Beating seasonal sadness
Sunday 22 September marked the autumnal equinox, the tipping point between autumn and winter in much of the northern hemisphere. From this point onwards, night is longer than day and temperatures begin to fall across the north of the world. In this month’s article, we’ll be looking at how seasonal changes can impact on our physical and mental wellbeing and how to mitigate some of the more difficult aspects of this, while also reporting on several surprising ways in which we can benefit from a transition to the colder and darker months.?
Seasons are different throughout the world, and move in the opposite direction depending on the hemisphere, which means that as the north of the world moves into winter, spring is already on the horizon in the southern hemisphere. Latitude also has an impact, with more temperate areas in the north and south of the world tending to have four distinct seasons which vary by temperature, while tropical areas tend to have two distinct seasons which vary by level of precipitation. The studies listed in this article are mainly drawn from Europe and North America, which means that they describe the northern hemisphere summer and winter. However, we hope that some of the insights will still be interesting to those of you living in other parts of the world.?
According to Scientific American, the American Psychiatric Association estimates that about 5% of people in the US are likely to experience seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, with many more people falling under the clinical threshold for this disorder but still describing a range of similar symptoms, such as tiredness, low mood, irregular sleeping patterns, changes in appetite, and lack of interest in everyday activities, with similar phenomena being widely reported in other parts of the temperate northern hemisphere. According to Psychology Today, these occurrences are joined by variations in our cognitive performance and even in our aesthetic preferences for colours and music.
There are a range of hypotheses for why these changes may happen, from a lack of exposure to sunlight, which is particularly marked in populations living in the extreme north of the world such as Alaska and Scandinavia, to a primal instinct for energy conservation at a time of the year when resources would historically have been scarcer at the same time as colder temperatures created extra energy demands on the body. It’s also been argued that since many species in the animal kingdom alter their behaviour as the seasons change, it stands to reason that similar impacts should be observed in humans, since we are still products of nature and our environment.
A range of social and situational factors may also impact on how we feel at certain times of the year. Many religions have at least one major holiday over the autumn and winter months, and while this can carry positive connotations of celebration and time spent with loved ones, like all holidays they also can create additional stress in the form of high expectations, potential family conflict, and pressure to spend a lot of money. Added to this is the fact that particular times of year tend to be associated with life anniversaries, so if you lost somebody in one of the winter months or underwent another type of hardship during this period, you might be consciously or unconsciously reminded of this, either on the calendar date itself or because of weather and environmental factors being similar to the time of year when the tragic event(s) happened.?
All of this makes it easy to despair about the arrival of autumn, but if you’re one of the many people who experiences at least some of the psychological side-effects of seasonal change, it’s important to remember that there are still ways of mitigating this.?
First of all, it’s important to keep up with the same healthy lifestyle habits from other times of the year, even if the cold, dark weather makes these feel less appealing. Try to get regular exercise and at least some exposure to fresh air and natural daylight during the winter months, even though this can be difficult for those of us living in parts of the world where the daylight interval is so short that we start and finish work in the dark. If you can’t get out at any point in your day, natural daylight lamps might help you out a bit.?
It’s widely understood that most people tend to eat more and also follow a worse-quality diet in the colder months, so try to follow as healthy an eating routine as possible even if this means resorting to tinned or frozen rather than fresh foods. If you struggle with tiredness or disrupted sleep, as many reportedly do in the winter, try to avoid overcompensating with too much caffeine, since this is likely to derail your sleeping patterns even more.?
Talking to other people can also help, particularly since they might be experiencing similar feelings of tiredness or lowness too, so always reach out to trusted friends, family members and colleagues if you find yourself experiencing periods of low mood, and if you are still concerned then consider speaking with a healthcare professional too.?
Finally, to end our article on a positive note, we’ll also share some of the surprising positives that research into the area of seasonal mood changes has uncovered.?
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Firstly, studies in Belgium have revealed higher levels of concentration among research participants in the colder months, which is good news if you live in a country where the academic year begins in September. This means that if you need to focus on something important, now is likely a good time to do so.?
A second benefit of the seasonal move towards winter is reportedly decreased aggression. If you’ve ever found yourself feeling more jittery or edgy in times of high ambient temperature, you’re apparently not alone, since studies cited by a report published in Perspectives on Psychological Science have mentioned unusually high temperatures as being a catalyst for everything from increased horn honking by drivers to elevated levels of collective violence and rioting. This implies that we can all benefit from the calmer atmosphere of the cooler months.?
Lastly, it’s also been reported that the northern hemisphere winter months correlate with higher levels of generosity, as reflected in charitable donations and also tipping. This has sometimes been attributed to social factors, such as the fact that many of the world’s religions have major holidays that are celebrated in December or January which leads that part of the year to be associated in many people’s minds with giving, but whatever the reason, it’s always good to have some time to be reflective and think about others.?
In any case, we hope you’ve enjoyed our round-up of some of the most widely-held hypotheses about seasonal sadness and how to deal with it. But we’d like to hear your ideas too. If you come from a part of the world that’s not covered by the research cited in our article, we’d love to hear how the different seasons affect you. And no matter where you come from, we’d be happy to read your comments as always.?
Stay mindful, and see you again for next month’s updates!?
Sources
Ian Hohm, Alexandra S. Wormley, Mark Schaller, and Michael E. W. Varnum
Research published in Perspectives on Psychological Science, Volume 19, Issue 1, January 2024
Michael E. W. Varnum
Published in Psychology Today
Michael Varnum, Ian Hohm and The Conversation US
Published in Scientific American
NHS
J. M. Eagles
Research published on Science Direct, from Medical Hypotheses, Volume 63, Issue 5, 2004