COLUMBUS (WCMH) — This time of year many people struggle with the “Winter blues”. One Central Ohio woman who has been battling depression all of her life says she has found a way to heal and help others who are feeling down.

With some help from her therapist Sahar Aker came up with a technique to help her get through the dreary Winter months. She says it’s actually helping her all year long. Aker focuses on taking a picture each day of something beautiful in her surroundings. She saves all of her images on Instagram using the hashtag #IChooseBeauty. Aker says other people are now catching on to the technique.

“It just takes your focus onto something good even if it’s just for a minute. And then as you keep doing it, the more good things you notice around you, the more you realize that there are good things in life,” explained Aker.

Aker recently launched a website IChooseBeauty.org

She has started a challenge for others struggling with depression to take pictures of positive images every single day and to share them using #IChooseBeauty. Aker is on day 780 of taking pictures.