APPLE VALLEY, Minn. — Enter into the Minnesota Zoo's Tropics Trail where no matter the temps outside, it's 78 degrees and humid. There, you'll find lush greens and chirping birds. Many days, it's filled with families visiting with small children.
Allissa Denzer came with her mother and her daughter.
"This cuts it," Denzer said, happy about the warmth inside the conservatory. "We get to see the animals at the same time, my daughter loves looking at the animals."
Denzer said spending time with her kiddo helps her feel better about her seasonal affective disorder, and when that happens in a place where the only reminders of winter may be the shoes you're wearing, the impact is more vibrant.
"I try to go outside as much as possible because fresh air and exercise really do help, and make you feel better about not just yourself but about a lot," Denzer said. She said she also likes to be outside in the cold, too.
Other similar places — like the Meyer-Deats Conservatory at the UMN Arboretum and the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory at Como Zoo — offer escapes from wintry conditions.
The National Institute of Health identifies symptoms of seasonal affective disorder as including oversleeping, social withdrawal and feeling sluggish or agitated, especially during winter-pattern SAD.
NIH recommends light therapy, psychotherapy, antidepressants and vitamin D as possible treatments for SAD.
"My brother has a lamp actually that works really well he turns it on in the morning and it definitely helps him," Denzer said.
Denzer, who said she was diagnosed with SAD 10 years ago, added that she tries to keep perspective.
"Ever since then, I've been taking little bits of advice looking for positivity and trying to just...remain positive, basically," she said.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities in our YouTube playlist: