“For some people, certain times of the year can affect mental health. Sometimes, the change in the way sunlight hits or the temperature changes, for example, can trigger old memories,” says mental health therapist and founder of Growing Connections Counselling, Gail Herbert.
“Our brains can pick up on sensory input during intense experiences that we may not normally notice. Our bodies store the memories from those times. The "logical" prefrontal cortex may not notice, but our bodies do,” she notes.
During colder weather and shorter days, it’s common to feel more tired and sad and have difficulty concentrating or getting quality sleep. Since people leave for work in the morning in the dark, spend the whole day in an office, and leave to go home again in the dark, it affects their usual state.
If a person isn’t going outside during their lunch break, the lack of sunlight can disrupt their body’s internal clock, the balance of the body’s melatonin levels, and cause a drop in serotonin, which can trigger the so-called winter blues.
“Winter blues is a general term, not a medical diagnosis. It’s fairly common, and it’s more mild than serious. It usually clears up on its own in a fairly short amount of time,” says Dr. Matthew Rudorfer, a mental health expert at the National Institute of Health. However, when fatigue and sadness interfere with functions of daily life, it can be a sign of something more serious.
“Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), though, is different. It’s a well-defined clinical diagnosis that’s related to the shortening of daylight hours,” says Rudorfer. “It interferes with daily functioning over a significant period of time.” SAD differs from winter blues in that it follows a regular pattern as the seasons change and entails much more severe sadness, sleep, and eating issues. In essence, it’s like comparing occasional sadness with seasonal depression.
About 5% of the U.S. population experiences seasonal depression. People who are exhibiting symptoms of SAD are usually treated with light therapy, which entails looking at a lightbox for 30 or more minutes a day. Such treatment isn’t effective for everyone, so instead, specialists might prescribe antidepressants or cognitive behavioral therapy. It's a type of talk therapy where people try their best to deal with their negative thoughts and engage in new behaviors that make them feel better.
However, for most people, seasonal mood changes are temporary and can be easily combatted by introducing some lifestyle changes. Therefore, Herbert suggests “getting outside and interacting physically with your environment. This can create new associations for the time of year.” She also proposes journaling in the form of a ‘brain dump.’ “Write for a set amount of time expressing your feelings. These can be positive, negative, or mixed. Write whatever comes to mind and feel free to dispose of it after,” she says.
