It really is a difference of degree, but so is medication, at least for me. I'm on clonazepam, which was the first medication I was prescribed in July 2010 when I told my therapist I thought I had reached a plateau in terms of how much I could improve without medication.
My experience has never been that taking a benzo changes me--I am still an anxious person, and I still tend to see everything very black-and-white and be a perfectionist and worry about failure all the time. But the benzos dial it back a little, like "Oh, now I'm only spending 25% of my energy worrying rather than 40%." They definitely only make a difference in intensity, but man, I am so much more functional when my anxiety is at a lower intensity!
On the other hand, a lightbox for SAD is something that you can get your hands on without a diagnosis and without dealing with the mental health system. So it might be reasonable to try using one and see how much that helps, if you don't want to see a therapist or a psychiatrist right now.
Unsolicited advice
My experience has never been that taking a benzo changes me--I am still an anxious person, and I still tend to see everything very black-and-white and be a perfectionist and worry about failure all the time. But the benzos dial it back a little, like "Oh, now I'm only spending 25% of my energy worrying rather than 40%." They definitely only make a difference in intensity, but man, I am so much more functional when my anxiety is at a lower intensity!
On the other hand, a lightbox for SAD is something that you can get your hands on without a diagnosis and without dealing with the mental health system. So it might be reasonable to try using one and see how much that helps, if you don't want to see a therapist or a psychiatrist right now.