It does not start with feeling sad
Most people expect low mood to arrive as low mood. Seasonal low mood rarely does. It arrives first as a body change — waking heavier, wanting an extra hour in bed, reaching for bread and pasta, letting the evening plan quietly fall away because you are "just tired this week". The sadness, when it comes, is often several weeks late to its own arrival.
I hear the same sentence from clients every September: I know it is coming. People who have lived through a few winters with this can feel the season turning in their body before they can name anything about their mood. That knowledge is worth something. It is the earliest signal you will get, and it comes at the point where it is still easy to act.
What the pattern actually looks like
Services such as the NHS and the National Institute of Mental Health describe seasonal affective disorder as depression that follows a seasonal pattern — most often beginning in autumn as daylight shortens and easing in spring — rather than a separate illness with different rules. In practice, the early weeks tend to look like this:
- Sleeping longer and waking unrefreshed
- Appetite change, often towards carbohydrates
- Concentration that slips without an obvious reason
- Cancelling things you would ordinarily want to do
- A flatness that is easier to describe as tiredness than as sadness
None of those look like depression from the outside. Which is exactly why the first six weeks so often pass unnamed.
Why early matters more here than almost anywhere else
The things that help with a seasonal pattern — daylight early in the day, a routine that does not depend on motivation, movement, and keeping contact with other people — are all things that become harder the further into it you get. Decisions made from low energy shrink your life. Decisions made in early autumn hold through November.
So the useful work is not "cheer yourself up". It is: write down, now, what your own early signs were last year, while you can still remember them accurately. Put one regular thing in the diary with another person, before you stop wanting to. Fix daylight to a time rather than to a decision.
A question to sit with
If you look back at last autumn — not at the worst of the winter, but at the first two or three weeks — what changed first? Was it sleep, appetite, concentration, or the plans you quietly let go?
Where to take this next
If the change of season is where this shows up for you, Brighten Your Seasons is the guided journal written for exactly this. It walks through recognising your own pattern, tracking what shifts first, and building self-care that keeps working when the light goes. It is designed for the weeks before it takes hold, not the middle of January.
There is also a plain-English overview of the pattern in Understanding seasonal affective disorder and seasonal low mood.
If this feels heavier than a seasonal dip — if it persists, worsens, or makes daily life difficult — please speak to your GP or a mental health professional. If you are having thoughts of harming yourself, contact your local emergency service now.
And if you would like to work on it with someone alongside you, you are welcome to book a session.
Questions to sit with
Ask yourself, gently and without needing an answer straight away:
- Looking back at early autumn, what changes did you notice first in your sleep, appetite, concentration, or mood?
- As daylight shortens, how does tiredness shape the plans you keep or quietly let go?
- What routines or connections have felt steady for you when your energy shifts with the season?
Continue exploring
- Beyond Tracking: How to Track Moods and Feelings for Growth
- How to Track Moods and Feelings for Lasting Awareness
- Tracking Feelings and Energy: Beyond Simple Mood Logs
- Emotional Granularity: Why Mood Tracking Isn't Enough
- What Emotional Disconnection Actually Looks Like, Day to Day
- Framework: Nervous System Regulation — the guide this piece belongs to, with a practical exercise
- Guided journal: Brighten Your Seasons
Where to take this next
Explore Managing Anxiety & Panic Attacks for working through anxiety and panic with CBT tools
A therapist-led video course and CBT journal for anxiety, panic and nervous system calm.
Explore Managing Anxiety & Panic Attacks – Video Course + CBT Journal
This is Echo's own course, created by Hendrina Sterling Rodriguez.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
The questions readers most often bring to this topic, answered in short.
What are the common early physical signs of seasonal low mood?
Early signs usually appear as bodily changes rather than emotional sadness. You might notice yourself sleeping longer but waking up unrefreshed, craving carbohydrates, or feeling a general sense of tiredness. These physical signals often arrive several weeks before the actual low mood sets in.
Why is it important to identify these symptoms early?
Taking action early is vital because the activities that help, such as maintaining routines and staying social, become much harder to start once low energy takes hold. Decisions made in early autumn are easier to maintain than those attempted during the peak of winter. Recognizing the pattern early allows you to act while you still have the motivation to do so.
How can I prepare for seasonal changes in my mood?
The most effective approach is to write down your specific early warning signs from previous years while you can still remember them clearly. Once you identify these patterns, try to schedule one regular social or physical commitment that doesn't rely on daily motivation. This helps prevent your life from 'shrinking' due to low energy.
Sources
- NHS — Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) — Tier 1
- NIMH — Seasonal affective disorder — Tier 1
- About Echo — Tier 2
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Written by Hendrina Sterling Rodríguez, psychotherapist and founder of Echo Journey. If you’d like to work with me directly, book a consultation.