Posted: December 31, 2024

This is the fifth of the five-part “Health Matters” series in My Edmonds News focused on health topics in South Snohomish County and sponsored by the Verdant Health Commission.

Read part 1 — “As county’s demographics change, immigrants struggle to access health care” — here,part 2 — “Area’s increasing density prompts gardeners to get creative growing in small spaces” — here,  part 3 –“Despite clear value, many people delay or skip health screenings — here, and part 4 — “Roadblocks to health — Without transportation, local residents may skip health care” — here.

As the days darken and the rain falls, local residents get creative to ward off the seasonal blues. Whether it’s fostering kittens, stringing up lights or swimming in Puget Sound, people have discovered distinct ways to lift their spirits and stay energized.

These strategies – as well as more common approaches like daily exercise, healthy eating and light therapy – are crucial, health experts say.  That’s because Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, affects millions of adults in the U.S., with rates higher in places like the Pacific Northwest. In addition to those with SAD, even more people experience milder mood shifts during the dark months.

“A lot more people struggle than we talk about,” said Kira Mauseth, a clinical psychologist and a teaching professor at Seattle University.  “It’s more common than people are aware.”

SAD refers to depression that is connected to seasonal changes, with most people experiencing higher rates in the winter months. Symptoms of the disorder are severe enough to impact people’s daily functioning, according to the American Psychiatric Association.  Females, young adults and people with a family history are more likely to experience SAD.

Another risk factor: living in higher latitudes like the Pacific Northwest, where the effects are typically stronger. That’s because the increased darkness impacts people’s moods and interrupts their daily rhythm, explains Tatiana Rivera Cruz, a clinical social worker and therapist who works via telehealth with clients nationwide. In the beginning of November, she notices a clear mood shift among clients in Northern regions as time changes lead to even darker evenings and gray skies replace sunlight.

“Their emotional states start to change,” Cruz said. “They start to feel low energy, isolated and sad.”

When SAD symptoms dictate daily life

Those characteristics are familiar to Eileen Murphy, a former local resident and Edmonds Heights K-12 school parent. When Murphy moved to the Seattle area after college, she noticed an onset of health symptoms including extreme fatigue, brain fog and memory issues. Supplements, a high-quality sun light and medications made no difference.  Despite considering herself an active person before moving to the area, she was plagued with exhaustion.

“My entire life revolved around budgeting my energy,” she said.

After a decade of suffering, a visit to Florida changed everything. Murphy felt like a heavy blanket had lifted, and her focus improved. Ultimately, Murphy and her young family packed up several years ago and moved to Florida – where her energy level continues to be markedly higher.

“We decided I couldn’t continue like this when we had the privilege to let me live instead of just survive,” she said. “I had always thought SAD was just people who liked the sun and got sad without it, but I’ve learned it can be a physical effect that is absolutely debilitating.”

Be thoughtful with your 24 hours

Even people who don’t meet the clinical criteria for depression often experience seasonal mood changes. In fact, 59% of Washington state residents reported some seasonal depression symptoms during the winter, according to a 2022 poll by PEMCO Insurance.

Along with malaise, people might sleep more and eat more, turning to carbohydrates for some extra warm and fuzzy serotonin, explains psychologist Mauseth. They might struggle to concentrate or snap at others more easily.

“You think you should be interested in a holiday get together but you can’t muster up the excitement,” she said. “It doesn’t feel interesting and fun in the same way it used to. You’re making yourself go through the motions and find yourself a sparkly dress but feeling like you’d rather be on the couch in sweats.”

People who experience symptoms of depression should seek advice from a health care provider. Treatments for SAD may include light therapy, psychotherapy and medications. For people who experience milder effects from seasonal changes, shifts in behavior and outlook can make a sizable impact.

For one, Mauseth advises being thoughtful about your time. Consider how you’re using your 24 hours and ask yourself: “Am I spending time in activities that make me feel good vs. zoning out?”

While mindless phone scrolling can feel satisfying in the moment, making small choices to improve well-being can make a lasting impact. Mauseth suggests listing five-minute mood boosters and sticking those on the fridge. These can be as simple as taking the dog for a quick walk, playing outside with the kids, or taking some food to a neighbor. Other times, a quick sensory reset in the form of a hot or cold shower can work wonders. It’s helpful to customize these lists based on your own interests and environment – and to avoid being overly ambitious with the ideas.

“When something is short and accessible, you get the benefit not just of the activity but the feeling of completion,” Mauseth explained.

Dancing away the blues

Throughout the region, people are creating personalized strategies to energize themselves during the bleak months.

Take Mountlake Terrace resident Birgit Ages, who chases away the gloom through international folk dancing in Lynnwood. Ages, who grew up in Germany, arrived in the Pacific Northwest via sunny Southern California many years ago. As she gets older, the dismal weather seems to have an even larger impact. Ages keeps active with weekly dancing opportunities throughout the broader region.

“You just move your body and it just lifts your spirits, no matter your mood,” she says. “Even if you think you’re too tired to go, you get your energy back. It’s a whole community of people and we stick together.”

For Deborah Fournier, an Edmonds School District librarian, it’s all about light. Fournier installs “happy lights” throughout her home and on her work desk. She also keeps festive lights on nine trees throughout her home even after the holidays conclude.

