Do you struggle with change in seasons? Do you question why you struggle with change in seasons? Are you unsure of how to manage the struggle throughout the colder seasons? If so, you are not alone and this resource is for you! In this blog, I’ll touch on why seasonal depression happens as well as the top 3 tips to help you manage your mood during seasonal changes.
Seasonal Depression - Why It Occurs
Specific causes to the trigger and/or onset of seasonal depression (or Seasonal Affective Disorder; SAD) is still unknown. However, it’s suspected to be influenced by:
Biological Clock/Circadian Rhythm - we all know fall and winter months come with less sunlight/daylight which may interfere with your body’s internal clock
Serotonin & Melatonin Levels - in addition, less sunlight/daylight may cause a drop in our serotonin (the chemical that affects mood) and melatonin (plays a role in mood and sleep) levels; influencing a possible spike in depression
Additional reasons I’ve seen present in my office with clients that influence seasonal mood changes are:
Change in Responsibilities - summer months, especially for those in the school system(s), tend to bring less responsibilities; allowing for more freedom. Layering on top of the reasons listed above, increasing responsibilities in the colder months may increase symptoms as well.
Management Level of Stressors - stressors tend to feel more manageable in the summer months; some may even disappear. However, most people find stressors either increase or feel less manageable in the colder months.
Seasonal Depression - Tip #1 Maintenance
As described above, spring and summer often come with a reduction in symptoms; resulting in most people dropping the routines they engaged in to help address and manage anxiety, depression, or whatever other symptoms that surface during fall and winter. Maintaining your self-care routine (whether that’s engaging in therapy or getting weekly spa treatments) is key to offsetting seasonal depression for a couple of reasons:
Keeps you at baseline - maintaining your self-care regimen or continuing therapy at a lesser frequency allows you to stay on top of coping skills and easily access them if and when symptoms begin to increase.
Accessibility to root causes - when symptoms are lower while still attending therapy, it allows us to easily (and more effectively) access the root cause to symptoms. This, in turn, gives you the opportunity to gain and implement strategies/skills/exercises to achieve long lasting effects.
Seasonal Depression - Tip #2 Structure
As mentioned above, summer tends to have less structure allowing for more freedom. That freedom is great in the moment however, it presents a challenge when we gear up for fall and winter; months that typically require us to operate from a more structured baseline. Maintaining some sort of structure throughout the summer months will give you a sense of stability throughout all seasons which will, then, lessen the shock when a change of seasons comes around.
***Keep in mind, the structure you have throughout summer can be a little more flexible than what you typically have throughout the rest of the year.
Seasonal Depression - Tip #3 Make desirable
If you aren’t the biggest fan of fall and/or winter, you may be at a higher risk for seasonal depression than someone who thrives in the cooler months. A great strategy to help you through this time is to make it desirable; give yourself something to look forward to in the fall and winter. This can look like:
Engaging in winter activities - whether it be an extreme sport like hitting the black diamond hill at a ski resort or something more laid back like snowshoeing, finding enjoyable winter activities will help make winter feel more manageable.
Carrying on seasonal traditions - with winter comes a series of holidays which may have certain traditions attached to them. While the holidays tend to stress many out, traditions are usually a joyous space for many. What traditions do you look forward to in the winter months?
Travel - keep in mind, this doesn’t have to be a big expense to somewhere warm and tropical (it certainly can be and most probably want it to be so they can escape the cold), it can be a weekend getaway to a resort with an indoor pool or at your favorite cabin.
However you’re managing fall and winter, make sure you’re doing it in a way that makes sense to you, that you enjoy, and that excites you! If you’re not sure what this looks like for you or if you need further guidance than these three tips, I’d love to connect! Click below to schedule your FREE 15 minute consultation with me and we’ll discuss your situation a bit more so I can provide you with an idea of what our time working together might look like.
Here’s to living a better life as your best self.
Brittany Squillace, MA, LMFT
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
