Written by Reanne Checora
Autumn has officially come and with it, the world around us is getting darker with each day. Here in Canada, we take pride in our ability to survive long, cold winters, earning us a reputation for being sturdy, tough people.
But every year, with each passing day where the sun rises a little later and sets a little earlier, countless people suffer from worsening mental health issues or find themselves suddenly dealing with mental health symptoms that had not been present in the sunnier months.
This is not a weakness, it is not a personal failing, and it is not something that can be fixed by simply thinking more optimistically. The decreasing presence of sunlight throughout the day, combined with the fact that many of us work inside or will find it difficult to be outside for long periods of time mean that people will go months seeing hardly any sunlight at all.
Why Do We Struggle in the Winter?
A lack of sunlight is detrimental to us in many ways. First, sunlight provides a valuable vitamin, Vitamin D, that can cause low energy and worse immune functioning when we lack it. Second, sunlight is vital to our mental health. A lack of sunlight or time outside in general can lead to an increase of depressive symptoms and anxiety, and is strongly tied to the presence of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). SAD is a common condition in which individuals experience depressive symptoms consistently with changes in the seasons, most commonly appearing as depressive episodes that persist through the autumn and winter months and only improve during the spring and summer (although some people can experience the reverse).
Who is At Risk?
Anyone can experience low mood, increased anxiety, and other distressing symptoms in the wintertime when you are lacking exposure to sunlight. Regardless of whether you have SAD, a history of depression, or a diagnosed anxiety disorder, anyone can struggle during the darker half of the year.
That being said, there are some who are more at risk for poorer mental health at this time. Those who have a pre-existing mental health issue, those with a history of depression (regardless of whether this was seasonal or not), specifically those with SAD, and those who work indoors or have working hours that mean that they get little natural daylight anyway.
What to Watch For?
Because this can happen to you and the people you love, this blog will provide some vital information, including the symptoms to watch for in yourself and others, and tools to help you protect and maintain your mental health at this time.
Some of the main symptoms to watch for in yourself or others are:
- Feelings of helplessness or hopelessness
- Feelings of guilt or worthlessness
- Low energy
- Craving carbs (beyond normal cravings)
- Sleep issues (including falling asleep or staying asleep)
- Constant, disruptive worrying
- Non-specific worrying
- Lack of motivation or ambition
- Thoughts of self-harm
How Can We Help Ourselves?
All of this may sound very discouraging but there are ways to help yourself and others reduce these symptoms or avoid them. Below are several ways that you can protect your mental health if you experience any of these symptoms as a result of the changing of the seasons:
Maximize Your Time Outside
As much as you can, find ways to get outside while the sun is out. Even spending a few hours once a week outside in the sunshine can help protect you from seasonal-based mental health difficulties. Exposure to the sun can help you increase your Vitamin D and boost your mood.
Purchase a Sunlight Lamp
While they can be expensive and there are many lamps pretending to be helpful for seasonal depression, there are lamps that exist that can mimic natural sunlight well enough to help prevent the development or worsening of mental health symptoms due to a lack of sunlight.
They are available for purchase online, you may be able to get recommendations for a specific product from your doctor, and while it is not a perfect solution, they can be very helpful.
Routines
Part of the reason more consistent darkness can harm your mental health is because of the way that our brain is wired. Our brains (for the most part) prefer to wake up with sunlight and go to sleep when it gets dark. The issue comes when the sun rises later and disappears earlier. It can lead to us feeling tired, groggy, and cause us to have a harder time rising in the morning and going to sleep at the right times.
A routine of consistent wake-up and sleep times, alongside a consistent morning and nighttime routine to help keep you awake and energized when you should be and help you fall asleep when you should, can help keep you from feeling tired, worn out, and groggy during the winter months.
Increase Your Vitamin D and B Intake
As previously mentioned, sunlight helps produce Vitamin D which is vital for a lot of bodily functions. As such, many Canadians are Vitamin D deficient for much of the year. To help counteract this, you can increase the amount of Vitamin D you get in your diet by taking supplements or looking for foods like milk, cheese, other dairy products or even cereal that have Vitamin D already added to help you avoid the consequences of this deficiency.
Another diet-related recommendation is Vitamin B- specifically Vitamin B12. This vitamin is important not just for immune function but also for energy levels, something that can help you feel less tired or worn out during the day and help protect your mood.
Exercise
An old recommendation, but a good recommendation. Contrary to popular belief, exercise does not need to be some grueling workout that leaves you exhausted and sore. Even just walking, stretching, going for short workouts, or engaging in fun winter activities (skiing/snowboarding, skating, building a snowman, etc.), essentially anything that gets your body moving can help protect both your physical and mental health.
This is especially important during the cold, dark months when it is all too easy to spend most of your time curled up in bed or on the couch. An object in motion stays in motion so keeping yourself moving will help protect you from mental and physical sluggishness.
Socialization and Social Support
A good social support network can be just as helpful for your mental health as any of the other recommendations on this list. Those with a strong social network and those who interact with their social network for leisure (not just at work) are happier, healthier, less stressed, and less likely to struggle with severe symptoms.
Make sure you keep carving out time to see friends and family, seek support from them, and support them when they need you. All of these things make for good socialization and good social support that can protect you and others.
An Important Note
What is important to remember is that this is not an exhaustive list of what you can do to help yourself when the winter months have a negative impact on your mental health. If you have tried all of these things and nothing works for you, or you simply want more information about how to help yourself, reach out to your psychologist, therapist, or even your family doctor for more information, resources, and support.
We also recommend that you experiment a bit- find what works for you, what makes you feel happy, supported, and healthy when the dark months get you down. If you really struggle, there are always professionals, friends, and family around to help you protect and improve your mental health.