Why Do I Feel Low Every Winter? Understanding the Hidden Causes of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
If the dark, chilly months leave you feeling sluggish, unmotivated, or unusually emotional, you’re not alone.
Every year, countless people notice their mood dipping and feeling depressed as the days get shorter and many don’t realise that what they’re experiencing has a name: Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD.
As a solution-focused hypnotherapist in Nottingham, I often meet clients who say, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me , I’m fine in summer, but winter just knocks me sideways.”
The truth? SAD isn’t simply “winter blues.” It’s a real, cyclical change in your brain and body, triggered by light, lifestyle shifts, and unconscious patterns.
So let’s peel back the layers and explore what might really be affecting your mood and how you can support yourself through the darker months.
1. Reduced Daylight – The Mood Disruptor
Daylight plays a huge role in regulating your internal clock, your hormones, and your overall sense of wellbeing. When autumn arrives, our exposure to natural light drops dramatically, especially here in the UK.
Less sunlight leads to:
- Lower serotonin (your feel-good neurotransmitter)
- Higher melatonin (the hormone that makes you sleepy)
- A disrupted circadian rhythm
This combination can trigger fatigue, low motivation, cravings, and emotional heaviness.
In hypnotherapy sessions, we often focus on helping the brain recalibrate its internal rhythm. Through deep relaxation, we can guide the mind back toward balance and stability, even when the environment is working against you.
Top Tip: Get outside within the first hour of waking. Even 10 minutes of natural light boosts serotonin and helps reset your internal clock.
Interesting Fact: Morning daylight exposure can improve mood and energy levels by up to 50% over time.
2. Changes in Sleep – The Energy Drainer
With melatonin rising earlier in winter, many people with SAD feel sleepy at unusual times, yet still struggle to get refreshing rest.
You might notice:
- Oversleeping
- Difficulty waking up
- Feeling tired despite a full night’s sleep
- A desire to nap during the day
This is your body trying to adapt to shorter days, often unsuccessfully.
In my Nottingham practice, I help clients use solution-focused hypnotherapy to restore sleep quality, calm stress responses, and reset their internal cues for rest and wakefulness.
Top Tip: Keep a strict wake-up time, even on weekends. Consistency stabilises your circadian rhythm quicker than anything else.
Interesting Fact: People with SAD produce significantly more melatonin during winter months, contributing to lethargy and low motivation.
3. Stress, Overthinking, and Winter Worries
Shorter days and colder weather naturally reduce physical activity and social connection, two major protective factors for mental wellbeing.
When we’re indoors more, the mind has fewer positive distractions. This creates the perfect conditions for:
- Overthinking
- Worrying and feeling anxious
- Feeling “stuck”
- Rumination
All of which intensify the symptoms of SAD.
Solution-focused hypnotherapy helps quiet the analytical part of the brain and activate the solution-focused network, the part that encourages optimism, resilience, and emotional balance.
Top Tip: When negative thoughts spiral, switch to a simple visualisation: imagine stepping into warm sunlight, feeling it brighten your mood. Your brain responds to these images as if they were real.
Interesting Fact: Studies show that positive visualisation lowers cortisol and can ease symptoms of depression and anxiety.
4. Subconscious Associations and Seasonal Patterns
If you’ve struggled with SAD before, your subconscious may automatically brace for winter, expecting low mood, fatigue, or irritability.
This anticipation alone can worsen symptoms.
Your mind may create unconscious patterns like:
- “Winter is always hard for me.”
- “I never cope well this time of year.”
- “I’m at my worst as soon as the clocks change.”
These beliefs can quietly reinforce low mood and lethargy.
Hypnotherapy helps rewrite these patterns, replacing them with calm, balanced, and supportive thoughts that genuinely change how you feel throughout the season.
Top Tip: Use this affirmation before bed and on waking:
“I move through the winter months with ease, balance, and strength.”
Repetition helps reset belief systems.
Interesting Fact: Around 95% of behaviour, including emotional responses, is influenced by the subconscious mind.
5. Lifestyle Shifts That Sneak Up on You
Colder months bring changes that often go unnoticed but have a huge impact on mood:
- Less exercise
- More comfort eating
- Less social interaction
- More screen time
- Disrupted routines
- Increased caffeine or sugar intake
All of these subtly influence hormones, mood, and energy.
In hypnotherapy, we gently help clients identify healthier micro-habits that lift mood without feeling overwhelming.
Top Tip: Add one “winter wellbeing ritual” each day – like stretching, journaling, a short walk, or listening to calming music.
Interesting Fact: Just 20 minutes of movement can increase serotonin levels and boost mood for up to 12 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What exactly is SAD? | A type of depression that follows seasonal patterns, most commonly appearing in autumn and winter. |
| When does SAD usually start? | Symptoms often begin when daylight hours decrease, typically October–November. |
| Can hypnotherapy help with SAD? | Yes — it reduces stress, improves sleep, and helps rebalance subconscious patterns affecting mood. |
| Do I need medication? | Not always. Some people benefit from therapy, light exposure, or lifestyle changes. Always consult your GP if unsure. |
| How long until I see improvement? | Many clients notice brighter mood and better energy within 4–6 hypnotherapy sessions. |
Rediscovering Balance During the Darker Months
SAD can make winter feel heavy, but it doesn’t have to control your life. Your brain can adapt, your energy can return, and your mood can stabilise with the right support.
At Altered Mind Hypnotherapy in Nottingham, I help clients gently shift out of winter fatigue, rebuild motivation, and reconnect with a brighter emotional landscape, even on the cloudiest days.
If the darker months feel overwhelming, you don’t have to cope alone. Relief is absolutely possible.
Take your first step today.
📞 Call: 07542 988400
📧 Email: eniko@alteredmindhypnotherapy.com
