Winter Blues? Overcoming Seasonal Depression

Winter blues? You’re definitely not alone. The sun sets early, it’s cold outside, and all you want to do is curl up in the comfort of your home. But this is more than just wanting to avoid the outdoors… something is off. Your appetite has changed, you’re always tired, and you’re feeling particularly depressed. This happens almost cyclically, and once spring rolls around and the sun sets later, you find that your mood has drastically improved. If this is you, you may have seasonal affective disorder with a fall/winter onset. 

Symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder

1. Loss of interest in activities

2. Decreased energy levels

3. Difficulty concentrating

4. Feeling sad or down for most of the day

5. Feelings of hopelessness

6. Increased or decreased appetite

7. Sleeping more, but still not feeling rested

8. Sluggish movements

9. Suicidal thoughts

Why Does Seasonal Affective Disorder Happen?

Seasonal affective disorder for the fall and winter is believed to happen because of changes in your circadian rhythm, affecting your serotonin and melatonin productions. Your circadian rhythm tells your body when it’s time to awaken and when it’s time to go to sleep. When time changes, it gets thrown off. When the sun sets earlier, your body begins producing more melatonin, which increases your sleepiness and decreases the amount of energy you have. Serotonin, the neurotransmitter responsible for stabilizing your mood, simultaneously decreases, triggering depression. 

So what can you do to manage these winter blues? 

1. Go outside while it’s still light out.

   One of the biggest contributors to winter depression is the lack of sunlight we absorb. Going outside helps us feel more energized, promotes activity, and boosts our vitamin D levels, which decrease during the winter.

2. Bright-light therapy

   If going outside isn’t possible for you, you may want to consider purchasing an artificial light. Bright light therapy has been shown to shift circadian rhythm, improve serotonin levels, and significantly boost mood.

3. Stay active!

   Aerobic exercise increases endorphins, your body’s painkillers, and serotonin, your mood booster. Any exercise that gets your heart rate up such as biking, swimming, running, power-walking, etc. can be protective against depression.

4. Increase your vitamin D intake

   Contact your physician to see if you may be low on vitamin D, as it may be a major culprit in your seasonal depression. If your levels are low, you may want to eat more fatty fish or eggs, or have your doctor recommend supplements. A growing body of literature is supporting a relationship between vitamin D supplementation and depression relief.

5. Consider counseling and/or medication

   If your seasonal depression is at the point where you’re having a particularly hard time getting out of bed, you’re missing work or school, or you’re having suicidal thoughts, consider reaching out to a mental health professional for additional support.

Note: Seasonal depression can also have a spring onset, with symptoms varying slightly. This article is written specifically for seasonal depression with fall/winter onset.

Sources

1. Basso, J. C., & Suzuki, W. A. (2017). The Effects of Acute Exercise on Mood, Cognition, Neurophysiology, and Neurochemical Pathways: A Review. Brain plasticity (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 2(2), 127–152. https://doi.org/10.3233/BPL-160040

2. Menon, V., Kar, S. K., Suthar, N., & Nebhinani, N. (2020). Vitamin D and Depression: A Critical Appraisal of the Evidence and Future Directions. Indian journal of psychological medicine, 42(1), 11–21. https://doi.org/10.4103/IJPSYM.IJPSYM_160_19

3. Virk, G., Reeves, G., Rosenthal, N. E., Sher, L., & Postolache, T. T. (2009). Short exposure to light treatment improves depression scores in patients with seasonal affective disorder: A brief report. International journal on disability and human development : IJDHD, 8(3), 283–286. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.2009.8-283