Cozy sweaters. Hot chocolate. Holidays focused on food and gifts. Waking up to a snow-covered lawn. For some people, winter is the literal best time of year. But it’s a whole different story for the SAD people. The winter months bring about colder weather and shorter days, which means seasonal depression/anxiety or (SAD) seasonal affective disorder for some people.
But did you know that there may be a link between depression and your amygdala (the brain’s emotion and fear center)? Brain scans of patients with anxiety and depression show that they may have enlarged, overactive amygdalas.
A Stanford University School of Medicine study using fMRI brain scans (functional magnetic resonance imaging) showed that anxious subjects’ amygdalas may have less connectivity to the brain region responsible for determining a stimulus’s importance. Researchers believe that this might be why people with anxiety may have difficulty discerning between mild annoyances and actual worrisome situations.
At the same time, brain imaging showed that their amygdalas appear to be more connected to the region that has control over emotions. This connection may be the reason why, if you have SAD or other forms of depression, you might feel overwhelmed over what others think are trivial things.
There are many possible causes of seasonal depression. For those who do experience it, the winter months are long and debilitating. You may feel depressed, irritable, and moody. Once springtime rolls around, you may start to come out of your depression.
Until then, however, how do you cope with seasonal depression?
What Is Seasonal Depression?
Some people experience depression at any time of the year. There are many reasons why one may become depressed. You may have chronic depression throughout the year that worsens seasonally. Or, you may feel fine for most of the year but experience depression in winter.
The term seasonal depression separates itself from general depression. There is an emphasis on the timely aspect of this depression, and it directly relates to things that happen during a specific season. While most people experience seasonal depression in the winter, it can occur during other seasons as well.
What Causes Seasonal Depression?
If you experience seasonal depression during the winter, there are a few reasons why it happens. A leading theory is that our bodies get less sunlight during the winter months. Natural sunlight is essential for our bodies and helps us produce serotonin, which regulates our moods. With a lack of serotonin, you may also feel more fatigued, irritable, and generally unhappy.
The weather also tends to get colder in the winter months, which leads to mood changes for some people. You may find it harder to go about everyday activities, like getting up and going to work.
Anyone can be affected by SAD, but you might have a higher risk if you have a family history of depression. Women may also be more prone to seasonal depression.
Symptoms of Seasonal Depression
Considering what seasonal depression is and what causes it, you can look out for potential symptoms. In winter, common symptoms include less energy, fatigue, greater appetite, weight gain, a need for more sleep, and reclusiveness or desire to be alone. If you experience seasonal depression in the summer, you may experience trouble sleeping, decreased appetite, and weight loss.
Coping With Seasonal Depression
Many people assume that there’s nothing they can do when winter creeps around and that depression is inevitable. Fortunately, this sentiment isn’t right, and seasonal depression can be treatable.
Light
Because the lack of sunlight encourages seasonal depression, your first step is to increase your light exposure. You can accomplish this by going out for more walks, sitting in a sunny room, or utilizing light therapy. There are lamps specifically designed to help with seasonal depression. By spending time in front of these lamps daily, you can help your brain produce serotonin and regulate your mood.
Self-Care
You may also find that self-care is a suitable treatment for seasonal depression. Many people turn to physical exercise in the winter months, which may help fight back against their depression. Exercise is proven to help with depression in general, and when it comes to seasonal depression, it may also be beneficial.
By increasing your exercise routine in the winter, you are getting outside more often, moving your body, and increasing serotonin production. Though physical exercise can’t cure any mental illness, it is a natural way to help curb the effects.
Therapy
Finally, you may want to try talk therapy to cope with seasonal depression. Though your depression is likely to improve once winter is over, it doesn’t make these months easier to get through. Your therapist can help you understand the symptoms of seasonal depression and offer advice to get through the worst of it.
Many people think they have to stick it out and wait for winter to end. You don’t have to suffer through winter every year because relief may be available for your seasonal depression. Take the first step towards combating your depression and feeling better during the winter months.
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Prospect Therapy is a queer + trans affirming therapy practice based in Long Beach, CA, with a focus on mental health for first-generation, immigrant, and bicultural communities. We continue to provide online therapy for a variety of mental wellness and relationship concerns to clients throughout the state of California. Learn more about how we bring lived experience to our work with people of all ages in our communities by requesting a consultation below.