For many people, Christmas is wrapped up in images of sparkle, laughter, connection, and comfort. But for some, this season feels very different: heavier, quieter, lonelier, or simply harder to get through.
If your mood dips as winter draws in, your energy fades, or the simplest tasks feel harder than usual, you aren’t weak or “spoiling the season.” You may be experiencing something very real: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
What is SAD?
Seasonal Affective Disorder is a form of depression that follows a seasonal pattern, most commonly beginning in late autumn or early winter and easing in spring. It isn’t “just the winter blues” or a lack of festive spirit. It is a recognised mental health condition linked to reduced daylight exposure and changes in our internal body clock and mood related brain chemistry.
In the UK, an estimated 2 million people experience SAD, and around 1 in 3 adults notice some seasonal decline in mood or energy during winter months. It tends to affect women more than men and often begins in young adulthood, though it can appear at any age.
People commonly experience persistent low mood, loss of interest in activities they would usually enjoy, deep fatigue, increased sleep without feeling rested, concentration difficulties, appetite changes (often craving carbohydrates or sugar), social withdrawal, irritability, and anxiety. Many describe an emotional numbness, a sense of going through the motions rather than fully engaging in life. One client described this as “watching everything happen through a glass barrier,” capturing the quiet disconnect that SAD can bring.
SAD vs Depression: What’s the Difference?
SAD is classified as a form of major depressive disorder, but the key distinction lies in its predictable seasonal cycle. Symptoms typically begin as the days shorten in autumn, peak through winter, and then lift as daylight increases in spring.
Non-seasonal depression does not follow this pattern. Symptoms can emerge at any time of year and often continue without the rhythmic improvement that many people with SAD experience.
Some people live with year round depression that worsens each winter, while others feel emotionally well for most of the year and experience depressive episodes only during the darker months. Both presentations are valid and deserve recognition and support.
For some, recognition comes only after years of assuming winter fatigue or emotional withdrawal means something is wrong with them personally. One client realised that the low energy, comfort eating, staying indoors, and loss of motivation they experienced each November had followed the same pattern for years. Once this was understood as SAD rather than “laziness,” treatment including increased light exposure and routine building became far more hopeful and effective.
Why Christmas Can Be Particularly Tough
Christmas arrives just as SAD symptoms often peak. Daylight is scarce, routines are disrupted, and cultural messages about happiness and togetherness intensify, often clashing sharply with internal reality.
This mismatch can generate pressure: feeling you should be cheerful when you are not, comparing yourself to others who appear to be enjoying the season, managing loneliness or grief, and carrying financial or family stress.
Many people find that trying to push themselves socially makes symptoms worse. One client noticed that large gatherings drained her completely, yet guilt made her feel unable to say no. When she adapted Christmas to a gentler pace through quiet walks, cosy evenings at home, and short one to one visits instead of bigger events, the emotional load eased. She did not suddenly feel healed, but the season became more manageable.Seeking Professional Support
Helpful Strategies
Let the light in
Light exposure is one of the most effective supports for SAD. If you have access to a light therapy box, use it for around 20 to 30 minutes each morning. At home, draw your curtains as soon as you wake up to maximise daylight exposure. Even on cloudy days, natural light is beneficial. Sit near windows when possible and try to get outdoors early each day, even if only for a brief walk.
People who increase both indoor and outdoor light exposure often report gradual improvements in mood and energy over a few weeks.
Keep gentle structure
SAD thrives on unstructured days. Regular sleep patterns, daily routines, and having at least one planned activity outside the home can steady mood and energy without adding pressure.
One client found that committing to a short daily walk, regardless of weather or motivation, became the anchor that kept his rhythm intact throughout winter.
Stay active.
Movement does not need to be intense. Walking, stretching, yoga, light strength work, or dancing at home all help regulate mood and reduce lethargy. Activity also increases light exposure, compounding its benefit.
Nourish consistently.
Carb cravings are common in winter as the brain seeks serotonin. Try to maintain regular meals, include protein and healthy fats, and choose warming, nourishing foods. Avoid punitive restrictions. Consistency supports mood far better than perfection.
Stay socially connected.
Withdrawal is common with SAD, even though connection can lift mood. A gentle approach is to message two or three friends to suggest coffee or a walk, knowing that if you ask a few, there’s a good chance at least one will say yes. Low pressure contact still counts and can interrupt isolation powerfully.
Challenge guilt and comparison.
SAD often fuels thoughts such as “I should be happier” or “I’m letting everyone down.” Christmas does not come with emotional rules. There is no correct way to feel. A kinder question is: What would support me today?
Scale Christmas to your capacity. You are allowed to adjust celebrations to match your wellbeing. Fewer commitments, shorter visits, quieter days, or different traditions altogether are valid forms of self care.
When to Seek Extra Support
Professional support is important if low mood lasts longer than two weeks, if hopelessness or numbness becomes constant, if withdrawal deepens, if daily functioning becomes overwhelming, or if thoughts of self-harm occur. Therapy, guidance around light therapy, and sometimes medication can significantly improve SAD symptoms.
Many people realise, after getting support, just how different winter can feel when they are properly helped.
A Final Word
If Christmas feels heavy this year, it does not mean you are failing. It means you are human, living through a season that biologically and emotionally challenges many people.
You do not need to sparkle through December.
You only need to take care of yourself as gently as you can.
Small steps. Gentle days. Honest support.
That is more than enough.
