What to Do When You Get SAD

Surviving the Transition from West Coast to ‘Wet Coast’
Living in Vancouver may feel like a dream in the summer, but once fall hits, the shift from West Coast to ‘Wet Coast’ is a harsh reminder that no sun comes without its share of rain. As the colder seasons roll in, it’s easy to get dragged down by Seasonal Affective Disorder. Ella shares her personal strategies for battling the winter gloomies and staying bright through the grey.
Jesse Roper singing into a microphone. Jesse is wearing a hat.

Quintessential fall vibes.

Ella Hannesson | Editor

10.03.24
| Vol. 56, No. 2 | Article

Each winter, the luminous part of me withdraws into hibernation. At first, I feel its departure—a cold emptiness that leaves behind a pit. 

But it isn’t until April’s arrival, when warmth kisses my skin, that I truly understand what’s been missing. I don’t feel the fatigue, the sluggishness, the quiet surrender of motivation until the opposite floods back into me; the sun reawakens what’s been dormant inside.

I guess we don’t realize the weight of darkness until the light returns, casting its familiar glow.

Summer brings me back to life.

It’s a season that feels like a pure release, where I am fully myself—untethered, open, and ready for whatever adventures the days have to offer.

But then August, like a fevered dream, slips through my fingers. When I wake, it’s September again—fall’s cold, sober face returning.

Iced drinks get swapped out for warm pumpkin spice lattes. Soup season begins, and summer salads are out. Sweaters, after dusting off the lint from their hibernation, are back in rotation. The sun sets at seven. 

Weather affects everyone. Yet as I pull out my fall sweaters, I’m reminded that the weather doesn’t simply dictate what we wear. It has tangible effects on how we feel, sometimes bringing about significant declines in mental health.  

And that, dearest reader, is seasonal depression. 

~

Vancouver Island is one of the best spots to be during the summertime. With its renowned natural beauty and laid-back lifestyle, it’s the summer dream.

The joy of summer makes the transition to fall that much more difficult. Our beautiful island carries its own burdens during the long, rain-soaked winter months. 

The grey skies and endless drizzle usher in a different kind of weight known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD): a quiet form of depression that settles in when the light begins to fade. 

Each fall, as sunlight retreats, countless Islanders feel an internal shift. Our biological rhythm connects to the weather—as the sun goes away, we notice the difference in our internal clocks. Alongside upsetting our circadian rhythm, the sun’s new schedule interferes with our serotonin and melatonin levels, creating a recipe for SAD. 

While I and many others feel SAD following the sun’s departure, the disorder isn’t exclusive to the colder months. Less commonly, some experience SAD during slip-n-slide season instead, presenting with symptoms slightly different but similarly characteristic of depression.

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), roughly 2–3 percent of Canadians experience SAD at some point with a further 15 percent experiencing milder cases of the disorder. SAD is more prevalent in women as well as people who live in northern regions with less sunlight.

Check, and check. 

Common symptoms include a constant feeling of fatigue regardless of sleep quality or quantity, general feelings of sadness and hopelessness, changes in appetite, avoiding activities which you otherwise enjoy, and much more. If any of these feelings seem to occur each year, they can have a real impact on your life. If you experience SAD, talk to your doctor.

Okay, enough with the bad news. Where do you go from here?

The good news is that while we can’t stop the seasons from changing or call back the sun, there are ways to ease the weight of SAD—and they are, thankfully, effective.

Light therapy is a promising intervention. The treatment involves sitting near a light—Mayo Clinic offers advice on how to choose a light therapy box—for about half an hour a day. The light works its magic to essentially trick our brains into thinking the sun is back. Although the treatment isn’t foolproof, the CMHA suggests light therapy works for about 60–80 percent of those with SAD.

Counselling and medication are also viable treatments depending on the severity of symptoms.

The fourth, and my favourite, is good old reliable self-help. 

After years of feeling worse in the winter and happier in the summer, I realized that either I do something to help myself, or I move. Since it was far more practical for me to develop healthy habits than pick up and move somewhere tropical, I chose the former. 

Some of it might not follow the usual playbook—no list of specific wellness books or cookie-cutter thinking exercises—but hey, if it applies to myself and it helps, let’s call that self-help.

Lean Into the Season

My first self-prescribed treatment plan—an optimistic experiment, though ultimately a lesson in wishful thinking—was crafted from pure delusion.

In this haze, I convinced myself that if I kept living as if it were summer—partaking in my usual warm-weather hobbies—I could somehow bottle up that endless feeling, no matter what reality had to say.

But let’s be honest: pretending a storm isn’t brewing doesn’t stop the rain from falling.

But let’s be honest: pretending a storm isn’t brewing doesn’t stop the rain from falling.

And here we are, my friends, staring down fall’s arrival—quite literally as certain as the seasons themselves.

My first step to falling head over heels for fall was figuring out what there was to love about the season. I figured that since many people I know love the colder weather, there must be some redeeming quality.  

So, to fall in love with fall, I went right to the source: Christian autumn girlies. For those unfamiliar, Christian girl autumn is a meme which satirizes the large percentage of white women lifestyle influencers whose content revolves around fall. 

Make fun of them all you want, but I wanted to figure out what they knew that I didn’t. I hoped that by watching this content, their enthusiasm would seep into me through osmosis.

