Hi Anika - sorry to hear you're feeling down lately. I use a light box in the winter, starting around mid November, actually. I bought a Go Lite online and it works really well. It's actually a new blue light technology and has a lot of good features. It's small, so it's very portable. It has a timer so you can set how long you want it to be on. You can change the light intensity if you don't need it on full brightness. It also has an alarm clock with a sunrise setting, mimicking the gently increasing light with a slowly increasing chime alarm. I usually sit with it for about 30 minutes in the morning, but I do have to watch for hypomania. I've used the old style traditional (read: huge and bulky) full spectrum lamps before and this one just seems more manageable and the technology is sound. You can search for "goLite Blu" online and find it if you're interested. I'm not sure how the Canadian system works, but if you get a prescription from your doctor for it, is there any chance your medical system will cover it? The US govt recognizes light boxes as tax-deductible medical expenses, as long as you have the script.

I hope you feel better soon. And try to enjoy the thrift store shopping! There's something to be said for some controlled retail therapy.