Summer Sadness — Just as Real as the Winter Blues

Sometimes it feels like warm weather is supposed to cure all our issues. But when those sunny months just don’t feel so sunny — know that you’re not alone.

Ah, summer. The season of sunshine and popsicles, beach days and ice cream trucks. Three months of longer days and cooler nights, packed with trips to the pool and the drugstore for bottles of sunscreen.

I used to consider summer the “happy months.” They’re bright and sunny, warm and fun. I enjoy park picnics and barbeques, and a trip to the beach is always relaxing — even if I come home with a horrendous, uneven sunburn.

As a kid growing up in Northern Michigan, I spent my summers near the lake with my family. My worries were delegated to choosing what bathing suit to wear outside and what snack to have after lunch. But as an adult, I’ve found that the longing I once had for summer has changed.

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Noticing a shift in my summers

While I do crave warmth and daylight, I find more and more of my weekends filled with traveling, weddings, baby showers, and birthday parties.

I long for those easy, child-friendly days in Northern Michigan. The older I get, the busier I become. And the busier I become, the more I resent summer. The three months are a season of stress and anxiety.

I fell into a depressive episode two summers ago. Its emergence in June was unexpected, and I almost didn’t recognize it for what it was.

Like many, I’m affected by seasonal affective disorder (SAD) — a change in mood and behavior with the change of seasons. Every year, I can expect to feel sluggish and low during the dark and dreary months of December, January, February, and March. I’ve found a routine for this: exercising more, using a sun lamp, and maintaining a regular diet.

Finding myself depressed during what I had initially considered the “happy months” was new and unusual. Now, was this episode caused solely by summertime SAD?

I can’t say for certain, as I’m sure it was influenced by external factors. But I’m a firm believer that our environment plays a crucial part in our mood.

Understanding my summertime sadness

That depressive episode encouraged me to think more seriously about summertime depression — what causes it, what helps it, who experiences it, and more.

It’s not unusual for people to feel down in the winter months. In fact, about 5% of adults in the U.S. experience SAD.

Though the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) notes scientists don’t know exactly what causes SAD, they believe the lack of sunlight in winter causes an imbalance of serotonin. Symptoms can include oversleeping, overeating, weight gain, and social withdrawal.

Far fewer people experience summer seasonal affective disorder. According to the NIMH, while the lack of sunlight in the winter months tends to cause a lack of serotonin, too much sun in the summer months can lead to slowed melatonin production.

Our body needs balanced melatonin in order to regulate our sleep patterns. Without consistent sleep, we may be more susceptible to depressive symptoms.

As such, most people experiencing summer SAD will experience symptoms opposite to winter SAD. These include insomnia, poor appetite, weight loss, anxiety, and agitation.

Professionals note that other elements can also influence your depression during the summer months. Warmer weather may negatively affect exercise routines, as people may want to avoid working out in uncomfortable heat or humidity. Wearing fewer layers — or trips to the beach — may influence body image issues. Travel plans or vacations can increase financial stress and burden.

Finding ways to cope

They say the only consistent thing in life is change — changing seasons, changing people, changing jobs.

With all of that change, there is a complete lack of control, and we find ourselves surrendering to the unknown. As this spring morphs into the summer, I have found myself in a season of intense change. It has been an incredibly stressful time, and the anxiety has been paralyzing.

As I attempt to keep calm and keep the summertime SAD at bay, I’ve been reflecting on what I can control.

I’ve been forcing myself to maintain a consistent diet — three meals a day. I’ve been religiously going to the gym — my safe haven. I talk to my therapist, I hydrate, I make time for my friends and for myself. I’ve tried acupuncture and I’ve been practicing mindfulness.

The bottom line

As much as I wish I could turn back time to relive my happy months as a carefree child in Northern Michigan, I have been gradually accepting that those “happy months” were, in fact, just a self-made construct.

There is no timeline to schedule when we will be happy or when we will have a depressive episode. Happiness is not something that can be maintained consistently for three summer months — it’s as fleeting as any daily emotion.

As I enter this summer, stressed and overwhelmed as ever, I hope to be mindful that bright, sunny days do not necessarily correspond with bright, sunny moods. And when my anxiety paralyzes me and the blanket of stress seems suffocating, I will take a breath and remind myself of the only thing of which I’m certain: change is coming.