really down and have a continuously low mood, then that's one for the doctors, not the crystal shop. But if the winter really tends to take it out on you, and you need some revitalisation, it's not a bad shout to start looking into crystals. Since the weather's affecting your mood, it makes sense that the remedy should be something natural too, right? Right. So, let's start with the obvious. You're lacking sun, so you need bright, shiny, happy crystals.

Enter this happy little chappy — the sunstone. This guy, according to gem stone store Dragonfly Trading Co has "natural links to the sun's energy," and "is reputed to have clearing, cleansing and energising properties. It is also thought to help one to cope with and clear fears". I'll take 20, please! But crystal blogger Love And Light School also recommends The Phantom Cintrine crystals, which she says are "good when you’re in times of transition in your life," like the changing of the seasons, for instance, and they're also reputed to "help you keep track of your personal growth."

That can be difficult during the wintry months, as Love And Light School recognises: "When you’re feeling good about yourself and your accomplishments, it’s hard to let the winter blues stand in your way. However, citrine crystals with phantoms are kind of rare, but it is possible to find them." And that's true, they are pretty hard to come by, but Etsy is always a go to place for them, or you can usually find some cheaper options on Ebay.

And don't forget — you can never go wrong with a quartz. These are the big boys of the crystal world. They are, as Creations With Crystals says, the "Master Healer," and " the supreme gift of Mother Earth." That sounds like a five star Amazon review if ever I heard one. The site also says that "Wearing, carrying or meditating with a Clear Quartz crystal opens the mind and heart to higher guidance," therefore helping you to transcend your winter blues.

They also recommend amber, which should help bring in some warmth with its sunny colour alone, and Creations With Crystals says that it "transmutes negative energy of all kinds on all levels," as well as aiding "in physical self-healing, emotional healing of depression, and environmental clearing." Over on Crystal Life, they also recommend the lithium-containing Lepidolite, which apparently "helps balance mood swings and alleviate depression. It dispels negativity and overcomes insomnia."

So, if last year's weird teas and self help books didn't do the trick, then this might be the year to try crystals.