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How the Winter Months Impact Our Mental Health

Nathan Smith1 Comment

Every winter, I write a version of this post. I wrote it last year…and the year before…and the year before. Sometimes, the post comes in November; other times, it’s not until January. But every year, without fail, the winter season starts to impact me negatively. Maybe it’s the fact that the sun sets before I’m finished with my work day. It could be that some years, the holidays are more challenging than usual. Sometimes it’s just the cold if I’m being perfectly honest. Regardless, the wintertime brings about unique challenges, something that’s worth remembering this time of year.

It took me many years to learn that for me, the winter months always hit my mental health extra hard. It was more difficult to maintain wellness, and harder to keep a positive attitude around my mental health journey. I assumed that since I had depression year-round, there’s no reason that it would be worse, right? Wrong. Not that it needs to be said on this blog, but seasonal depression is real. And it was surprising to learn that during this time of year, some symptoms of depression were triggered more often than usual.

In researching seasonal depression, I found some interesting statistics that are worth sharing. According to the American Psychiatric Association, “[a]bout 5 percent of adults in the U.S. experience Season Affective Disorder (SAD), and it typically lasts about 40 percent of the year.” They also noted that while “SAD may begin at any age…it typically starts when a person is between ages 18 and 30.”

That might not sound like a large group, but that’s tens of millions of people who experience added mental health challenges for a large portion of the calendar year. One thing I’ve learned in the many years writing this blog is how our mental health is impacted by the world around us. The winter months, and the holiday season in particular, create unique challenges that don’t exist at other times of the year. Whether you experience SAD or feel your mental health issues become exacerbated during the winter, both are equally valid and deserve to be treated as such.

There are several ways to effectively treat SAD, as well as the many other added mental health challenges of winter (which I hope to cover in a future blog post), but that’s not what I’d like my main takeaway to be today. Instead, I hope this post serves as a reminder to be kind to ourselves this time of year. We’re up against a lot, and the stress and frantic pace of this time of year can make us feel like we’re not doing enough. For some people, not doing enough equals not being enough, and I want to shut that thinking down as quickly as possible.

As we head into a busy time of year, I hope you remember to be gentle with yourself. Your mental health matters and for some people, it matters more this time of year. I’d also encourage anyone who’s struggling with their mental health to take this time to reach out to someone if they feel comfortable. This is a time of year when people connect, reconnect, and get the chance to spend time with people they don’t see as often — maybe this is your chance to share something you haven’t been able to before.

Regardless, I hope that you remember the added challenges of winter. If you need to do even more than usual to look after your mental wellness, that’s alright – I’ll be doing the same! At the end of the day, we need to do what we can to take care of ourselves, and that can change daily. And not only is that okay, but it’s invaluable to our mental health.

Now I want to hear from you! How do you take care of your mental health during the wintertime? Do you do anything you don’t normally do throughout the year?

"Wisdom comes with winters." - Oscar Wilde

Remembering The Connection Between Physical and Mental Wellness

Nathan Smith8 Comments

As someone who celebrates Christmas, this past week was a busy one. The holiday season can take its toll on us in many ways, and while I tend to shine a spotlight on mental wellness during the holidays, there are other areas of wellness that are important to remember. Sometimes I forget about the connection between my physical health and my mental health, but when I forget to take care of my wellness, my body reminds me in a major way.

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The Holidays Aren’t Easy for Everyone

Nathan Smith6 Comments

As I’ve written before, I tend to get sad during the wintertime. At this point, it’s become something to expect and prepare for more than anything else, but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating when it happens. But it’s not just the wintertime – it’s the holidays, too. Last year, I wrote that it’s okay not to be okay during this festive period, and while the sentiment remains true for this year, I also wanted to issue a gentle reminder that many people struggle with their mental health during the holiday season, and what we can do about it.

