How to deal with the change of seasons

Increasingly, over the last 5 years, when the seasons begin to change from Summer to Autumn (or Fall for you 'muricans), I notice a distinct change in my overall mood. The nights draw in, the temperature drops and rain is incessant. I feel like someone has taken my battery out, I'm low energy and begin to lose interest in things that previously gave me joy, and I struggle to climb out of bed to go to work. This collection of symptoms is termed Seasonal Affective Disorder, also known as winter depression.

It's not a surprise that I am susceptible to these issues, I have a family history of depression and my mum has always suffered badly from SAD. Having a day job makes it harder to get outside into the limited sun we are blessed with during these months and the change in clocks seems to hit like a hammer - suddenly the nights are already beginning as I log off my computer.

Low-effort coping mechanisms

I have a few low-effort coping mechanisms to help, especially in the seasonal transition period which seems to creep up on me in October:

Use a SAD lamp

I have a simple, USB-C powered SAD lamp. It's basically just a really bright light with some science behind it, it mimics the brightness of the sun, helping your body produce serotonin and melatonin. Ironically, my eyes are also sensitive to light, so I always have mine on the warmest yellow setting to offset headaches, it has few brightness settings so I can change it based on how sensitive I am that day. It's about the size of an A5 piece of paper and I have the light hooked over my monitor, I'll usually have it on for about 4 hours between 9am and 1pm.

SAD lamps should be used soon after you wake up, to help you get out of your sleepy funk, and for at least 30 minutes to get the benefits.

You can purchase them in a lot of places, and prices can vary wildly between £10 and £250. I purchased mine for £43 ($52) from Amazon in 2020.

Listen to happy music

Vibes, vibes, vibes! I get so much from music. I like to match my music with my mood, typically listening to a lot of drum and bass, electropop, synthwave, girl pop, lofi. But when I have the winter blues, I try to set my mood instead, specifically looking for happier music. Here is one I have listened to a few times this autumn:

Take vitamin D supplements

Vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin, it's something that your body produces when your bare skin is exposed to the sun, with the sun taking herself to bed early, we produce less of it and this can have knock-on effects on our health. Vit D helps your body absorb calcium which makes your bones stronger, your muscles also need it to move and your nerves need it to send messages between your brain and your body. Pretty important stuff.

I take an extra vitamin D supplement on top of my multivits during these months, it's fat-soluable so I eat it with some buttered toast.

You can get vitamin D from food as well, so make sure you're eating right.

Wear soft, warm and non-constricting clothes

As a cold-blooded human, when the sun goes in, I get cold. All I want to do is cosy up in a blanket all day on the sofa, but a girl got a job to do. So instead, I wear my blanket! Blanket jumpers are the best thing ever, please get one. I also have a hot water bottle belt (or 'wrap around hot water bottle'), intended for period pain relief, but I want to be warm all the time!

I hope some of these low-effort coping mechanisms can help you too, if you suffer the same or worse, or just want to stay warm, cosy and healthy in these sunless seasons. If you have any more tips to share on dealing with the seasons changing and seasonal mood changes, please share them. If you're having a rough time and just want to speak to someone, my email is always open fri11s@proton.me.