Mental Health Tips for Daylight Savings Time

Do you struggle during the winter months?

As the days grow shorter and the chilly winter months approach, many individuals experience a noticeable impact on their mental health. The lack of sunlight, colder temperatures, and limited outdoor activities can take a toll on our mood and overall mental health. However, there are several effective strategies to navigate through the dark winter months and manage your mental health effectively.

Here are some tips that can help:

1. Embrace natural light exposure: Maximize your exposure to natural light as much as possible. Open the curtains during daylight hours, sit near windows, and consider investing in a light therapy lamp that simulates natural sunlight. Light therapy can help regulate your circadian rhythm, boost your mood, and alleviate symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). The lights used for light therapy, known as Happy Lights or SAD lamps have become much more widely available and can be found easily at Costco or on Amazon.

2. Stay Physically Active: Engaging in regular physical activity has been proven to improve mental health. Exercise releases endorphins and helps combat stress and anxiety. One option is to embrace indoor exercise. There are so many options for indoor exercise, such as home workouts on Youtube or workout apps. Alternatively, don’t let the weather change your habits. Although walking when it is cold and cloudy may not be as enjoyable, it still provides the same mental health benefits. Bundle up and take a brisk walk outside.

3. Maintain a routine: Establish a consistent daily routine that includes regular sleep patterns and structured activities. Structure and routine can alleviate feelings of restlessness and contribute to an overall sense of stability during dark winter months. When the darker months arrive, keep as close to your typical routine as you can.
4. Prioritize self-care: Dedicate time for self-care activities that promote relaxation and stress reduction. Engage in activities you enjoy, such as reading, journaling, taking baths, or practicing mindfulness and meditation. Listening to calming music or engaging in hobbies that bring you joy can also enhance your mood and general well-being. The winter months are difficult. Bring some enjoyment to them through creating a cozy environment to read or journal in.
5. Connect with others: Social support is crucial for mental health, especially during challenging seasons. Reach out to friends, family, or support groups and schedule regular virtual meetups or phone calls. Engaging in meaningful conversations and maintaining social connections can help combat feelings of loneliness and isolation. Join a group activity one day a week to fill up your social cup and keep you busy after dark so you aren’t tempted to isolate.
6. Eat a balanced diet: Nourishing your body with nutritious foods can have a positive impact on your mental health. Take time to cook the foods you enjoy. Savour your favourite treats for enjoyment. Food not only nourishes your body, but your brain too.
7. Practice good sleep hygiene: Adequate sleep is essential for good mental health. It is very difficult to feel mentally well when you haven’t slept well. Establish a nighttime routine that promotes restful sleep, such as avoiding caffeine and screens before bed, creating a calm sleep environment, and practicing relaxation techniques like deep breathing or progressive muscle relaxation.
8. Schedule a therapy session: If the symptoms of dark winter impact your daily life significantly or persist for an extended period, consider scheduling a therapy session. We can provide support and guidance tailored to your specific needs.

Remember, managing your mental health during the dark winter months requires a proactive and well rounded approach. Implementing these tips can help alleviate symptoms of seasonal affective disorder, boost your mood, and enhance your overall well-being. With proper self-care and support, you can navigate the winter season with resilience and maintain optimal mental health.

About the Author

Dana Etherington is an Occupational Therapist, Psychotherapist and the Owner of Cedar Tree Therapy, a group psychotherapy practice located in Brooklin, Ontario. Dana uses evidence based treatment modalities to treat anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder and disorder eating.

Taylor's Pregnancy & Postpartum Story

Taylor is a summer student with Cedar Tree Therapy, currently in the Social Service Worker Program at Durham College. She graciously offered to share her story of becoming a new mother in the hopes that it may help someone. A step mom to two children and new mom to her own baby in her early 20’s, Taylor shares her thoughts on seeking out therapy, the overwhelm of motherhood, and postpartum body image struggles.

My journey as a first-time young mom is probably not very conventional. Firstly, it was completely planned with my partner with whom I had only been with for a few months at the time and secondly, I was lucky enough to have it happen so fast I didn’t even have much time to prepare mentally for the journey I was about to undertake.

Not only was I about to be a mother, but I was already playing the role of stepmom to my partner’s two children at 24 years old, “0 to 3” as I like to say! I wasn’t prepared for any of it if I’m being completely honest. All I knew was that I was going to spend the rest of my life with my partner and everything that came with it.

The hormones took me by surprise at first, being that I was the first in my family and first of all of my friends to have a baby, my mom was the only one that could give me any real advice. My moods were so unpredictable, and my anxiety became increasingly worse during the second trimester. With both my partner and I working shift work and having no set schedule with my step-children things were starting to weigh heavy on my mind. What would we do for day-care?Would we have any time left for our relationship? Our off-days with the kids will turn to on-days all the time!

