As autumn turns to winter in British Columbia, the days grow shorter, the mornings darker, and the evenings seem to arrive before we've finished our workday. For some people, these changes bring little more than a desire to curl up with a warm drink. For others, the seasonal shift can trigger persistent sadness, low energy, difficulty concentrating, changes in sleep, and a loss of interest in activities they usually enjoy.
This experience is often called seasonal depression, and when symptoms follow a recurring seasonal pattern, it may be a form of seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
In British Columbia, where winter daylight can feel particularly limited, understanding the connection between light, mood, and our daily routines is an important step toward feeling better. From light therapy and outdoor activity to sleep habits and professional support, there are several ways to approach the darker months with greater awareness and care.
What Is Seasonal Depression?
Seasonal depression describes depressive symptoms that emerge or worsen during a particular time of year, often in autumn and winter, and improve as spring returns. Seasonal affective disorder is a recognized pattern of depression in which episodes occur seasonally and recur over time.
Although everyone experiences changes in energy or mood occasionally, seasonal depression is more persistent than the typical winter blues. It can interfere with work, relationships, motivation, sleep, and everyday responsibilities.
Common symptoms include:
Persistent sadness, low mood, or feelings of hopelessness.
Reduced energy, fatigue, or a sense of heaviness.
Sleeping more than usual or struggling to wake up.
Increased appetite, particularly cravings for carbohydrates.
Difficulty concentrating or making decisions.
Withdrawing from friends, family, and social activities.
Losing interest in hobbies or activities that normally bring pleasure.
Not everyone experiences every symptom, and seasonal depression can affect people differently. Some people experience anxiety, irritability, disrupted sleep, or reduced motivation rather than obvious sadness.
Researchers believe that reduced daylight can influence the body's circadian rhythm, the internal clock that regulates sleep and wakefulness. Changes in light exposure may also affect biological processes involving melatonin and serotonin, which play roles in sleep and mood.
Seasonal depression is not a personal failing, a lack of willpower, or something that can always be resolved by simply thinking positively. It is a real health concern, and effective treatments are available.
Why Winter Can Be Difficult in British Columbia
British Columbia is known for its natural beauty, but winter brings a different experience of the outdoors. In many communities, shorter days coincide with overcast skies, persistent rain, and long stretches of limited sunshine.
When daylight becomes scarce, it can be harder to get outside before or after work. People may spend more time indoors, move less, and socialize less frequently. These changes can create a cycle in which low energy makes activity more difficult, while reduced activity and social connection can contribute to feeling worse.
This does not mean that everyone living in a northern climate will develop seasonal depression. Genetics, personal history, existing mental health conditions, work schedules, and individual sensitivity to seasonal changes all influence risk.
Recognizing your own pattern is useful. If your mood and energy reliably decline every autumn, consider discussing that pattern with a healthcare professional before symptoms become overwhelming.
Permanent Daylight Time in BC: Could It Affect Seasonal Depression?
British Columbia's move to permanent daylight time has prompted important questions about the relationship between daylight, sleep, and mental health. While more evening daylight may create opportunities for outdoor activities and social connection, there is another side to consider: the potential impact of darker winter mornings.
Our circadian rhythm, or internal body clock, helps regulate sleep, wakefulness, and other biological processes. Light is one of its most important signals. Morning light generally helps synchronize our internal clock with the natural day, promotes alertness, and shifts our sleep-wake rhythm earlier. Evening light, by contrast, can delay the body clock and make it harder to fall asleep at the desired time.
Research on seasonal affective disorder suggests that the timing of light exposure matters. Some clinical studies have found that morning light therapy can be particularly helpful, while others show benefits from both morning and evening treatment. The evidence supports light therapy as a treatment for winter-pattern seasonal depression, although morning light has not been shown to be universally more effective for everyone.
Under permanent daylight time, winter sunrise occurs one hour later on the clock than it would under standard time. For people who wake early for work or school, this could reduce opportunities to receive natural morning light before starting their day. Researchers have raised concerns about the potential effects of later winter sunrises on circadian rhythms, sleep, and mental health.