I learned, in fact, that fall has its own great qualities that aren’t discoloured by all the things it isn’t. 

Think: pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin-flavoured everything. Cozy, knitted grandma sweaters. Fall fashion in general. Playing the Twilight soundtrack as you go for a drive on a misty day. Fleetwood Mac’s music sounds a million times better. Soup. The Pillsbury sugar cookies. 

Take inspo, dear reader. 

Have you really tried to enjoy fall if you haven’t visited an apple orchard?

Have you really tried to enjoy fall if you haven’t visited an apple orchard?

Even winter is okay, although I’m still of the opinion that the advent of Christmas is really what carries the season. 

When I let the seasons just be who they are—not a mere shadow of warmer days—they have some redeeming qualities which make me excited, energized, and motivated to do fun things. 

Develop a Balanced Routine

Over time, I’ve mastered the delicate dance between discipline and indulgence. I grind through my routine with dedication, but I’ve come to worship—and I do mean worship—the sweet treat at the end of it all. So much so that I’ve turned it into a life philosophy.

It starts with structure. Routine. 

As many of us know, transitioning between seasons can feel like shifting tectonic plates beneath your feet. 

That’s why having a solid foundation is more crucial than ever when everything else seems to be in flux. Without routine, my life becomes an amorphous mess: a chaotic balancing act of obligations while my bed insists it’s a magnet for my soul.

Now, you’ve heard this all before, right? The gospel of routine. I won’t bore you by preaching it again. 

But what you may not have heard is my sweet treat theory. It’s simple: give yourself something to look forward to. A tiny indulgence, a flicker of joy that balances the grind.

For me, that means sticking to my routine like clockwork, but always with a reward at the finish line. Maybe it’s watching Gilmore Girls for the 10th time tucked in bed, or maybe it’s quite literally a sweet treat. Because that small thing makes the work worth it.

Sure, some days motivation slips away, but that’s fine. You must leave room for the difficult days; learn to accept the state of your soul and meet yourself halfway. 

Have you really tried to enjoy fall if you haven’t visited an apple orchard?

Have you really tried to enjoy fall if you haven’t visited an apple orchard?

If getting through my to-do list means doing it wrapped in blankets and ignoring my sister’s lectures about how studying in bed is a productivity disaster, then so be it. I count that as a win.

If getting through my to-do list means doing it wrapped in blankets and ignoring my sister’s lectures about how studying in bed is a productivity disaster, then so be it. I count that as a win.

And if I slip up one day? Well, there’s always tomorrow’s treat. 

Some days, you just won’t feel like yourself. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that sitting around hoping for the magic reset button doesn’t do the trick. For those of us whose problems don’t vanish by sheer inaction, that’s where routine steps back in.

It’s through this delicate balance, this rhythm I’ve carved out for myself, that I start to feel like me again: steady, grounded, and back in sync.

Reinvent Yourself

During my so-called hibernation, I realized it was the perfect opportunity for me to create a new version of myself.

Over the years, I’ve learned to mirror the seasons. As the beautiful maple leaves shed their leaves and prepare for eventual rebirth, I’m reminded to do the same for myself. Nature performs her metamorphosis, and I replicate her beautiful example.

The changing of the seasons is a call for reinvention. 

It sounds daunting in the face of SAD and dwindling motivation. How can I muster the energy to become a new version of myself when I can barely muster the energy to get out of bed some days?

When I have these habits and routines and things to look forward to, I don’t end up feeling so bad. When I invest in myself, I find the strength to treat myself with the respect and compassion that I deserve. This is my advice.

Shed the dead leaves and prepare to grow.

This reinvention can look different to anyone. Sometimes all it involves is taking warm bubble baths, throwing on a face mask, and lighting a pumpkin spice candle. That does count as self-care. 

Other times, reinvention starts with recognizing small parts of your life that need improvement. 

For me, this involves getting back into journaling. Or trying a new hobby I’ve been interested in. My current example is that I am learning how to cook. 

Regardless of what you do, taking time to shed what no longer serves you—no matter how miniscule—can drastically improve your quality of life. 

~

Seasonal affective disorder touches everyone in its own way. 

Although there is no known ‘cure’ for SAD, there are many mitigations which can improve symptoms. 

For me, leaning into the beauty of each season and practicing self-care has been a game changer. It might do the same for you—or maybe not. But just because my remedies aren’t yours, doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to find your own light in the darker months.

Sun setting over a body of water viewed from behind a treeline.

See—even cloudy fall skies can be beautiful.

The sun will come out again, but I refuse to spend eight months mourning its absence. On the West Coast, wishing away the rain is asking for the impossible.

Instead, I search the fog for new ways to stay energized and motivated, even when the sky stays grey.

There’s a special part of me that only stirs in the heat of summer. But as the seasons turn, I’ve come to realize it’s okay to change with them. With time and a lot of self-reflection, I’ve crafted a version of myself for fall and winter too—someone I’ve grown to love just as much when she finally steps out into the cold.

Sun setting over a body of water viewed from behind a treeline.

See—even cloudy fall skies can be beautiful.

Picture Lana Del Rey.

Ella—short for Ellisif—is a passionate English and Liberal Studies student in her fourth year. She enjoys fashion and Lana del Rey, and spends her free time reading, writing, and thrifting.

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