Once our beautiful “ours baby” came into the world my anxiety took a back seat for a little while. Although it was the toughest thing I had ever done in my life, it was so incredibly empowering, rewarding and my favourite experience I’ve ever had with my partner. Arriving back home however, I think that’s where a lot of the anxiety starts for most new mothers. I was very lucky to have my partner, he was the primary caregiver when it came to his own children and had far more experience than most dads. He’d laugh when I’d say “Ok what do I do now!” when it was something that came like second nature to him. It seemed crazy to me that for most new parents they were just expected to take this tiny little human home with them and figure it all out as they went.

When it came to my anxiety, a lot of it stemmed from wanting to be back to my old self so quickly. I was lucky enough to be very active my entire pregnancy my partner often commented that it didn’t even seem like I was pregnant if it weren’t for the beachball on my belly. Waddling around the house in a diaper, however was not something that I had planned on. Whether it’s my age, or just on the society we live in as a whole I felt the pressures of the “snap back” culture. My belly was squashy, and instead of being proud of what my body had just done I was way too concerned with getting back to the way it was before. I was learning to breastfeed around the clock and was completely sleep deprived. There’s a saying “sleep when the baby sleeps!” but it was a little unrealistic as I had a two- and eight-year-old running around the house as well as foolishly trying to complete 6 college courses with a new-born. I was in over my head.

Although I never struggled with postpartum myself, it quickly became apparent to me why so many mothers suffer with their mental health during the months following giving birth. You wake up, someone needs you. Didn’t snap back fast enough? They’re judging you. Bath time. Dinner time. Laundry, again. It never actually ends.

Is it really a surprise we as new mothers are struggling with our mental health? We’re completely neglecting our own needs and feel we just do not have time to make ourselves a priority anymore! Some mothers feel they need to dedicate 100% of their time to their family, but if we’re not taking care of ourselves, we’re not being the best versions of ourselves and therefore not showing up for our family in the best way we’re capable of. My advice? ASK FOR HELP! I enjoy getting my hair and nails done, and just because I’m a mom now, doesn’t mean that has to become a thing of the past. I plan time for myself in advance and ask my partner or family for help. Sometimes even just having a mommy day on the calendar that month reminds me that I am just as important as all of our other 100 to-do’s on there too!

For me, the hardest part was learning to be a new mother while learning to be a stepmother. Basically, when you’re a stepmom, you’re damned if you do, and damned if you don’t. If you’re acting like their mom, you’re over-stepping, and if you’re not, you don’t care enough. Now try to juggle the complexities of parenting with your partners ex, when you and your partner would like to raise the kids a certain way but have no control over what the kids are doing or not doing half of the time. When you’re a new mom you have hopes and dreams about the person your child will become and what kind of household you want your baby to grow up in. A blended family means that your child cannot be promised to spend Christmas morning with their siblings or have regular Thanksgiving traditions because half the family is not home for it. This is something I am struggling with and quite honestly, I can’t confidently say I’ve come to terms with the idea of it. In one breath, all I want is a normal family that can have these things but in the other, I would not have this beautiful family if that was the case.

The thought of going back to work gave me severe anxiety. I was losing sleep worrying about who I was going to leave my perfect baby boy in the hands of. Due to the custody arrangement between my stepchildren and their mother, my partner and I do not get to choose where we live. This means we do not get to live close to my family and ultimately do not get those benefits of having their help for things like child-care. Not only did I move away from my family, but ultimately, I moved away from all of my friends and my life as I once knew it. There were so many changes taking place at once. How was this fair? Why does my baby have to go to daycare because of where your ex chooses to live? These thoughts would keep me up at night and I knew something needed to be done about it before this resentment carried onto my partner.

I once thought that therapy was reserved for those who have been through some type of trauma. It wasn’t until I was completely overwhelmed and in over my head that I thought to myself, ok what have I got to lose? I started looking for resources to help me and stumbled upon a couple podcasts and blogs that led me to a really awesome stepmom community. What a lot of these women had in common was their advocacy on therapy and seeking mental health support. After my first session, my body felt lighter. The relief I felt was so intense, I’d actually have to take a shower following my sessions because of how badly my body was sweating! I had realized that talking about my emotions instead of keeping them to myself felt invigorating. By saying things out loud, I was making connections to feelings and behaviours and relating it back to how I had been living my life. I learned that therapy is not only for those who have suffered trauma, it’s for those who want to be the best versions of themselves.

The thought of being selfish is often a fear most new mothers have when it comes to the idea of making their mental health a priority. I want to tell you that it’s ok to be “selfish” sometimes if that means taking care of yourself. I’m not a professional, I’m honestly not even that experienced but what I am, is real. I’m a real mom, who falls short from being perfect every single day. I’m going to keep getting disappointed when it comes to my co-parenting dynamic with my partners ex, and I’m going to get too overwhelmed with being a mom, a stepmom and a wife from time to time, but that’s ok. Working on ourselves is not a job that can be completed because we’re constantly evolving, changing and hopefully growing! When you make a mistake, learn from it instead of beating yourself up. Recognize your own triggers and work on being proactive instead of being reactive. Lean on your support system when you need them and celebrate the small victory’s when you can. You’re doing great mama, you got this.