When Your Inner Season Doesn’t Match the Weather: Understanding Seasonal Affective Disorder
Sometimes one’s inner season does not always match the season happening in nature. Sometimes spring may bring sadness instead of joy. Sometimes summer may bring clarity instead of closure. Sometimes autumn may bring new beginnings instead of bitter endings. Sometimes winter may bring solitude instead of isolation. Regardless of which season one may fall under, it can bring out different behaviors, emotional states, and habits.
The National Institute of Mental Health defines Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) as:
“a type of depression characterized by a recurrent seasonal pattern, with symptoms lasting about 4−5 months out of the year. The signs and symptoms of SAD include those associated with depression as well as disorder-specific symptoms that differ for winter-pattern versus summer-pattern SAD”.
It can be characterized by an array of signs and symptoms such as loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and adventures, changes in appetite, and changes in mood.
With the holidays right around the corner, and the weather getting cold, the season of winter will arrive. For some, winter prompts extended time off to rest, relax, and renew. For some, winter prompts closure and completion of chapters. And for some, winter prompts sadness due to loss in all its forms. And it signifies a change of season.
Researchers believe that people of African American descent are disproportionately affected by SAD not only because of a lack of awareness of mental health but also a systematic lack of access to mental health resources, with many not being able to afford care or even know when or how to look. Some may have these seasonal occurrences and may not even know why it comes or how to navigate it when it does come around.
In the age where people have more access to information than immediate resources, it can highlight the inequities that have historically been there. While it is great that because of access to the Internet, more members of African American descent are aware of what mental health is. But what good is the awareness if the nearest hospital is 30 minutes away? or the nearest grocery store is 30 minutes away? or the nearest therapist is nowhere near affordable?
PsychologyToday.com features a robust directory of counselors and therapists of all different specialties. Another feature of the site is users can find a therapist based on area of specialization and can find a therapist that identifies with issues affecting the African American community. There are also some reputable mental health media spaces that are catered to the African American community on YouTube and TikTok.
It is okay if one’s inner season is different from what’s happening in nature. Check out resources at PsychologyToday.com for more information and resources on mental health.