However, it is important to distinguish a plausible concern from a proven outcome. The long-term effects of BC's time policy on seasonal depression have not yet been established, and people will respond differently.
Regardless of the time on the clock, getting outside during available daylight, maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, and considering clinically appropriate light therapy are practical ways to support wellbeing during the darker months.
Light Therapy: Bringing Bright Light Indoors
Light therapy is one of the best-established treatments for winter-pattern seasonal affective disorder. It can be especially useful for people who struggle to access natural morning light during the darker months.
The treatment involves sitting near a specially designed light therapy box that delivers bright light while filtering out harmful ultraviolet radiation. It is intended to reproduce some of the biological effects of outdoor daylight.
A commonly used starting protocol involves a light box rated at 10,000 lux for approximately 20 to 30 minutes in the morning, although the appropriate duration and timing depend on the device, the person's needs, and clinical guidance.
Lux is a measure of light intensity. Ordinary indoor lighting is generally much dimmer than the light used in standard light therapy, which is why a purpose-built device matters.
How to Use Light Therapy Safely
If you are considering light therapy, keep these principles in mind:
Choose a suitable device. Look for a product designed specifically for light therapy, with an appropriate brightness rating and UV filtering.
Use it at the recommended distance. Light intensity decreases with distance, so follow the manufacturer's instructions.
Position it correctly. The light generally needs to reach your eyes indirectly. You do not need to stare directly into the lamp.
Consider morning use. Morning sessions are commonly recommended for winter-pattern seasonal depression, but timing should be individualized when necessary.
Be consistent. Many people need daily use over several days or weeks to assess whether it is helping.
Track your response. Note changes in mood, sleep, energy, and any unwanted effects.
Light therapy is not risk-free for everyone. Headaches, eye strain, nausea, agitation, or difficulty sleeping can occur. People with bipolar disorder should consult a healthcare professional before starting because light therapy may trigger hypomania or mania. Those with significant eye conditions or medications that increase light sensitivity should also seek medical advice.
If symptoms worsen or you experience unusual energy, a reduced need for sleep, or marked agitation, stop and seek professional guidance.
A healthcare professional can help determine whether light therapy is appropriate, how to time it, and whether another treatment would be more suitable.
Other Strategies to Support Your Mood
Light therapy can be helpful, but it is only one part of a broader approach to mental health. Small, repeatable changes can make winter feel more manageable, particularly when combined with professional care where needed.
1. Get Outside During Daylight
Even on a cloudy day, outdoor light is generally brighter than typical indoor lighting. Try taking a short walk in the morning or around lunchtime, when daylight is available.
If your work schedule makes this difficult, consider a brief outdoor break before work, during lunch, or on weekends. You do not need to go hiking or spend hours outside for the habit to be worthwhile.
In BC, waterproof clothing, comfortable footwear, and a flexible attitude toward the weather can make outdoor time easier to maintain.
2. Keep a Consistent Sleep Schedule
Your circadian rhythm responds to both light and routine. Going to bed and waking up at roughly the same times each day can help support more stable sleep patterns.
Try to avoid large differences between your weekday and weekend schedules. Reduce bright light and stimulating activities close to bedtime if they interfere with sleep, and create a relaxing evening routine.
If you wake up feeling exhausted despite getting enough sleep, or if your sleep patterns change significantly during winter, discuss this with a healthcare professional.
3. Move Your Body Regularly
Physical activity can support mood, sleep, and overall health. It does not have to involve an expensive gym membership or an ambitious exercise plan.
Walking, cycling, swimming, dancing, yoga, and home workouts are all reasonable options. Start with something manageable, even if that means ten minutes of movement, and gradually increase activity as it becomes comfortable.
The goal is consistency rather than perfection. On difficult days, a short walk around the block may be a more realistic and useful target than an intense workout.
4. Stay Connected to Other People
Seasonal depression can make social interaction feel exhausting. You may decline invitations, stop replying to messages, or convince yourself that you would rather be alone.
