Are you a person who starts to feel sluggish or anxious in the oppressive summer sun and heat? Or does the darkness and lack of activity in winter send you into a deep depression? Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is often the main focus in conversations about mental health and the changing of the seasons. However, anyone who has a mental health condition may notice that their symptoms tend to get worse at a certain time of year. 

When the seasons change, you might spend a couple of weeks journaling about how you feel and what excites you about the season ahead. Then you can create a self-care plan for different aspects of wellness in your life.

In this article, we’ll talk about the effects of weather and seasonal changes on your mental health and share some tips on how to care for yourself year-round.

Year-round mental health foundations

Your mental wellness regimen should include self-care to ensure your basic needs are met and help you regulate your emotions. You should also have a support system that includes different relationships, like friends, family members and other people in your community.

For some people, exercise, relaxation techniques and quality time with loved ones may be enough to keep them feeling good most of the time. Others may need psychotherapy, medication or a combination of both. 

Consider making plans for these areas of wellness:

• Physical health — How will you lay the basic foundations of nutrition, exercise and sleep? You might make meal plans using seasonal ingredients, decide what your exercise routine will look like, and make plans with your loved ones.
• Emotions — How will you manage your emotional needs? This might include self-soothing or relaxation techniques, distress tolerance, mindfulness and boundary setting.
• Thoughts — How will you ensure that you can think clearly and perform your best? You might set limits to avoid overwhelm, plan transition activities or create a mindfulness practice.
• Behaviors — Are there any unhealthy behaviors or habits that you want to change? What healthy coping skills can you try instead?
• Relationships — How will you maintain strong connections and give and receive support?

Spring and summer mental health protection

If the conditions of summertime are challenging for you, there are practical solutions you can try:

• Create some structure by planning a daily routine for yourself. 
• Drink plenty of water and stay out of the sun as much as possible. 
• Wear protective clothing or sunscreen. 
• Make sure your bedroom is dark, quiet, and cool enough, and go to bed at a regular time. 
• Work seasonal foods into your diet, especially those that contain a lot of water, like watermelon, strawberries, grapes and oranges. 
• Eat plenty of protein and healthy fats like those in seafood and avocados. 
• Take advantage of days with nice weather and go for walks or bike rides outside. 
• On days when it’s too hot, find indoor activities like yoga to do or go swimming. 

Fall transition supports

During the busy fall season, making time for rest, relaxation and self-care is critical. Maintenance activities like meal planning, preparing food and drinking enough water are often the first to go when we’re distracted. 

However, these are also times when we need the extra energy. Here are some practical steps you can take to support your mental health in the fall:

• Make the essentials as simple as possible by stocking up on foods that are quick and easy to prepare. 
• Plan breaks in your day to get away from your desk and incorporate a mindfulness activity like deep breathing or yoga. 
• Plan a deep relaxation activity once a week so you can recharge.

Winter wellness strategies

Getting sunlight first thing in the morning during the wintertime can help you regulate your circadian rhythm and your energy level. The recommendation is 10,000 lux when you wake up for 30-45 minutes. Eating hearty seasonal foods like soups and casseroles can help keep you satisfied and healthy. Instead of empty carbs and saturated fat, choose ingredients like vegetables and lean proteins. 

Winter season depression can make you want to stay in and self-isolate. Doing some joyful movement and connecting with people can help you get some of your motivation back. Try cozy mindfulness practices like yin yoga. Some wintertime social activities might include ice skating or staying in and having a game night or crafting session.

Make your personalized seasonal self-care plan

Your mental health needs change with the seasons, just as nature does. Caring for your physical needs of nutrition, exercise and sleep helps set the stage for mental wellness. Think of this as giving your brain and your body what they need to function at their best. The resources you have and the activities you do may look different from one season to the next. Learning to adapt your self-care strategies throughout the year creates resilience against seasonal mood disruptions. 

Tracking your symptoms and becoming more aware of how you respond to these transitions is the first step toward finding relief. Once you’ve done this, you can problem-solve and create seasonal self-care plans. Ritualizing your reflection and seasonal self-care prepping just might result in some new traditions to look forward to each year.

At Lightfully, our licensed clinicians help people work through their mental health challenges and create proactive plans for sustainable self-care. The framework of thoughts, emotions, behavior, and relationships comes from our Precision Care Model (PCM). This is how we provide holistic and personalized mental health care for the whole person.

Are your seasonal mental health symptoms affecting your quality of life? We can help. Reach out to our Admissions Concierge Team today.