Preparing Your Mental Health for Seasonal Changes into winter: from a therapist
Seasonal changes can bring about more than just fluctuations in temperature and daylight; they can significantly affect our mental and emotional well-being. From the energizing arrival of spring to the short, darker days of winter, each season brings its own challenges and opportunities for our mental health. Preparing yourself mentally for the shift into autumn and winter can help you navigate these changes with resilience and grace.
Here’s a holistic approach to help you consider your mental health as the seasons are shifting:
1. Recognize the Signs of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
For many, particularly in colder, darker months, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) can take a toll on mental health. Common symptoms include persistent low mood, fatigue, lack of motivation, and changes in sleep and appetite. If you find yourself feeling unusually down as the days get shorter, it’s important to recognize these patterns early. It’s also important to note that for many of us, we don’t notice these changes until we are further along - or “deeper” into the darker seasons. If the holidays are busy and a happy time for you, you may not notice SAD symptoms as much. As the days slow down, holidays pass, and sunlight exposure continues to become less, it’s important to consider your moods and how your body is responding. Be open and curious. Seasonal affective disorder is not a moral failing or something “wrong” with you. It’s a natural response to a seasonal shift.
How to Prepare:
Awareness is key. Track your moods across the year. Do certain months consistently bring mood changes? Knowing your patterns can help you anticipate and prepare for difficult seasons.
Consult a professional therapist. If SAD symptoms are affecting your day-to-day life, talking to a mental health counselor can help. Light therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), supplements, food support, herbs, or medications are common treatments for managing SAD.
2. Adjust Your Routine with the Season
Our bodies naturally crave different things during different seasons. Winter may call for more rest, while the vibrancy of spring or summer might inspire a more active lifestyle. Matching your routines with the season can help maintain mental balance.
How to Prepare:
Winter: Shorter days can make it challenging to stay active, so focus on indoor exercises like yoga or at-home workouts. If committing to something consistently feels difficult, commit to what you can. Maybe that means moving your body in some way most days of the week. Perhaps that means going outside for some natural sunlight. Try to set up a time to talk to people and socialize. Perhaps consider doing something new or foreign for yourself like exploring a new area of town, a new activity, or a new food prep method.
3. Harness the Power of Light
One of the most significant changes that affect mental health as the seasons shift is the amount of daylight. Lack of sunlight, particularly in the fall and winter months, can contribute to feelings of sluggishness, irritability, and depression.
How to Prepare:
Maximize natural light. Spend time outdoors in the morning or midday when sunlight is strongest. If you’re working indoors, sit near windows or use a light therapy box that mimics natural daylight. If you can get a light box for light therapy - know they are not all created equal. Get the appropriate size and educate yourself on how to increase time spent with the light box. A mental health therapist can also help guide this.
Create a cozy, well-lit space at home. Ensure your living environment feels comfortable and well-lit, especially in the evening. Warm lighting can help create a calming atmosphere.
4. Maintain Social Connections
As temperatures drop, it can be tempting to isolate ourselves indoors, particularly in the colder months. However, staying connected with friends and family is crucial for maintaining good mental health. Loneliness and social isolation can exacerbate feelings of sadness, depression, and cognitive fuzziness.
How to Prepare:
Plan social activities ahead. With seasonal changes, especially during winter, it’s easy to become a hermit. Combat this by scheduling regular meetups, phone calls, or virtual hangouts with loved ones. Take the time now to plan something at a cadence that seems approachable for you, that you can look forward to when energy might be dipping.
Join seasonal activities. Take advantage of activities that each season brings, whether it’s a winter snowboarding trip, or autumn hikes. These can offer opportunities to connect with others and lift your spirits.
5. Practice Mindfulness and Meditation
Mindfulness practices help ground us, making us more resilient to emotional turbulence caused by seasonal shifts. By being present and aware of our emotions can help prevent us from internalizing harmful narratives that there is something wrong with us for feeling down during the winter. Mindfulness and meditation helps us to see our emotions as neutral rather than ‘good’ or ‘bad’.
How to Prepare:
Daily mindfulness practice. Spend a few minutes each day focusing on your breath, body, and surroundings. This practice can help reduce stress and increase your awareness of how seasonal changes impact your mind. Practice won’t make you perfect but it will help you gain experience and strengthen the observer muscle so emotional fluctuations don’t feel so threatening.
Seasonal meditations. Tailor your meditation practices to the season. For example, in fall, meditate on themes of letting go, and in the winter rest and introspection. Consider keeping a journal or a log of what you're learning about yourself through the dark months. Review it periodically or with a trusted friend or professional.
6. Nourish Your Body with Seasonal Foods
What we eat significantly impacts our mental health, and seasonal changes often require different types of nourishment. In colder months, we may need heartier, warming foods.
How to Prepare:
Eat seasonally. Focus on incorporating seasonal produce into your diet. Root vegetables, stews, and warming spices like cinnamon and ginger are excellent choices in winter. Making small shifts to live in alignment with the season can help us not feel burdened by the changes and in harmony with them more.
Stay hydrated. Keep your water intake consistent, regardless of the season.
7. Embrace the Beauty of Change
Instead of dreading seasonal shifts, try to embrace the beauty that each season offers. Just as nature evolves, so do we. Changing your mindset about the seasons can help you approach each transition with more positivity and openness.
How to Prepare:
Create seasonal rituals. Develop small traditions to look forward to in each season. This might be decorating your home for fall, foraging, a photo diary, seasonal music playlists, seasonal cooking, or keeping a gratitude journal.
Practice gratitude. Focus on what each season brings. Autumn and winter offer us coziness and introspection. Practicing gratitude for these changes can foster a sense of appreciation and reduce feelings of dread.
Conclusion
By preparing your mental health for seasonal changes, you can minimize the negative impacts that fluctuating weather and daylight can have on your well-being. With mindfulness, proper routines, and an open mindset, you can not only cope with seasonal transitions but thrive more in every phase of the year. Remember, it’s okay to seek professional from a mental health counselor help if you need it. The changing seasons are an opportunity to realign with yourself, your environment, and your mental health. Remember that as seasons change, so do we, and the season will always change.