My mental health always shifts in September and I never seem to be prepared for it. As I write this, it’s only the first week of September and I have already started to notice the blah’s creeping in. The weather is still relatively good on the West Coast, but my mood has already started to shift from summer.
The Diagnosis: Why the Blah’s Confuse Me Every Year
The challenging thing is that depression does not manifest as sadness for me most of the time. The most prominent symptoms I experience are feeling:
- lethargic
- fatigued or just generally slowed down
- unmotivated and unable to concentrate
- unworthy or worthless (often as a direct result of my productivity).
As a result, I don’t initially recognize these symptoms as related to my depression. I simply feel negative about myself and my ability to perform at the level I’m used to.
By the middle of September it always clicks and my brain says, “ooh yeah this is my depression settling back in.”
The fun doesn’t stop there.
When I do finally realize this is my depression (and seasonal affective disorder (SAD)), not my personal failing, I have a hard time giving myself the space I need to manage it effectively. What I mean is rather than being gentle with myself I get annoyed that I didn’t see this coming sooner. Because if I had, I could prepare (yes this happens every year around this time) then maybe it wouldn’t be so challenging.
Sadly, I also feel guilty about burdening others. I view my needs as being greater than they can bear, so I have a hard time asking for help. (hint: it’s okay to have needs and sometimes need extra support around our mental health).
But, that is why I am writing this article. To consider: What would it look like if I did prepare?
Why September Sadness?
This year I have been thinking, why September? It doesn’t make sense that my depression would be starting to settle in yet. Particularly since the weather has been pretty good here overall. We have seen the sunshine and aren’t yet being drowned by rain. That being said, when we think about seasonal affective disorder, it may be more about the shorter days.
In the Northern Hemisphere, days begin to get shorter near the end of June. This occurs at the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. Let’s take a look at the numbers in Vancouver:
On June 21st we had 16.15 hours of daylight (5:06 am – 9:21 pm). On September 1st we had 13.24 hours of daylight (6:29 am – 7:53 pm). This is nearly a 3-hour difference.
By the end of September, we are already down to 11.4 hours of daylight (a 4.75-hour difference from June). And the shortest day being approximately 8 hours of daylight (December 21st).
In the summer sunrise is before or around 6 am, in September sunrise is between 6:30 and 7:00 am, while in December sunrise isn’t until closer to 8 am. This greatly impacts how much of that sunlight you are actually experiencing. And in September a sunset between the hours 7:00 and 8:00 pm absolutely begins to impact the number of hours you’re able to enjoy after work.
But there may be more to it than simply daylight. Although this in itself is evidence enough for me to feel better about my experience.
Back to school is a potential factor even if you’re not still in school.
If you are in school the added stress due to workload and simply the change routine can make this time of year more challenging. But for those of us who aren’t in school September still symbolizes a time of change and many of us feel a shift as we enter this new month. We see and hear all the back to school ads, people start to talk about fall, and it already feels like the end of summer even though it doesn’t technically end until the end of the month.
What Can We Do About it? How to Deal with Seasonal Affective Disorder
Before getting into tips for managing seasonal affective disorder (SAD), remember that it’s okay if your productivity drops as a result of these symptoms. It’s okay if all you managed to do today was get out of bed and feed yourself. Life is hard, especially this year, and you deserve to give yourself gentleness. Also remember that you are valuable and worthy of love regardless of how productive you are.
Tips for managing SAD:
- Routine. Maintain a regular routine that allows for structure in your day. It’s easier to follow through with activities like exercise when they’re scheduled in.
- Try to maintain a regular sleep schedule. Also, try to rise early enough that you can catch some of those beautiful sun rays during the day.
- Expose yourself to natural light shortly upon waking (even if its cloudy). Natural light helps to signal that it’s the beginning of the day and has many other healing benefits. If you can, go for a short walk outside or sit on a patio or in a green space you can also reap the benefits of nature and possibly exercise.
- Take care of your body. That not only includes regular sleep but also eating regularly and healthy as well as exercise.
- Consider using a UV SAD lamp. These types of lamps mimic sunshine and using them for thirty minutes in the morning can significantly impact a person’s symptoms of SAD.
- Consider Vitamin D supplements. Vitamin D is something we normally get from the sun and as the weather turns gray and the days get shorter many of us are in need of Vitamin D.
