When the dark season weighs on your mood – and when there’s more behind it
«I could sleep all day.» – «For weeks I’ve only fancied pasta and chocolate.» – «Somehow everything is grey – but it’s winter, that’s normal, isn’t it?»
Do you know thoughts like these? In January they’re widespread. The days are short, light is scarce, and many of us noticeably shift into energy-saving mode. Usually that’s harmless. Sometimes, though, there’s more behind it – and this is exactly the difference worth knowing.
1. Winter blues: the perfectly normal dip in mood
The winter blues is not a medical term but an everyday description: you’re a bit more tired, less motivated, more inclined to withdraw. Unpleasant – but your life keeps working. You go to work, meet friends, get through your day, even if everything takes a bit more of a run-up.
Important: not everyone automatically has a dip in mood in winter, and certainly not «everyone has a bit of winter depression». This trivialisation does justice to neither side – neither to those who are simply tired, nor to those who are genuinely ill.
2. Seasonal depression: more than a dip
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a recognised subtype of recurrent depression. The diagnostic criteria under DSM-5 and ICD are clearly defined:
- The symptoms begin regularly in autumn or winter.
- They improve markedly in spring.
- This pattern shows up in at least two consecutive years.
What’s interesting: seasonal depression often shows «atypical» symptoms – almost the opposite of classic depression. Instead of insomnia, a markedly increased need for sleep. Instead of loss of appetite, cravings for carbohydrates and weight gain. So anyone thinking «I sleep a lot and eat well, this can’t be depression» – that’s exactly what can mislead.
3. The rule of thumb: does your daily life still work?
A simple but helpful distinction is:
- Winter blues: You’re more tired and less motivated – but you continue to manage your daily life.
- Seasonal depression: Mood and drive are impaired to the point where work, relationships or self-care suffer noticeably.
So it’s less about the question «how do I feel?» than about «how much does it restrict me?». If you’re unsure, an honest outside view often helps – a conversation with someone you trust, or deliberate self-observation over a week or two. How to recognise early warning signs of exhaustion in general is described in the article on the burnout early warning system – many of the observation questions there help here too.
4. What you can do yourself
🟢 Use the daylight that’s there.
A walk in the morning or at lunchtime gives you considerably more light than any indoor lighting, even on overcast days. Movement outdoors combines two mood-friendly factors at once.
🟢 Light therapy – with realistic expectations.
For a diagnosed seasonal depression, light therapy is an effective treatment: 30 to 60 minutes in the morning in front of a special lamp with 2,500 to 10,000 lux. The German S3 guideline rates the evidence as moderate; six to nine out of ten people affected feel better within two to three weeks. Honesty is required about prevention: whether light therapy can prevent seasonal depression is barely researched – a Cochrane review from 2019 found only a single small study of very low quality on this. So it is not «proven preventive».
🟢 Keep your structures going.
Fixed getting-up times, regular movement, social contact – precisely when the urge to withdraw is strong, small, reliable routines are valuable.
5. When you should seek professional help
Here there are clear pointers. Seek a medical or psychotherapeutic assessment if:
- your low mood lasts longer than two weeks,
- you manage your daily life – work, relationships, self-care – markedly worse,
- the pattern repeats over several winters,
- or you have thoughts that life no longer has any meaning.
With suicidal thoughts the rule is: don’t wait. In Switzerland, Die Dargebotene Hand can be reached around the clock on 143, for young people 147, and in an emergency 144.
And this matters, because I’m writing here as a coach: coaching is not a treatment for depression. Depression belongs in medical or psychotherapeutic hands – full stop. Coaching can make sense alongside it, for instance to strengthen structures and self-care in everyday life, or preventively, before a dip becomes something more. Seeking help is not a sign of weakness but of taking responsibility for yourself – why that is, can be read in the article Why it’s okay to seek help.
Conclusion
A winter dip is human – and usually harmless. What’s decisive is the look at your ability to function: if your daily life keeps running, you may meet the winter blues with light, movement and good routines. But if the dark season noticeably throws you off course year after year, that deserves a professional assessment. You don’t have to work this out on your own.
Would you like to strengthen your energy and self-care in the dark season?
In coaching we look together at what gives you strength, which routines carry you – and where you can take good care of yourself before a dip grows larger.
Your progress is my joy.
