I’ve had trouble in the springtime for as long as I can remember. While most people were happily loving the warmer air and the increased hours of daylight, I was often increasingly depressed and anxious.
Sometimes I would take more naps just so I could skip part of the day and wake up when more of it was over!
Why was I like that?
Some people have SAD (seasonal affective disorder) in the springtime, and maybe that was part of it. But I’ve never seen a doctor about it and have never been diagnosed.
Usually, the depression and anxiety would ease up as we moved into summer, so it wasn’t that I couldn’t handle warmer weather or longer days.
I expect there were a few reasons for my unhappy feelings.
1. Social Anxiety
This has, thankfully, become much less severe as the years passed. I’ve outgrown some of my obsessive concerns about what other people think of me. But it’s been a problem for as long as I can remember. I doubt it will ever go away completely.
What does that have to do with springtime?
Darkness makes me feel safe. I can hide in the darkness. You can’t see all my flaws. In the dark, you can’t see everything about me in glaring detail like you can in the daylight.
In the spring, the Days. Are. So. Long.
Extra hours of sunshine and warm weather mean more people are outside, and when I’m out there with them, more people can see me. As we move toward the summer solstice in June, the days get longer and longer until it feels like there is just no relief from the high visibility! By the time the sun goes down, there is barely any time left in the day. I have a couple of hours till bedtime, then I go to sleep. When I wake up, I have to do it all over again, knowing that the new day will be slightly longer than the one before it.
Early darkness – and cold weather – means that society gives me permission to go home earlier and stay inside.
Thankfully, summer isn’t so bad because the days are getting shorter. Every day is just slightly shorter than the one before it. I feel like it’s all downhill from there.
2. Everything Is Coming to an End
Spring is a season of wrapping up everything you’ve been doing during the school year. School is coming to an end. Activities and programs are ending. Everywhere you turn, there are closing programs and graduations.
I like structure. I like consistency. I like knowing where I’m supposed to be and what is coming next.
I like for my children to have those schedules too. When they have a regular school schedule, I don’t have to think about where my kids ought to go during the day or what they ought to do. They have to go to school! We have our predictable morning routine for 180 days.
With the end of spring comes the end of structure and routines and programs and everything I knew. Now, for the summer, we have to plan our own lives and our own activities. Stressful!
3. Allergies
I really don’t know how much to blame allergies. I have read, though, that allergies can actually get so bad that they can cause the brain to swell, which causes feelings of irritation. I do have seasonal allergies. Sometimes they may affect my moods… maybe.
But I have a feeling the majority of the problem is a combination of #1 and #2.
Always Have Goals
This year, I’m happier about spring. I was happier last year too.
The biggest reason is that I’m still working toward accomplishing things. I’m not just letting everything end around me while the feelings of depression take over.
I’m keeping busy. But I’m not just keeping busy. I’m also working toward goals. I’m moving forward. I have challenges to overcome and things to achieve. I have a reason to get up each morning, and I have something to focus on.
The best way to stop focusing on negative things is to stay focused on positive things. It works!
It’s March right now. Last weekend, we lost an hour of sleep when we turned our clocks ahead. Usually, that signals the beginning of more depressed feelings. Not this time!
As the weather gets warmer and the days get longer, I’m actually feeling happy. Maybe I’m not happy every second of every day, but I don’t have time to sit around and mope. I have things to do.
You’re Not Alone
If you feel more depressed or anxious in the springtime, you’re not alone. There are lots of people who don’t feel happier in the springtime.
It also doesn’t have to be that way forever. It doesn’t even have to be that way right now.
You don’t need to dread spring, because it doesn’t have to be that way this year.
Take it one day at a time. Stay busy. Focus on accomplishing goals. Get out and enjoy life. Or just enjoy taking a walk. A bit of sunshine can be good for your mood.
You can read some other good ideas here.
Happy Springtime!