Spring Sunshine is the Best Medicine…or is it?
It’s one of the most magical times of year where our cars turn that pretty shade of pollen, we say goodbye to cold season, and we get a little more vitamin D in our diets. For some, we count down the days to daylight savings time and neurotically watch the trees for those precious little buds to pop up. But not everyone relishes this time of year and that’s completely ok! If you’ve been waiting for the SAD to drift away and are noticing some increases in anxiety or depression instead, you’re not alone. Read on, my dears,to discover 7 reasons why we may notice ourselves struggling with our mental health more now than we expected!
Increased sunlight impacts your circadian rhythm. We may love all that sunshine, but it does influence your mood and not always in a fun way. Our circadian rhythm partially influences our hormone production. If this gets out of whack, this is for sure going to have an impact on your mental health.
Increases in allergens. That lovely yellow cloud floating around these days means that your body is fighting harder just to survive. If you’ve ever suffered from allergies, you know you’re not in the best mood when your eyes are itchy and watery, your nose is running, and the misery of it all is keeping you up at night. New research shows that the inflammation in our bodies caused by allergies can have a negative impact our mental well-being.
Spring fever is a real thing! For anyone that experiences manic episodes, you may notice an increase in mania during this time of the year. The increased access to sunlight has been shown to create peaks in mania and, unfortunately, suicides. Read more about it here.
Spring represents a time for change. And oh boy do we have a lot of changes coming up! Midterms, the end of the school year and planning for summer are huge endeavors. All this pending change and activity after so much stagnation during the winter can be overwhelming.
More warmth can mean more irritation. We all know those hot, hot days increase frustration for so many. While spring is not always the hottest time of the year, some areas of the world get a decent amount of hot days back to back. After so much cold, the shift can create irritability that’s too much to handle.
Spring also represents a time for growth. But for some of us, that growth can be scary. Maybe you tried and struggled with your new year’s resolutions and you’re already down on yourself about it. Or if you’re just starting to recover from winter blues, the thought of growth and the instability and the discomfort it causes is now just another thing that may destabilize your mental well-being. Growth can be inspiring, but it’s not always pretty or easy.
Spring means an increase in social activity. For those of us that struggle with social anxiety, this is definitely not going to be a fun time of the year. We have to start planning for parties, graduations, and weddings. After the long months of fewer social commitments, this has the potential to be paralyzing.
So what can we do?
Well first and foremost, I think it’s important to know you’re not alone in feeling this way. So let’s for sure normalize this experience and understand that not everyone has to react the same way to this season. And then, let’s try some of the following:
Reach out to your therapist and/or psychiatrist now before things get too bad. If you know historically that this time of year has been hard on you, don’t feel like you have to keep suffering!
Ask for support, whether it's from friends, family, coworkers, or really anyone you’re close to. If they’re not aware you’re having a hard time, they can’t help!
Let go of expectations. Just because others seem all happy go lucky and upbeat, doesn’t mean you have to meet them there. Try instead to focus on the things you may like about this time of year, even if it’s different from those around you and and lean into those activities instead.
Get enough rest! Just because the days are longer, doesn’t necessarily mean that’s good for your body. If you recognize you’re not sleeping as much as you need, revisit your sleep schedule and make the necessary adjustments.
Try adding new things in slowly to your routine instead of jumping in all at once. Whether it's a crap ton of social commitments or making plans now for summer, focus on doing it little by little instead of having an all in mentality that can be shocking to your system.
Finally, don’t lose sight of your self-care. It may be enticing to stay up later and engage in all the things, but don’t forget how much you matter at the end of the day. If you have been loving your yoga class, don’t skip it. If your nightly reading has helped you through some dark days, don’t give it up just yet. Human beings crave and love stability, consistency, and predictability so don’t forget to keep some normalcy in your routine even with all the upcoming changes and growth on the horizon.
