29/12/2025
✨ Seasonal Affective Support: What Actually Happens in Your Brain During the Darker Months ✨
If you feel more tired, heavy, emotional, or “off” in the winter, you’re not imagining it, your brain chemistry really does shift with the season.
When daylight decreases, your body produces less serotonin (your mood stabilizer), less dopamine (your motivation + focus), and more melatonin (your sleep hormone).
That combination alone can make you feel:
• low energy
• brain fog
• increased anxiety
• sadness or irritability
• trouble waking up
• craving carbs + sugar
• a general “blah” feeling
On top of that, your circadian rhythm, the 24-hour clock that regulates sleep, hormones, digestion, mood, and inflammation becomes harder to regulate in the winter. This can hit even harder for those with MCAS, chronic illness, concussion history, or nervous system sensitivity.
But there are things you can do to support your winter brain:
✨ 1. Morning light exposure: Even 10–15 minutes helps boost serotonin + set your circadian rhythm.
✨ 2. Get outside daily (even if it’s cloudy): Your brain still registers natural light 10–30× stronger than indoor lighting.
✨ 3. Keep a consistent sleep/wake schedule: Your nervous system thrives on predictable rhythms.
✨ 4. Prioritize protein + grounding meals: Helps stabilize blood sugar + dopamine pathways.
✨ 5. Support gentle movement: Walking, stretching, pilates — anything that gets your circulation going.
✨ 6. Consider supplements (always check with your provider)
• Vitamin D3 + K2
• Omega-3s
• Magnesium
• Riboflavin
• Red light therapy
• SAMe or L-Tryptophan (if appropriate)
✨ 7. Create pockets of warmth + joy
Tea, candles, blankets, nature, slow mornings, quiet evenings. Let winter be softer.
Winter asks us to slow down. Your body isn’t failing, it’s responding.
Be gentle with yourself this season. 🤍❄️
