Is It Autumn Blues or Seasonal Depression? The Effect of Shortening Days on Your Brain and the Power of Journaling

You leave the house in the dark in the morning and return in the dark at night, finding it a little harder to get out from under the duvet every single day. Most of us pass this off as "autumn blues." So, is this an innocent melancholy, or a biological response of our brain to decreasing light? Let us examine it together in light of scientific research.

Is It Autumn Blues or Seasonal Depression?

Feeling dark inside during winter is actually a very old observation, but it was not until 1984 that it gained a name in the scientific community. Psychiatrist Norman Rosenthal and his team identified depressions that recur at the same time every year and named this picture Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). The symptoms that stand out in these individuals will sound familiar to many of us: an unsatiable need for sleep, an increased appetite, and especially that sweet craving for carbohydrates.

So, is the reluctance we feel every winter a disease? Most of the time, no. Experts make this diagnosis when symptoms start in a specific season, resolve completely with spring, and this cycle repeats for at least two consecutive years. However, the absence of a diagnosis does not mean that what you feel is not real. In a study conducted with randomly selected households, almost all participants reported that their mood changed with the seasons; for about a quarter of them, this change was a problem that made daily life difficult. In other words, autumn blues and seasonal depression stand at two different ends of the same spectrum.

What Are the Shortening Days Doing to Our Brain?

That heavy feeling of autumn is not something "we make up in our heads"; the light-sensitive systems of our brain truly react. Research points to three main areas in particular:

• Serotonin decreases with sunlight: Australian researchers showed that serotonin, one of the brain's "feel-good" neurotransmitters, drops to its lowest level during winter months, and its production is directly related to the duration of sunlight received that day.

• Melatonin signals "winter has arrived": Melatonin, the sleep hormone secreted in the dark, is released for longer periods as nights lengthen. While this duration lengthened significantly during winter in people experiencing seasonal depression, no such difference was observed in healthy volunteers. This suggests that some brains respond to winter similarly to other mammals that track the seasons with this signal.

• Our internal clock loses its rhythm: Scientists also link winter depression to a desynchronization between our internal clock and our daily schedule. In one study, the greater the deviation of the internal clock from the daily schedule, the more intense the depression symptoms were found to be.

As the days shorten, our brain clearly states what it actually needs: light. If you are curious about the role of sleep in brain health, you can also check out our article on the glymphatic system and sleep.

Why Is Journaling Good for You During This Period?

Journaling cannot extend the shortening days, but it can change how you experience this season.

Naming the emotion calms the brain:

In a brain imaging study conducted at UCLA, when participants named the emotions they felt using words, the reaction of the amygdala, the brain's alarm center, decreased. Searching for an answer to the question "Why was I so heavy today?" with a few lines in the evening is the easiest way to bring this effect into daily life.

Seeing negative thoughts on paper:

"Winter is always awful," "If it's dark outside, I can't do anything today either"... These sentences feel like absolute reality to us. A study conducted at the University of Vermont showed that cognitive behavioral therapy, which relies precisely on recognizing and questioning these types of thoughts, lasted longer in its effect than light therapy: Two winters later, depression recurred in about a quarter of the people in the therapy group, while this rate was almost half in the light therapy group. Journaling certainly does not replace therapy, but it is the first step toward recognizing these thoughts. We explained how to question your thoughts step-by-step in our article on emotional healing.

Discovering your own pattern:

Memory is not a very reliable witness when it comes to recalling past seasons. A dated journal tagged with emotions, however, clearly shows you the answer to the question "Do I feel like this every November, or is it specific to this year?"

4 Ways to Lighten Autumn

1.Make a Date with Morning Light

In one study, people experiencing seasonal depression walked outdoors every morning for an hour for a week, and half of the participants improved significantly. Furthermore, this method requires no devices.

Practical Application: Go for a short walk in the early morning hours a few days a week; if that is not possible, spend your lunch break outside. Record your walk by adding a location in Serica; seeing how much you went outside on your map even in winter will keep you motivated.

2.An Emoji and a Sentence Every Evening

You do not need to write long paragraphs to name your feelings; even a few words are enough.

Practical Application: Every evening, mark the day's emotion with an emoji in Serica and add a single sentence: "Today I felt ... because ..." Look back after a few weeks with the emoji filter to see which days were harder.

3.Write a "Winter Note" Once a Week

Catching and reframing your negative thoughts about winter helps you get through this season more lightly.

Practical Application: Create a template in Serica called "My Winter Notes": Thought / Evidence for / Evidence against / A more balanced thought. Dedicate 10 minutes to this on Sunday evenings.

3.Consult a Specialist Regarding Light Therapy

Research shows that bright light therapy performed with special light boxes can produce effects comparable to antidepressant medications in seasonal depression. However, not every method is suitable for every organism; since the application differs especially in conditions such as bipolar disorder, make sure to consult a doctor before starting.

Practical Application: If your doctor approves, combine the short time you spend in front of the light box in the mornings with your breakfast or journaling moment.

When to Seek Support?

Journaling is a powerful companion, but it is not a treatment. If low mood, lack of interest in things you enjoy, persistent fatigue, or difficulty focusing are making your daily life hard, do not hesitate to consult a specialist. If you are experiencing thoughts of self-harm, call the emergency helpline in your area without delay.

Autumn is a season when nature chooses to slow down; it is only natural for us to slow down a little, too. The important thing is to notice when this slowness rests you and when it pulls you in. Trust your thoughts to Serica this winter and leave a note for yourself today to be opened in the spring with the Time Capsule. Reading how you got through this season when that day comes will be the sweetest reminder for you.