“I’m definitely a seasonal depression gal,” she said. “If I know what makes me happy, I can stay on top of it.”

Like Fournier, Edmonds resident Lisa Gonsalves adjusted her physical surroundings to improve her mood. When she moved into her home, she had initially painted a large wall from the kitchen to the dining room a dark cobalt to match her blue and white plates. Before long, though, she realized that letting more light into the home could brighten her mood, too. Gonsalves repainted that wall a light mint green and bought an oval mirror with silver filigree to catch the sun’s light.

“It felt like my ceilings rose about 10 feet,” she said. “I noticed my mood lighting right away. I don’t mind the cold and the damp; I just can’t stand the dark.”

Animal volunteering helps ease SAD

Edmonds resident Martha Markin Karl stumbled across an innovative approach to seasonal depression after losing her cat. She started visiting local shelters in the hopes of finding her pet. Through the process, she spent time with the shelter cats – and ultimately signed up for a class on fostering kittens. When Karl brought home the fluffy white kittens, she felt a spark of joy. Now, she fosters kittens all winter long.

“Once I start to get that heavy feeling around October, I start fostering,” she said.

Even though the kittens are a lot of work – they tear up her bathroom, require frequent litter box cleaning, and need lots of socializing – the process is gratifying.

“It’s so satisfying to have this little thing you’re helping and knowing you’re getting them to a place where they’re adoptable,” she said.  “I want to help these guys find a forever home – it gives me purpose.”

The experience of helping was so meaningful that Karl began to consider what else she could do during the bleak winter months. She decided to train her Miniature Australian Mountain Doodle as a therapy dog. Together, they visit local assisted living and memory care facilities to brighten residents’ days.

“It boosts endorphins and helps people cope,” she said. “That’s also helped me during the SAD phase.”

Seeing the seasons in a new way

Other local residents have found solace in paying attention to the natural world and observing the changes each season brings.

The area’s big dark has been especially tough for Terry Bockovich, who has struggled with SAD her whole life. Often, it feels as if she’s solar powered, she said. On sunny days, she soaks in the sun’s energy. But when the weather turns, her energy is depleted.

Amid the desire to stay in the quiet sanctuary of her home, she creates a checklist for the walk back to spring. After December’s solstice, for example, there are New Year’s plant sales and a time to start sowing seeds indoors. February marks the first signs of early spring blooms. March brings more seed starting, leading into the season of pink cherry blossoms. By then, the longer sun exposure is breathing new energy into Bockovich’s days – and the hope of brighter moments ahead.

Similarly, Erinn Zavaglia connects with the seasons in an effort to ward off depression – though her path is under the water. Physically moving through nature by swimming in the Edmonds Underwater Dive Park is a powerful experience.

“It helps me feel the seasons because they change under water, too, and you see that,” she said.

In winter, for example, the water tends to be clearer. There are fewer schools of fish but more friendly harbor seals. On a sunny winter day, the rays will illuminate beautiful, iridescent seaweed. In spring, she’ll start to see more fish, and summer brings the murkiest water and jellyfish. In the fall, swimmers observe the most sea life.

Viewing the seasons through the water helps Zavaglia feel more in harmony with her surroundings.

“It helps me feel more connected to something bigger,” she said. “That helps battle the depression that comes with winter.”

The connections with fellow cold-water swimmers matter, too. There is a strong group of local swimmers who meet up by Edmonds’ Brackett’s Landing and enter the water together – sometimes affixing a mermaid tail just for fun. Even just swimming twice a week is a big motivator. Before joining the open water group in 2020, Zavaglia often felt tired and was reluctant to make plans during the darker months. The swimming represented a mindset switch, too.

“It’s such a beautiful opportunity to see that you’re capable of a lot more – our bodies are super resilient,” she said. “Then you start to question: ‘If I can do this and repeat it, what else can I do?’”

Life coach: Shift your lens

Sometimes, seasonal doldrums can also be confused with the stressors that come from certain times of years, such as the holidays.  It’s easy to blame the weather for problems that might be rooted in other dynamics, said Lynnwood-based life coach Elizabeth Stewart. For example, loneliness is often present throughout the seasons but isn’t as well labeled and is easier to ignore. Similarly, holiday events with family can trigger certain emotions like anxiety. Finding and addressing the source of these feelings can be helpful, such as creating more community connections if someone is feeling lonely.

Stewart herself has reframed the winter season as a time to catch up on books and movies and bring out the board games.

“It’s about shifting the lens you’re seeing the world through,” she said. “Are we focusing on the lack of what we have and what we can’t do or on what is available and what does bring us joy?”

For people who experience signs of depression, it’s important to seek the advice of a health care provider. Along with typical symptoms of depression, additional winter-pattern SAD can include:

– Oversleeping (hypersomnia)

– Overeating, particularly with a craving for carbohydrates, leading to weight gain

– Social withdrawal (feeling like “hibernating”)

Source: National Institutes of Health

 — By Kellie Schmitt

Kellie Schmitt is an award-winning health reporter based in Edmonds. She covers health policy, public health and children’s health for a variety of publications including the Johns Hopkins University Public Health Magazine, ParentMap, and USC’s Center for Health Journalism. She has a master’s in science writing from Johns Hopkins University.

This series is supported by funding from the Verdant Health Commission. The My Neighborhood News Network maintains full editorial control over content produced as part of this series.