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A 2020 Holiday Message

Nathan Smith2 Comments

Earlier this week, I wrote a post about how it’s okay not to be okay, especially during the holiday season. Writing that post brought up a lot of feelings and memories of past holidays, and let me play over some of the more recent ones in my mind. I can’t remember a holiday I’ve experienced where anxiety or depression hasn’t played a role; I know they exist, but I can’t remember them. Instead, my brain will instantly remember the feelings of guilt, anxiety or shame that I felt the holiday before, and that turns individual memories into cycles of negative thoughts. Writing my latest post brought that all up again, so I’d like to respond to that with a holiday message specifically about 2020.

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Making Our Way Through the Holidays

Nathan Smith2 Comments

This is the third December that My Brain’s Not Broken has been around, so we’re now at the third time I get to write about mental health around the holidays. The first year I wrote about how mental health does not take time off for the holidays, even if you do. Last year I focused on using that quality time with friends and family to check in and see how your people are doing. Since I don’t want to get repetitive, I’d like to take a different direction, about the anxiety the holidays can bring and what you can about it.

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The Holiday Check-In

Nathan Smith5 Comments

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It’s that time of year! The holidays are here, and with it come hopes of fun times spent with family and friends. But that’s not always the case.

The holidays aren’t great for everyone. There are plenty of reasons for why this happens, but what’s important to understand is that it’s normal and that it happens to more people than you think. Whether it’s at work, at home or somewhere else, the holidays can sometimes bring out the worst in us instead of the best. Even if it’s out of our control, if we can recognize this, we’re taking the first step to getting better.

Checking in with your people

I like to check in with my family around the holidays, regardless of whether or not I see them in person. Knowing what a touchy time this can be for my own mental health, I want to make sure everyone on my team is okay. Regardless of how well you think someone is doing, it doesn’t hurt to ask around and see how your loved ones are. Even if it seems like there’s nothing wrong, ask anyway. Often times, those who are hurting the most are also the most insistent that they’re fine (aka the mantra of someone who is not fine).

If someone is upset with you for asking, there are a few ways to handle this. First, you can let them know you’re checking in on everybody, not just a select few. This might put them more at ease and not feel like they’re being targeted. Second, you can tell them you’re just doing what you think everyone needs around the holidays, which is a chance for self-reflection and contemplation. You can tell them that your asking comes from a place of love and care, and only the best intentions.

What should you say if someone’s checking in with you?

Be honest. There’s no need to try to fake your way through the holidays because everyone seems so happy. The holidays aren’t easy for everyone, and if someone such an honest question, they shouldn’t be surprised by an honest answer.

I typically have pretty great holidays with my family, but they don’t go by without at least a few loved ones asking how I’m doing. And I tell them, honestly, how I’m doing. I know they love me either way and they are there to support me. But I get how awkward it can feel to tell someone that you feel like garbage when you’re supposed to be celebrating a holiday. But after a short time that awkwardness goes away, and eventually, it just becomes like any other question you get asked.

If no one checks in with you, check in with yourself

If no one asks you how you’re doing mentally, make sure you ask yourself! It’s important not to forget about your own mental health this time of year while you’re thinking about everything else. You have just as much a right to be mentally healthy as anyone else does, and taking the time to check in with yourself is important and very underrated around the holidays. This should be a time of gratitude, happiness and thankfulness – I hope that it is that for you this holiday season.

 

Mental Illness During the Holidays

Nathan Smith3 Comments

It’s a magical time of year, isn’t it? It’s cold outside, the snow is falling (in some places) and you feel content because the holiday season is upon us. It’s a near-perfect picture. Unfortunately for some people, that feeling doesn’t come around this time of year – in fact, they could end up feeling worse.

While the holidays are a wonderful time to be among friends and family, it’s not a wonderful time for mental health. Yes, it can be healing to be among loved ones, and for a lot of us it’s a boost to be around the people we care about. But please take note – you might be on holiday, but your mental health is not.

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