Seasonal Depression: The Darkest Days Are Behind Us

By late January, many of us are exhausted. Winter can be emotionally, mentally, and physically taxing. In good news, the darkest days of the year are technically behind us, but for many, kids, teens, and adults alike, seasonal depression can still feel heavy. Plus the excessively cold weather really keeping us inside isn’t helping.If winter has felt heavier than usual, you’re not alone. Simply getting through these days is a meaningful accomplishment!

Keep reading to learn about seasonal affective disorder and find small ways to lift your mood.

What Seasonal Depression Really Looks Like

Seasonal depression, sometimes referred to as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), exists on a spectrum. For some, it’s a noticeable dip in mood during the winter months, but for others, it can significantly impact daily functioning.

Common symptoms include:

• Persistent low mood or numbness

• Fatigue or low motivation

• Changes in sleep or appetite

• Increased anxiety or irritability

• Loss of interest in things that usually help

For kids and adolescents, these symptoms are often misunderstood as laziness, defiance, or lack of effort, when they are actually signs of emotional overload and nervous system fatigue.

How the Arctic Blasts Make Seasonal Depression Worse

This winter in particular has included periods of unusually cold temperatures, making it difficult to get outside, access sunlight, or rely on movement and social connection for regulation.

Being stuck indoors for extended periods can:

• Disrupt sleep-wake cycles

• Reduce physical activity

• Increase isolation

• Intensify low mood and irritability

For children and teens, limited outlets for movement and play can lead to emotional buildup, restlessness, or shutdown. For adults, it can deepen feelings of fatigue and disconnection. 

Seasonal depression is not a character flaw. It’s a response to changes in light, routine, movement, and stress. If this resonates, it’s worth pausing to acknowledge something important: you made it through the hardest stretch of the year. Even if you don’t feel better yet, endurance counts.

Gentle Ways to Support Mental Health When You’re Stuck Inside

When going outside isn’t realistic, mental health support needs to be flexible and realistic. Small, supportive changes can still make a meaningful difference.

Increase light indoors

• Open blinds early in the day

• Sit near windows when possible

• Use warm, consistent lighting instead of harsh overhead lights

Build movement into indoor spaces

• Short stretch or movement breaks

• Music and gentle movement

• Yoga, pacing, or light strength exercises

Protect routine without rigidity

• Keep wake-up and bedtime relatively consistent

• Anchor the day with one or two predictable activities

• Allow flexibility everywhere else

Support connection

• Low-pressure check-ins

• Shared activities like cooking, games, or watching something together

• For teens, even quiet parallel time (both engaging in your own activities in the same room) can be regulating

Lower expectations intentionally

• Cold weather limits capacity

• Productivity may drop and that’s not failure

• Focus on emotional regulation rather than output

When Extra Support May Be Helpful

While the days are getting long, we still have a ways to go in making before it’s Spring. Some symptoms may naturally ease as we work our way through these cold days, but others may linger or intensify.

Consider seeking additional support if you notice:

• Persistent withdrawal or isolation

• Ongoing low mood or irritability

• Significant changes in sleep or school functioning

• Increased anxiety, hopelessness, or emotional shutdown

Therapy can be particularly helpful during seasonal transitions to make things feel more manageable and normalized. 

Move Forward Gently

You don’t need to feel instantly better to acknowledge what you’ve made it through. Progress doesn’t always look like motivation or happiness. Sometimes it looks like persistence. Sometimes it looks like asking for help. You might have made it through the official darkest day of the year, but you don’t have to do the rest alone. Point Wellness is here to help support you!