- Remember this too shall pass. For many of us, this is something that happens every year. So, even though it’s challenging, you know you will get through this. Your body will adjust and you will get back into using the skills that you’ve developed over the years.
Also, remember that if your symptoms are severe enough that they are preventing you from being able to get out of bed or impacting your ability to perform every day activities you may want to speak to your doctor or a mental health professional.
Dealing with SAD: What Works For Me
I do try to do all of the things listed above but it isn’t always easy, especially when feeling lethargic.
Morning Routine: Get Outside
Lately, my morning routine has consisted of what I call coffee walks to get my body moving and get light in my eyeballs. As the name suggests, literally take my coffee and walk around my neighbourhood. Sometimes it’s just to the corner and back, other days it’s thirty minutes, but every day I get outside first thing in the morning.
Fuel My Body
When I return home I try to eat (food in the morning is my biggest struggle), but if I am going to be motivated for my day I need fuel. Because I know I struggle with food, I try to make it easy for myself. I stockpile non perishable things that are quick and easy to eat like protein bars and peanut butter.
Work Mode: Preparing for Productivity
The next thing is to get into work mode. Since I am a freelance Content Creator, I make my own schedule, so the first thing I do is create my to do list. Typically, I have three running lists: project deadlines this month, weekly goals, and daily to do’s. While I have my second cup of coffee I write out my daily task list.
On days where I am struggling with motivation or task initiation, I break down my to-do’s into smaller tasks. It can also help to start small to give yourself an easy win that will help your motivation to get rolling.
Take Breaks
Taking breaks from work is critical. Our brains need a break and our eyeballs need time away from our screen. I purposely schedule in breaks and set reminders in my phone to get up from my desk. Remember to schedule both meal breaks and body breaks.
I also need to remind myself to take healthy breaks. It can be easy to spend my few minutes away from work scrolling aimlessly on social media. But this doesn’t make me feel good or give my brain what it needs. Instead, I try to focus on doing things that will fuel me. One way I do this is by keeping an easy to access menu of things to do.
Right now my menu includes:
- Go for a walk
- Dance (pick a random song from your 00s hip hop playlist)
- Have a healthy snack
- Do 10 push ups (or even just one)
- Stretch your body (two minutes of standing yoga)
- Lay on the floor and think about nothing
- Cuddle the cat
It’s also important to remember to be gentle with yourself. If you’re having a particularly challenging day it’s okay to give up on the task you’re trying to complete and try again tomorrow. It’s okay if all you did today was survive.
I have experienced September SAD for about fifty years now, It started at about age 16 and I still remember the first experience, sweet melancholy like the smell of autumn leaves. That is the nice side of it. You are the first other person I ever heard say they felt SAD in September as opposed to December to February. It hit me today (September 14th) in Alberta, but same thing occurred when living in Newfoundland or Ontario.
The mood shifts with the leaves, and the alarm that tells the chlorophyll to sleep alerts my body as well. It has helped me to understand the spousal hormonal shifts that follow the moon, even though mine follows the sun. It took me a while to understand it, as I never heard of Seasonal Affect until the 1990s, but I learned to embrace the shift from energetic athleticism to cerebral sensitivity as the yin and yang of my years.
I have been lucky. I have had the capacity to see the depression objectively as a function of my body and brain and not allow it to define me in negative terms. Mostly, at any rate. I won't deny there have been terrible times, especially in my earlier years. I have had a couple of very helpful therapists who helped me to get outside the depression and regain perspective.
Your advice is excellent! I have been using all of the tips you list above for years, and they work. Now, in retirement, I am blessed with the ability to get outdoors at the sunniest time of the day. The only thing I would add (barring Viruses and border closures) would be to plan hikingundefinedbackpacking vacations in Utah or some other sunny location for Mid to late October. Something to anticipate and a huge dose of sunshine, just when you need it most. I say Utah for the desert sunshine and spectacular scenery in their national parks,
Thank you for sharing your journey! Keep it up. I'm sure it will be a help for many!
This was so informative and relatable. As someone with bipolar disorder who also struggles with SAD, I know what it’s like to have that aha moment where you finally recognize your symptoms of depression (and then feel mad and guilty you didn’t see it coming). Self care is so important and I find a mindful moment amongst a busy day can change my mindset so much.
I'm so glad to hear I'm not alone in this experience. Though at the same time I don't want anyone else to struggle.
Recognizing it can be a huge part of getting through it. Thanks for taking the time to comment I hope you have a good day.