Companion post to Episode 23 of The Chicana Therapist Podcast
🎧 Listen to the episode: [PODCAST]
A note before you read: This post talks about depression, including the kind that can come with thoughts of not wanting to be here. If you’re struggling right now, you can call or text 988 (the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) any time. Support is available in Spanish – press 2 when you call, or text AYUDA to 988.
Hola, familia.
If you live somewhere like Colorado, daylight saving time ends on Sunday, November 1st. For a lot of us, that means leaving for work in the dark and coming home in the dark. Most people feel that shift. We get more tired, less motivated, “no me siento con ánimos”.
But for some people, it goes further than that. Every year, around the same time, they slide into a very real depression. And sometimes depression brings its good friend, anxiety, along with it.
That’s what this post is about: the difference between “I’m just tired and it’s dark at five” and a pattern that deserves more attention and care.
I’m sharing this before the darkest stretch of the year on purpose. If te agarra la depre every fall or winter, the best time to put supports in place is now…not in November, December, or January, when everything already feels heavy.
A Full Season, in Every Sense
This time of year is also a full season for many of us. There’s Día de Muertos, which can bring joy, culture, and memories, and also a lot of grief. There’s Thanksgiving, Posadas, and Navidad. All of that can bring connection, but it can also bring sadness, family pressure, exhaustion, and financial stress.
And all of it lands on the shortest days of the year.
What Is Seasonal Depression?
Funny enough, the common name for it — seasonal affective disorder — shortens to SAD. I think that’s kind of funny. Maybe you don’t. 😅
In the DSM (the diagnostic manual therapists use), seasonal depression isn’t its own diagnosis. It’s a pattern within major depression or bipolar disorder, called “with seasonal pattern.”
Clinically, a few things need to be true:
- Depressive episodes start and end around the same time each year
- This has happened for at least two years in a row
- The seasonal pattern is the main pattern over the person’s life
Some things don’t count as SAD, like when the season’s circumstances explain it. Maybe you work in landscaping and lose work every winter, or you live in Arizona and can’t go outside all summer because of the heat. That’s still very much worth addressing. It just has a different root.
The Winter Pattern
This is the most common one. It can look like:
- Oversleeping and still feeling tired
- Craving certain foods
- Weight changes
- Pulling away from people and isolating, what some call “hibernating”
- Very low motivation
- Feeling hopeless
The Summer Pattern
This one is less common, and it tends to look different: insomnia, low appetite, or agitation.
Winter Blues vs. Seasonal Depression
What separates seasonal depression from the winter blues so many people feel? Two things: it recurs, and it affects how you function.
Who’s at Higher Risk?
- Women
- People with an existing depression diagnosis or a history of bipolar disorder
- People with a family history of seasonal depression
- People who live farther from the equator
- People whose schedules keep them indoors during daylight hours
Why It Happens: It’s Not in Your Head, It’s in Your Body
Light does more for us than we realize. It sets our internal clock, our circadian rhythm. When mornings get darker, that clock gets thrown off, which affects sleep, energy, and mood.
Shifts in serotonin and melatonin are part of the picture. Vitamin D may play a role too, though the research there is mixed.
Here in Colorado, we’re known for our sunshine, but winter days are still short. And many of us live on schedules that keep us inside for every single daylight hour. When I say you leave in the dark and come home in the dark, I’m not exaggerating.
How It Can Show Up for Us
This wouldn’t be The Chicana Therapist if we didn’t talk about how this lands in our communities.
We come from outdoor life. Many of our families come from places where life happened outside, the plaza, the patio, stopping by to see the neighbors. Winter somewhere like Colorado can mean losing that outdoor community life and the daily rhythm that comes with it.
Our work schedules keep us from the light. Many in our community work very early shifts, my parents did when I was growing up. Others work nights, or in warehouses and indoor jobs where they barely see daylight from November to March.
Seasonal work slows down. Construction, landscaping, and agricultural work can slow or stop entirely in winter. That can bring financial strain and even a hit to identity, something that can look like seasonal depression but has a different root, and deserves its own support.
Depression gets called something else. In our communities, depression often gets labeled as laziness — eres floja — or as a character problem. We hear “push through, we all feel it, and we still get through.”
We keep showing up while feeling empty. Many of us, especially women, keep cooking, keep hosting, keep showing up for everyone, while feeling empty inside. Being able to function doesn’t mean someone is okay.
Pain speaks through the body. During my undergrad practicum at a medical clinic, I did mental health check-ins with patients before they saw the doctor. I kept hearing the same kinds of phrases:
- Me duele todo — everything hurts
- Ando sin ganas, ando sin fuerzas — I have no motivation, no strength
- Me agarran los nervios — I get really anxious
I was taught, and I came to see, that these can be mental health struggles showing up in the body, described the best way people know how.
If your mom, your tía, or your partner gets quieter and pulls away when the days get short, it may be worth gently checking in. And if you’re the one who gets quieter, that’s worth paying attention to, too.
Myths vs. Reality
Myth: “It’s just the winter blues, everyone gets it.” Reality: Many of us feel something in winter, but some people feel it far more intensely, every single year. It’s real, it’s diagnosable, and most importantly, it’s treatable. “Yeah, me too” isn’t a reason to ignore it.
Myth: “You can’t get it if you live somewhere sunny.” Reality: Sunshine doesn’t change how short the days are or how many daylight hours you actually spend outside. You can experience it anywhere.
Myth: “Just take vitamin D.” Reality: It may help some people, but it doesn’t have to be the only thing you do, and for some, it won’t help much at all.
Myth: “Just keep busy” or “Pray more.” Reality: Faith and staying active can absolutely support feeling better. But they’re not a substitute for care when you have real clinical symptoms.
Myth: “It only happens in winter.” Reality: Summer patterns exist. If you notice you feel down or anxious every single summer, that’s worth looking at too.
What Can Help
- Get morning light. Try to get outside within the first hour of your day, even for 10–15 minutes. Yes, even when it’s cold, just bundle up.
- Ask about light therapy. Light therapy boxes are typically used in the morning for about 20–30 minutes. This is something to work out with your provider, especially if you have bipolar disorder or other conditions.
- Plan things to look forward to…now. If you wait for motivation, it may never show up. Plan ahead: a trip somewhere sunnier, local outings, anything you’ll actually get up and do because it’s on the calendar (and maybe even prepaid).
- Schedule your connection. Put cafecitos with friends and family walks on the calendar. Don’t let “I’m hibernating” turn into complete isolation.
- Reach out for professional support. If you have access to therapy, it can help a lot, there are many effective approaches. Medication is also an option, and some people start it before their season begins because they know their pattern. Some only take it during the winter months.
- Track your pattern. If this happens every year, mark your calendar and start your supports early, September or October, before you’re deep in it. Your notes will also help if you ever see a provider.
You’re Not Weak
If you need more mental health support in winter, it doesn’t mean you’re weak. This is biology, and sometimes circumstance. Please let go of “I should be able to get over this.” It’s very common to feel this way. If you have access to resources, use them.
And if your depression includes thoughts of not wanting to be here, please keep crisis support close. Call or text 988any time — support is available in multiple languages, including Spanish (press 2, or text AYUDA to 988).
Stay Connected, Familia
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Cuídense mucho, Dr. Xochilt Alamillo, PhD, LCSW The Chicana Therapist
This post is for educational purposes and isn’t a substitute for professional mental health care. If you’re in crisis, call or text 988.