Summer is usually an exciting time for families. Children are out of school and parents are finally able to go on a summer vacation. Summer should be a time that’s fun and relaxing…right?
What if you can’t seem to get out of a low funk, or your stress levels feel higher? Have you been isolating yourself in a dark, cool room more often? Perhaps you’re feeling defeated or unhappy when you’re “supposed” to be having a fun time, while everyone else is laughing, swimming, and having a wonderful time with their summer-based activities.
Summertime blues is not really what it seems. It’s not simply a “funk” you can simply shake off and then have summertime fun.
In reality, the summertime blues is actually a summer version of seasonal affective disorder. Winter seasonal affective disorder, or S.A.D., can in fact be a summer-based seasonal affective disorder for some people. It’s also known as reverse seasonal affective disorder or reverse S.A.D.
While it can be hard to pinpoint exact causes of summertime depression, for some it can be the stresses of summer piling up, while for others summer depression has a biological cause.
Learn what summertime S.A.D. is, and how you can navigate your way to a more enjoyable summer for you.
What is Summertime Depression?
When hearing the terms S.A.D. or seasonal affective disorder, we automatically think of winter depression. S.A.D. is a depression that is affected by the time of year, weather, and the light. Symptoms are usually occurring during fall and/or early winter, improving during spring and summer.
What is notable is that some people will experience the opposite: their depression symptoms will begin in spring or summer. Symptoms can be mild, progressing to become more severe as the season progresses.
The cause of depression during summer is not confirmed. However, there are suspected biological factors in some people, while most affected could possibly be triggered by heat, humidity, and longer days. Other stressors that occur during summertime are:
- Heat, humidity, and longer days can force you into a darkness hibernation to stay cool, which causes isolation from others and contributes to a low, depressed mood.
- Routine/Habit/Schedule disruptions due to children being out of school, or vacation.
- Disruption in routine, which causes changes in sleep and eating habits.
- Limited finances, which may be the reason for being unable to participate in summer vacation or outdoor activities.
- Unable to participate in summer activities due to health reasons, leading to isolation, sadness, and loneliness.
- Body image issues causing anxiety or avoidance in participating in outdoor summer activities.
- Association with a past trauma or incident that occurred in summer, such as loss.
Symptoms of summertime S.A.D. are similar to winter depression, including:
- Low mood and sadness
- Increased anxiety
- Agitation and irritability
- Low appetite
- Weight loss or gain
- Sleeping issues including insomnia
It’s quite normal to feel fluctuations in mood, as well as sleep and appetite changes. However, summertime depression is more severe where symptoms cause substantial stress and/or it impedes our daily functioning. If symptoms become intense and severe, more significant disruption in our daily lives can occur, including intrusive thoughts.
How to Navigate Summertime S.A.D. and Get Professional Help
What can you do to help you feel better? What will make this summer different? These are both good questions to ask yourself as you follow the below tips on navigating the summer season when you have reverse S.A.D.
Plan ahead
One slight advantage to having seasonal depression: you know when it’s coming. You may already have a calendar either on your wall or on your phone and are looking ahead to June. If you’re feeling all right during springtime, think about specific things in your life that are difficult for you during the summer. What will help prevent your summer depression? What is the best way to ask for time off work? Would sending your children to camp or putting them in summer activities help relieve your stress? If you plan ahead when it’s still spring, you will feel more ready for summer.
Sleep
Late night barbecues, vacation activities, and the longer days can all encourage staying up later than usual. Not getting enough sleep is a common depression trigger. Making a sleep schedule and sticking to it during the summer can help ensure you get enough sleep. Your sleep schedule can make room for those late-night fun things as long as you’re getting the right amount of sleep.
Keeping up with physical activity
Regular physical activity has been known to help lower depression or keep it at bay. Even if heat is your trigger for reverse S.A.D. and it becomes too hot for your regular exercise routine, finding other ways to keep active will help keep your routine and ward off your summer depression.
You may have to adjust the time of your exercise, such as earlier in the morning or later in the evenings when it’s usually cooler. If you have a basement that stays cool, you may want to move your exercise equipment there. If your local gym is too expensive for annual membership, find one or a local activity centre (that has a gym) that offers seasonal summer passes or membership, so you can keep up your physical routine in a setting with air conditioning.
Don’t overdo it with your diet and fitness
If last year’s swimsuit still doesn’t fit by June, please don’t push yourself into an extreme diet and exercise to try and fit into it. You’re more likely to be miserable and anxious as a result. Trying a restrictive eating schedule right away means you may not actually be able to keep it up, and the failure will leave you feeling demoralized and worsen your summer depression. Eating moderately and exercising sensibly will help keep you balanced, healthy, and hopefully happier.
Protect yourself
What are your needs? If you’re not feeling up to hosting an event you always host, maybe this year you could take a step back. Don’t risk pushing yourself into summer depression just to live up to others’ expectations and traditions.
Think about why; identify your trigger
Perhaps each year you struggle with depression during the summer. Is there a reason? Is summer a time you associate with something difficult or traumatic from your past: a bad breakup, or the death of someone close to you? You may have associated summer with sadness subconsciously, and this association can become stronger each summer you are depressed. If you have an unhappy connection with summer, figuring that out and identifying what triggers this sadness can help to break the cycle.
Carefully plan vacations
Before loading up the car with camping gear for the annual summer vacation, ask yourself this question: are you fulfilling an obligation, or is this what you really want? Will you be happy going on this vacation? Or will your finances suffer, cause you stress, and cause you to be behind at work?
Consider an alternative. Instead of taking an entire week off, consider taking a few long weekends spread out through the summer. Would a “staycation” be more relaxing to you? Don’t let yourself become locked into a vacation that doesn’t feel like one.
Get professional help
If you feel you’re continually experiencing depression or depressive symptoms, regardless of what time of the year it is, that’s a big sign it’s time to seek professional help. Our staff at Hopewoods can be of assistance, whether you need someone to talk to or you need help finding and breaking out of a sadness cycle. Starting in August, we’re offering new TheraCamp programs that may help you, and are well worth considering if you enjoy nature.
We insist that you don’t take your symptoms of depression lightly, or wait them out thinking they’ll resolve on their own. Sometimes, what starts out as summer depression can turn into a longer lasting, major, chronic depression. Even if you find your depression resolves in September, there’s no reason to ignore it in June. Temporary depression is still depression, and it’s still not something we want anyone to go through alone.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding reverse seasonal affective disorder, any assessments, or therapy services that we offer, contact us today or book a free 30-minute consultation.
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