Hello and welcome back to my monthly blog posts. I’m Celia, the EDI Student Librarian at IKBLC, and every month I’ll post about something related to equity, diversity, and inclusion at UBC. I hope you find the posts interesting and easy to digest in the midst of a busy term.
January’s topic is mental health management during the winter. In Vancouver’s dark and rainy season, many students find it challenging to maintain motivation, study habits, hobbies, and social activities. While we wait for the long days of summer to return, I’ve compiled UBC’s best research on managing winter blues and seasonal depression. Read on to discover practical ways to support yourself and learn where to access mental healthcare.
Please know this post is informational only and does not constitute medical advice.
What are Winter Blues and Seasonal Affective Disorder?
The Canadian Mental Health Association explains the difference between winter blues and seasonal depression. Winter blues are defined as “a wave of low emotions” that accompany winter months. They often cause people to sleep longer, withdraw from social activities, and reach for comfort foods. Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is more severe and less common— the CMHA states “about 15% of people in Canada experience the winter blues, while only about 2-3% of people in Canada experience SAD.” SAD’s severity is such that it inhibits people’s daily functioning and significantly changes how they feel emotionally and physically
According to the American Psychiatric Association, SAD symptoms can include feeling sad, changes in sleep and appetite, loss of energy, slowed thinking, and feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness. Weight gain and too much sleep are the most common symptoms.
If you feel you may have seasonal affective disorder, or for any reason would like to reach out to a mental health professional, you can access mental health care and counseling services at UBC. Certified mental health professionals will work with you to determine a mental health care plan that fits your needs.
Strategies for Managing Winter Blues
As well as seeking professional mental health care, there are a number of ways you can support yourself at home throughout the winter. I have compiled recommendations from external resources including the Mental Health Commission of Canada and University California Davis. UBC also has researchers on campus working in this area. The UBC Mood Disorders Centre, located at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, works to develop innovative care for people with mood disorders like depression, bipolar disorder, and seasonal affective disorder.
Tip 1: Get Natural Light
Taking steps to expose yourself to natural light each day can help your mood. When the sun sets early in the winter, it’s important to get sunlight while you can. One way to do this is by going for a walk or run each morning. If you aren’t able to exercise, but you have a porch or other outdoor area in your home, you can sit outdoors to absorb the light. Even sitting in front of a window where natural light enters the home will help.
You can also mimic natural light by using a light therapy lamp. These lamps emit light that our brains experience as similar to real sunlight. You can turn them on in the early evening to offset the early setting of the sun.
Tip 2: Maintain a Schedule
Another way to help is to stick to a regular schedule for the activities in your life. Go to sleep and wake up at about the same time every day. Oversleeping can worsen winter blues and seasonal depression disorder, and so you should aim to sleep a healthy and consistent amount each night.
Following routines throughout the day is also a good idea. Winter blues can make it hard to feel motivated to do things, but if your brain is used to a routine, you may be able to reduce some of the resistance you feel to starting tasks like schoolwork.
Tip 3: Stay Social
Resist the urge to isolate yourself. Now more than ever, it’s important to stay connected with friends, family, and other loved ones. Try planning a time to do something fun with people in your life and using it as something to look forward to. Additionally, you can reach out to your support network. They can offer encouragement and support if you let them know that you are struggling this time of year. They can also help keep you accountable to commitments you set for yourself, like going out to do an activity or sitting down to work at a certain time of day.
Tip 4: Be Kind to Yourself
Experiencing winter blues or seasonal affective disorder is hard. Remember to give yourself credit for everything you are doing to take care of yourself during this difficult time. Mental health difficulties are not a result of laziness, and every step you take to improve your mental health is worth celebrating. Consider brightening your day with a coffee or pastry, bouquet of flowers, new book to read, or any other small treat that you’ll enjoy. You are worthy of that extra self care, now more than ever!
Conclusion
If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading! I hope you find these tips practical and helpful as you move through this winter term. As a reminder, you can access mental health care and counseling services through these links. I am not a mental health care professional and this is not medical advice.
Here’s one more encouraging note to send you off with: As of Sunday, January 26, the sun is no longer setting before 5pm in Vancouver. Hooray!
UBC Resources
Counselling services. (n.d.). UBC Student Services. Retrieved January 27, 2025, from https://students.ubc.ca/health/counselling-services/
Mental health care at UBC. (n.d.). UBC Student Services. Retrieved January 27, 2025, from https://students.ubc.ca/health/counselling-services/mental-health-care-ubc/
Tips for SAD in a post-COVID World. (n.d.). UBC Mood Disorders Centre. Retrieved January 27, 2025, from https://sad.psychiatry.ubc.ca/tips-post-covid/
External Resources