How Changing Seasons Can Affect Your Mood

September has arrived – and with it comes crisp fall days, crunchy orange leaves, and the beginning of a new season. With the onset of autumn, however, many of us feel what we like to call the “end of summer blues.” The days are getting shorter and we are moving toward winter, when some people experience seasonal depression.

While fall can be a beautiful season full of time spent outdoors, enjoying changing foliage, and spending time with family and friends, it can also be a stressful time of year as school and work responsibilities tend to pick up. Additionally, while spending the fall and winter holidays with family can be rejuvenating, these social situations can also lead to stress and anxiety for some.

Let’s learn a bit more about how the changing seasons can affect your mood. Plus, we’ll explore some tips to ensure you are taking care of yourself and giving yourself grace in this time of change and new routines.

What Is Seasonal Affective Disorder?

Seasonal affective disorder (often abbreviated, appropriately, as SAD) is a type of depression that is related to the changes in seasons. For people who suffer from SAD, they often see an uptick in symptoms around the same time each year. Often, symptoms of SAD start in the fall and continue into the winter months. You might be feeling fatigued, short on energy, irritable, or moody. Typically, these symptoms resolve when spring arrives and recede in the summer.

What Are the Symptoms of Seasonal Depression?

Seasonal depression – technically called seasonal affective disorder – can have a big impact on your life. That’s why it’s important to stay attuned to your physical and mental health and be on the lookout for these symptoms…

Feeling sad, down, or even listless for most of the day and almost every day
Having low energy or feeling sluggish doing everyday tasks
Oversleeping or sleeping too much
Craving carbohydrates and/or overeating, which can also lead to weight gain
Losing interest in activities you typically enjoy
Feeling hopeless, worthless, or guilty
Having trouble concentrating on routine tasks such as school or work

It is important to seek help if you need it. Licensed behavioral health professionals like our team at Triumph Behavioral Health can assist you in diagnosing and treating seasonal affective disorder. Remember, you are not in this alone. At Triumph, we care about you – and we will help you create a customized plan to support your mental health.

What Causes Seasonal Affective Disorder?

If you are struggling with the seasonal affective disorder, you are probably wondering about the causes of SAD. While the causes of seasonal affective disorder remain a bit of a mystery, scientists and behavioral health professionals do have a few hypotheses…

Your circadian rhythm may be affected by reduced levels of sunlight. In the winter months, the earth’s rotation causes fewer hours of sunlight throughout the day. This can be disruptive to your circadian rhythm, or “biological clock,” which can lead to sleep difficulties, reduced Vitamin D, and feelings of depression.
Your serotonin levels may be dropping. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter (in short, a chemical in your brain) that affects your mood. Reduced sunlight might also be causing a drop in serotonin that can trigger SAD.
Your melatonin levels may be low. Melatonin is another chemical in your body, and it plays a role in your sleep patterns and mood. Changing seasons can disrupt the balance of melatonin in your body, impacting your sleep schedule and energy levels.

Are Some People More Prone to Seasonal Depression?

Everyone experiences the change in seasons from summer to fall – but some people have a more severe reaction to this transition. There are some risk factors associated with SAD that you should be aware of. SAD is more often diagnosed in women than in men. Additionally, it occurs more frequently in younger adults than in older adults.

Here are some other risk factors to consider if you think you might have seasonal affective disorder…

Family history: If your blood relatives have seasonal affective disorder, bipolar disorder, or another type of depression, you may be more likely to experience SAD.
Major depression or bipolar disorder: If you personally are living with depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder, symptoms of these conditions may worsen seasonally.
Geographical location: If you live farther from the equator, you are more likely to experience SAD. That is because people who live far north or far south of the equator have an even more pronounced reduction in sunlight during the winter.

How Can I Fight Seasonal Affective Disorder?

While there is no one course of treatment for seasonal affective disorder, there are steps you can take to ensure that you are able to live your life to the fullest, even during the winter months.

First off, it is important to remember that it is always okay to get help. If you are feeling down, depressed, or unmotivated for days at a time, it is time to reach out. Get in touch with our team at Triumph Behavioral Health to get the support you need quickly. You do not need to simply “push through” SAD. Instead, we will work with you to learn more about you and your experiences and create an individual treatment plan that might include talk therapy, medication management, and other strategies.

There are also steps you can take at home to combat the effects of SAD. For instance, since SAD can impact your serotonin levels, engaging in activities that are known to raise serotonin can be one step in the right direction. These activities can include exercising, meditating, listening to your favorite music, spending time outdoors, and so much more.

Additionally, it is important to eat a balanced diet, which can actually help you get more of the vitamin D that you would typically get from the sun. Fatty fish (such as tuna, salmon, mackerel, and trout) are among some of the best natural sources of vitamin D. Additionally, beef, eggs, cheese, and mushrooms also naturally supply vitamin D.

Get the Support You Need During Changing Seasons

There are many seasons of life, and we all want to be motivated and present throughout each of these chapters. When summer gives way to fall, however, it can be challenging to find motivation, and many of us experience the difficulties associated with seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. Think you might need support handling depression, exhaustion, sluggishness, or the “end-of-summer blues”? Our team at Triumph Behavioral Health is here to help.