Coping with Mood Shifts as Daylight Fades

It happens every year: the beautiful fall colours yield to a change in the clock.  From a sleep perspective, it's a good change; the “fall behind” with an extra hour of sleep on Sunday, and we can all get behind that. However, what most of us struggle to accept is the daylight hours shortening (though we consistently say:”I can’t believe how early it gets dark!” every single year). 

During the initial weeks of the time change darkness, and throughout the dark, short days of winter, many people experience a noticeable shift in their mood and energy levels. This is common and can range from mild irritability to symptoms of depression. The reduced exposure to sunlight impacts our circadian rhythms and lowers serotonin, a brain chemical that affects mood. However, we all experience this differently, so what is a minor annoyance to some can be a debilitating concern for others. It’s not just in your head—there’s a real, physiological basis for these changes. But the good news is, there are ways to manage them, or at least improve your tolerance. Here are a few strategies I recommend:

Maximize Your Sunlight Exposure: Try to spend time outside during daylight hours, especially in the morning. Natural light helps regulate your internal clock and boosts your mood.

Prioritize Sleep and Exercise: Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule and staying active can work wonders. Exercise, in particular, boosts endorphins and can counteract the sluggishness of shorter days.

Yes, both of these suggestions seem painfully obvious, but it is easy to put these basic self-care needs on the back burner during this time of year. Scheduling your outside time (literally setting your phone or watch to remind you to take a pause and get outside) can be helpful in prioritizing this need. Planning a walk with a friend can do wonders for forcing you to commit to yourself (because you don’t want to let your friend down) and has the added bonus of increasing social connection, which can also improve your mood and force you to get out of your head.

The same goes for sleep and moving your body. Use technology for good to set reminders and goals for yourself. You can even use your family to commit to accountability partnerships, so when you are tempted to stay up and watch one more episode of your favourite show, your family can be very helpful (albeit annoying ) in reminding you of the commitment you have made to yourself to prioritize quality rest and a consistent sleep schedule (remember, you can always return the favour when they are pushing their bedtime back!).

Seek Support: If mood changes feel overwhelming, talking to a therapist can help you navigate through this seasonal shift. Although we can’t control the darkness, we can work with you to develop strategies for coping and support you in implementing a concrete, well thought out plan, designed just for you to help combat the loneliness and isolation that can so easily overtake us when we are struggling.

For those who struggle more intensely, there are other methods of treatment such as light therapy and taking vitamins to compensate for the lack of sunshine. These are out of the scope of practice for most therapists, but we can support you in seeking the help of another health professional and potentially combine the other therapies with your treatment. 

When it is all said and done, we can’t control the darkness, and we can’t control the weather. What we can do is radically accept November and plan for these dark days, by committing to ourselves and others to get through it together. And remember asking for support if it becomes too hard to manage is a sign of strength, and can really help you move toward brighter days.