Although rest and solitude can be valuable, prolonged isolation can also make low mood harder to manage.
Schedule small, low-pressure opportunities for connection. Have coffee with a friend, call a family member, join a walking group, or plan a regular activity with someone you trust.
If you do not have an established social network, community centres, libraries, hobby groups, and volunteering opportunities can provide ways to meet people without requiring immediate emotional closeness.
5. Eat Regularly and Nourish Yourself
Changes in appetite and cravings are common during winter-pattern depression. Rather than approaching food with strict rules, focus on regular meals and a balanced range of foods.
Include sources of protein, fibre-rich carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats. Preparing a few easy meals in advance can help on days when motivation is low.
Vitamin D is also worth discussing with a healthcare professional, particularly if you have risk factors for deficiency. However, vitamin D supplementation is not a proven standalone treatment for seasonal depression, and more is not always better. Ask about appropriate dosing rather than taking high doses without guidance.
6. Make Your Home Brighter and More Inviting
Your indoor environment cannot fully replace natural daylight, but it can support a more comfortable routine.
Open curtains during the day, spend time near windows, and use adequate lighting in spaces where you work or relax. Consider creating a designated morning area where you can have breakfast, read, or complete your light therapy session.
Warm blankets, enjoyable music, plants, and a favourite hobby may make your home feel more inviting. These changes are not a substitute for depression treatment, but they can reduce friction around everyday self-care.
7. Set Realistic Expectations
When energy is low, everyday tasks can feel disproportionately difficult. Instead of expecting yourself to maintain your busiest summer routine, identify a few priorities for the winter months.
Break larger tasks into smaller steps. Plan enjoyable activities in advance, and allow yourself to adjust expectations on particularly difficult days.
You might aim to take a short walk three times a week, prepare breakfast each morning, or contact one friend every weekend. Small goals create opportunities for progress without making your wellbeing another source of pressure.
When to Seek Professional Help
Self-care strategies can be valuable, but persistent depression deserves appropriate assessment and treatment.
Consider contacting your family doctor, nurse practitioner, psychologist, or another qualified health professional if symptoms last for two weeks or more, interfere with daily functioning, recur each winter, or continue to worsen despite lifestyle changes.
Treatment may include counselling, medication such as antidepressants when appropriate, light therapy, or a combination of approaches. Counselling can provide a supportive space to explore the emotional and practical challenges of seasonal depression, recognize patterns that affect your wellbeing, develop coping strategies, and find ways to maintain meaningful routines and connections throughout the darker months.
It is also important to consider other possible explanations for fatigue, low energy, and difficulty concentrating, including iron deficiency, thyroid problems, sleep disorders, medication effects, and other health conditions. A healthcare professional can help determine whether further assessment or blood tests are appropriate. Avoid taking iron supplements without medical advice, as too much iron can be harmful.
Counselling Support at Being and Becoming Counselling and Wellness Services
If seasonal changes are affecting your mood, energy, or overall wellbeing, you don't have to navigate the darker months alone.
At Being and Becoming Counselling and Wellness Services, we offer a supportive space to explore your experiences, develop coping strategies, and care for your mental health throughout the winter.
We offer in-person counselling near the Vancouver–Burnaby border and virtual counselling sessions across British Columbia, so you can access support in a way that works for you.
You deserve support in every season.
Conclusion: Supporting Your Wellbeing Through Winter
Seasonal depression can make British Columbia's darker months feel challenging, but you do not have to wait for spring to feel better.
Light therapy, outdoor activity, consistent sleep, movement, nourishing meals, and meaningful social connection can all form part of a practical winter wellbeing plan. If you notice recurring changes in your mood, energy, or motivation, paying attention to these patterns can help you identify what support might be useful.
Start with one or two changes you can realistically maintain, and seek professional support if symptoms persist or interfere with daily life.
With the right combination of strategies and support, the darker months can become more manageable. You deserve care and connection in every season.
