What Is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?
As daylight hours shrink, the body’s internal clock, the circadian rhythm, can fall out of sync with the environment. Less sunlight means less serotonin (the “feel-good” neurotransmitter), less vitamin D production, and a shift in melatonin levels, which regulate sleep and mood.
This combination can lead to low energy, irritability, oversleeping, or feeling detached, symptoms recognised as Seasonal Affective Disorder, or seasonal depression.
While estimates vary, studies suggest that 10–20% of people in temperate climates (that includes Portugal and Spain) experience mild to moderate symptoms every winter. It’s common, natural, and manageable, a sign that your body is asking for balance and light.
Get Your Light Right
Light is more than what lets us see, it’s what keeps our internal systems running in tune. Morning light, in particular, helps reset the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the brain’s master clock. This triggers serotonin production and sets the timing for melatonin release later at night.
If natural sunlight is limited, small daily rituals make a difference:
-
Get outside early, even for 10–15 minutes — morning light has the highest blue spectrum content that signals “wake up” to your brain.
-
Sit by a bright window when you work or read.
-
Consider light therapy lamps (10,000 lux) for 20–30 minutes a day, ideally before noon.
These small actions reinforce your rhythm, boost serotonin, and keep your sleep cycle steady, all key to mood regulation.
Move Gently, But Consistently
Exercise is one of the most effective non-pharmaceutical treatments for mild to moderate depression and the effect is strongest when it’s consistent, not extreme.
Physical activity releases endorphins, dopamine, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that helps your brain grow new neural connections, literally rewiring your mood from the inside out.
You don’t need an hour at the gym. Instead, think of movement as mood hygiene:
-
Walk outdoors after lunch.
-
Stretch for 10 minutes in the morning.
-
Put on music and dance in your kitchen (this one's our favourite).
These micro-movements regulate your nervous system, loosen tension, and remind your body it’s alive and adaptable.
Create Your Cocoon
Environment matters. When daylight fades, your space becomes your ecosystem. The visual, olfactory, and auditory cues you surround yourself with can either support or drain you.
To create a sense of calm and stability:
-
Use warm, indirect lighting instead of harsh overheads.
-
Bring in natural textures — wood, wool, plants, and stone — to anchor the senses.
-
Incorporate aromatherapy:
-
Vetiver and Lavender calm and ground the nervous system.
-
Lemon and Clary Sage refresh and lift the mood.
-
Scents interact with the limbic system, the emotional center of your brain, and can help reinforce relaxation and emotional balance, especially when paired with deep breathing.
Check Your Baseline: Support from Within
During winter, your body’s biochemical baseline can shift, especially when serotonin, cortisol, and endocannabinoid levels drop. Supporting balance from within can make the emotional terrain easier to navigate.
Plant compounds like CBD and CBG interact with the endocannabinoid system (ECS), the network that helps regulate mood, sleep, and stress response. By supporting the ECS, these compounds can:
-
Promote calm without sedation.
-
Reduce stress reactivity.
-
Improve sleep quality and focus.
Think of them not as quick fixes, but as tools to restore your natural baseline, helping your body find equilibrium as it adapts to the season.
(BlumiLABS blends like Chill Mode and Blue Sky were designed with this philosophy in mind: mood support rooted in biochemistry, not escapism.)
Nurture, Don’t Pressure
Winter is a time of rest and slow growth, not stagnation. Nature doesn’t rush, and neither should you.
Let the shorter days invite reflection, softness, and grounding routines. Eat warm, nourishing meals rich in omega-3s and complex carbs (they support serotonin).
Sleep deeply. Connect with people who make you feel safe. Light candles. Breathe.
Your energy will return and when it does, it’ll come from a place of genuine renewal, not resistance.
You’re still growing, even in the dark months. 🌙
0 comments