Transitioning into Spring
A number of weeks ago we covered seasonal affective disorder (SAD), often called seasonal depression. Often, when people think of seasonal depression, they think of winter, with its lack of hours of daylight and the cold keeping us inside. You might imagine that, regardless of whether or not someone has SAD, that spring is a time for growing as a person and “spring cleaning” your mind. Both of these can be true, however, it’s important to recognize the pressure that putting those expectations on yourself and others can lead to.
Transitions are difficult, no matter what they are; the transition from winter into spring is no different. In fact, spring can be a particularly difficult time of year as people graduate, prepare for the next grade of school, and even due to the change that comes from a relatively chill (pun intended) winter, into a vibrant and sometimes chaotic spring. None of these even account for the increase in the amount and severity of seasonal allergies that many of us have grown unaccustomed to, as I know I have! Spring can bring a change in routines and habits that we have gotten used to through fall and winter, and the arrival of all this change can definitely be tiring and stressful. With all that in mind, it is important to recognize the fact that each and every one of us approaches transitions, including that from winter to spring, in different ways and at different speeds. Even beyond the feelings of fatigue and over-stimulation that we might feel at the arrival of spring, this transition period affects our mental health in other ways.
Spring has the highest suicide rates compared to any other time of the year, and research shows that there is a correlation between spring and the first manic episode individuals might experience. And as we touched on earlier, feelings of anxiety can spike during this time of year due to all of the change that we may be experiencing. None of these things are anything to ignore, and we should, in fact, take time in the next number of weeks to continuously check in with ourselves. Are you pushing yourself too much to bounce back from the relative calmness of winter? Are you setting expectations for yourself that might be causing yourself stress? Remember to take time to recognize that you are transitioning just as much as the seasons are, and that is totally okay.
Ayanna Schubert
Birch Psychology
Resources
https://cbtprofessionals.com.au/spring-into-mental-health-the-psychological-effects-of-the-season/
https://americanbehavioralclinics.com/springs-arrival-affects-mental-health/
