Many people struggle with lower moods, sadness, lack of motivation, or worse when winter time comes. The cold and gloomy days can be difficult to navigate when you are someone who feels much more energized and brightened by the sun. You might have heard about seasonal affective disorder, or are just someone who feels different during this time of year. Whether you have been diagnosed with an official disorder, or are generally struggling with your mental health, such as anxiety, depression, or more, seasonal changes can be difficult for many people. If you are an active person and enjoys the outdoors, winter time can limit some of those opportunities. It can be chillier to run or to hike, the beach is less enjoyable, the wind and snow can pierce through your jacket even if you try to get out of the house. That can be a common mindset if you are not someone eager for snow-based activities lie skiing or snowboarding. How can we cope and feel more ambivalent about this time of year? The holiday cheery and energy has subsided, gathering’s aren’t as common, some people can get lost with what to do. 

You would not be alone if you are concerned about the possible negative effects on your mental health around the winter season. Many people label this season as one of the most stressful times of the year, while some stress is unavoidable, too much stress can challenge your ability to cope.

As we begin to prepare for the holidays, this is also the time we turn back our clocks to standard time. In order to remember which way the clocks move, we’ve named it “fall back” & “spring forward.” Falling back means changing the clocks back one full hour, resulting in earlier sunsets & later sunrises. This ultimately means more darkness throughout the rest of Fall & Winter. Darkness can feel increasingly isolating & is known to exacerbate already existing mental health problems such as depression & anxiety. Changing back the clocks also negatively impacts our circadian rhythm (body clock), disrupting our sleep/wake cycle & the production of melatonin. Darkness increases the production of melatonin, thus leaving us to feel more tired, sleepy & fatigued in the winter months. In essence, sunlight is directly linked to our circadian rhythm therefore it is no surprise that when the sun goes down, we begin to get sleepy, even if it’s only 5pm!