You can do everything “right” and still be depressed. That’s because seasonal depression, or Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), can occur during annual weather and time changes. Other times, it could be brought on by emotionally-charged times of the year, like the holidays. For example, I find the holidays to be a time riddled with judgment, judgment of the self brought on by the self, others, and the illusion of linear living. When seasonal depression takes over, it can be defeating, overwhelming, and all-consuming.

With 1 in 5 adults struggling with mental illness, it’s not shocking to discover that SAD occurs more in folks who experience and live with other disorders. The rise of mental illness may explain why mindfulness therapies have been on the rise in recent years. Folks are opting to manage stress, anxiety, and depression with yoga, meditation, breathwork, sound healing, light and nature therapy over medication. But no one talks about when your mindfulness routine doesn’t work due to a false sense of control, which can lead to aspects of spiritual bypassing. Here are some tips to add to your toolkit before the next season of “winter blues” hits:

Shift with the Season

Don’t let your routine keep you from facing or processing your emotions. A mindfulness routine can feel redundant or hinder true healing when SAD starts to set in. It may feel like the things that help you on a typical day don’t hit the same way. It may help to deviate from your routine if it doesn't seem fulfilling anymore. For example, you may want to shift to nature walks or more rigorous exercise if you’re usually a yoga fanatic. 

Take some time to check in and tune into yourself to find out what you need to thrive during the current season. Think about what triggered this temporary sadness and what you need to hear to experience moments of compassion with yourself. Do you need to change your diet to feel better or more nourished? Do you need to change your spiritual or mindfulness routine? 

If a ten or fifteen-minute meditation sounds like too much of a commitment, try a light breathwork exercise first thing when you wake up in the morning, repeating affirmations that push back on your inner critic and current headspace, affirmations like:

• I am evolving.

• I am doing the best I can.

• I am not responsible for other people’s feelings.

• I show up for myself in the capacity I need to today.

• I will love myself through this.

If you find this exercise too challenging, try tuning into Affirmation Pod by Josie Ong. Episodes like Spinning My Wheels And Not Getting Anywhere, I am Living in my Brilliance (Ep. 410), and Coming Out of a Slump (Ep. 413) were made for transitional periods that seem to last forever.

Venture Out into the Growth Zone

Isolating yourself and repeating self-limiting stories can be very tempting during any bought of depression, and it’s easy to get stuck there. Pay attention to the stories that show up. Challenge yourself to venture out into the growth zone as soon as you notice when your false self is trying to convince you to stay in your comfort zone. 

If being alone seems more hurtful than helpful, the growth zone may look like challenging yourself to get out in nature more, check in with a friend, or schedule an in-person visit with a trusted family member. It could also look like challenging yourself to take practical, actionable steps towards your goals, especially for procrastinators or those who feel like their goals are just passing them by. 

One thing to keep in mind is that you don’t have to follow the linear timeline. For example, a lot of my seasonal depression stems from comparing my life trajectory to the socially-accepted path of those in my age group. That could look like beating myself up for not being on the road to having kids, becoming a homeowner, or achieving my fitness and health goals. Take small steps. Sign up for that gym membership, research first-time home buyer resources, create a realistic budget, put yourself out there or re-evaluate what you want out of a relationship. Do something (even if it’s small) to address and push your goals forward. That way, you feel reassured, curious enough to keep going, and confident about moving on and moving forward into the unknown.

Rest to Reinspire

Yes, this made the list as cliche as it is! Some seasons in life are busier than others. Depending on where you fall on the introversion-extroversion scale, pulling back from exerting your energy may be the answer. It may be well-advised for you to take a break from creating or stripping back your obligations. You may find taking a hiatus from your to-do list reinspires you. 

Temper your input versus output. Going back to basics may help you fall back in love with your day job or passion projects because rest allows you to take the pressure off. It allows you to review your processes and audit efficiencies. Maybe it will let you re-evaluate what you value. For example, it may inspire you to shift your focus to spending more time offline doing in-person, interactive hobbies. So then you can spend more time with those you love or have more time to do more of what you love, which creates an entirely new cycle of rest, gratitude, fulfillment, and self-trust. 

Pay Attention to Your Cycles

In addition to getting professional help, paying attention to your own cycles can help you turn things around. Remember when (and why) you start to feel overwhelmed with depression, comparison, and judgment. Do certain months out of the year bring up hard feelings, stuckness, and stagnancy? Do certain dynamics make it hard to open up? If so, set yourself up for success by jotting down these dates and what helped you manage these feelings of despair. And as you continue to love and learn about yourself, don’t forget to let things be what they are. Let your feelings be what they are. Feel what you feel. Come to terms with where you find yourself so you can be honest about how you need to show up, even during your off-seasons.