As the days get shorter and the temperature drops, the feelings of fall coziness typically evoke comforting rituals: making soups, drinking pumpkin-spiced lattes, and getting together with loved ones. But for millions, the season-changing can elicit more complicated feelings and darker emotional states.
Commonly known as “winter blues,” seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a subtype of major depressive disorder, explains licensed psychotherapist Tandrea Tarver-Brooks. It happens when seasonal transitions trigger shifts in mood and affects a person’s ability to function. Although the most prominent cases show up in the colder months, seasonal depression can occur at any time of year, Tarver-Brooks says.
Meanwhile, many people find holiday gatherings and customs trigger grief rather than comfort. “Holidays, anniversaries, and birthdays serve as ‘memories f
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