By Hannah Good, The Lily, October 23, 2021
A few years ago — before the pandemic — I asked my sister for a therapy lamp for Christmas, and she delivered. The thing is massive, sized somewhere between a MacBook and a toddler. Even the “low” setting is eye-wateringly bright, and oh my god does it soothe my sun-loving soul in the D.C.winter. Even if it has a placebo effect (although studies suggest light therapy actually works), the laughter alone is enough to sustain me through my least favorite season.
The lamp became a particular necessity last winter, when the pandemic felt the most bleak. Each morning for 20 minutes, my roommate and I basked in our respective lamps from opposite sides of our kitchen table. Giggling, she’d switch on her tiny light box while I flipped the supersized switch on mine, cackling about how it was time for my daily sun worship.
This year is different in many ways: I’m vaccinated, and so are my loved ones. I’m lucky to have a job I love and a support system for when things get tough. But the leaves have barely begun to turn, and I’m already wondering how I’ll get through another winter of 5 p.m. sunsets behind my laptop.
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