Maybe you’re the person who has the first cider donut of the season circled on the calendar. Or maybe you’re quite bothered that that 5 p.m. now looks and feels more like 9 p.m. But if you’re in recovery, transitioning into autumn may be more challenging than losing a little daylight.
Your sleep, appetite, mood, and overall energy levels may feel like they’re under attack. The same goes if you’re the one supporting a loved one during their first substance-free autumn. At St. Joseph Institute in Port Matilda, we know that the colder months deserve a little extra love and care to get through, so here are four things you can do before the season gets ahead of you.
Why Autumn May Feel Harder in Recovery
Danish researchers found about 8% more depressive episodes in the month after the autumn shift to longer nights, an effect they judged too large to be chance. So, some of the negativity or heaviness that you’re feeling as the weather changes could be due in part to seasonal depression or winter-pattern seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of major depressive disorder.
While SAD sounds pretty crappy, at least that depressive cold-weather spike arrives at roughly the same point every year. That means you can prepare for it.
SAD typically runs its course over a four- to five-month period every year, according to NIMH, and it grows more common the farther north you live. And if you’re in central or northern Pennsylvania, that may mean your chances of experiencing SAD are higher.
But how does all this SAD talk enter the recovery conversation? Well, NIAAA reports that 27% to 40% of people with major depressive disorder have alcohol use disorder (AUD) at some point. So if you or a loved one struggles with alcohol, you may be particularly vulnerable to relapse when dealing with SAD.
How to Protect Your Mental Health This Autumn
Here are four tips to help you keep your chin up this winter.
Try to Squeeze Some Vitamin D in Before Noon
A study following nearly 381,000 people for more than 12 years found that about an hour of daily winter daylight correlated with lower depression risks. So even on a gray Tuesday, drinking your morning coffee on the porch, parking at the far end of the lot when you pull up to work, or going for a walk before lunch could help you weather depressive symptoms.
If you’re supporting someone in recovery, you may want to invite them to come with you when you walk your doggo, grab a latte, or exercise outdoors.
Plan for the Clock Change Before It Arrives
The first week of November is a common SAD trigger, so consciously treating it as such is smart. In the last week of October, you could book something into that first week: an extra meeting, a Sunday FaceTime with your bestie, or a counseling appointment you’ve already paid for. Your future self might be glad you made the decision when you were in a better mood.
Supportive family members can also plan to reach out in November. Scheduling breakfast, brunch, or an outdoor activity could help you check in right when it makes the most difference for SAD symptoms.
Aim for 75 Minutes of Movement a Week
A meta-analysis of 15 studies found that people who got about 150 minutes of movement a day experienced a 25% lower depression risk. Even cutting that down in half (about 75 minutes), you could lower your risk to around 18%. If spending over an hour outdoors is too chilly, we get it. But we can’t let that excuse hold you back. Indoor options are completely fair game when the weather is cold or rainy.
Keep an Eye on Yourself and Your Loved One
A slide into SAD symptoms can unfold subtly. Sleeping through the alarm, skipping the meeting, eating differently, or answering texts uncharacteristically late could all indicate a lower mood.
Even just calling out those instances to a counselor, sponsor, or family member in early November could help you find support before the dead of winter sets in. And if you’re the person noticing these changes in someone else, a direct, nonaccusatory question could help open the door to more support.
How St. Joseph Institute Supports Your Fall in Wexford
Our mental health treatment track runs cognitive-behavioral groups, mindfulness and meditation groups, and an emotional wellness group built around resilience and coping with loss. That cognitive-behavioral work can be super effective in this specific season: two winters after SAD-specific CBT treatment begins, your depressive symptoms could reduce by up to nearly 18%.
For people holding down a job through the winter season, our Wexford outpatient program offers morning and evening tracks in person or by video, with Trac9 assessments flagging early relapse risk as it develops. We also build relapse prevention plans that account for seasonal patterns, and our free alumni program keeps weekly meetings, follow-up calls, and the CaredFor app going long after treatment ends.
Whether you need support or someone in your family does, you can reach out to our admissions staff and start the conversation this week.
