RVA Counseling<\/a> said while it\u2019s perfectly normal to want to hibernate during the colder months, about 5% of the population experiences seasonal depression that begins returning this time of year.<\/p>\n\u201cSleeping a lot, and overeating, wanting to stay in bed, wanting to stay inside, not wanting to do things,\u201d Charles said, describing common symptoms.<\/p>\n
People with seasonal depression, also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, typically feel these low emotions for about 40% of the year.<\/p>\n
Charles said the loss of sunlight plays a significant factor, especially after the summer months, when people spend more time outdoors.<\/p>\n
Despite colder weather, Charles emphasized that people can still benefit from outdoor activities. She recommended simply layering up and going for a walk as a mood booster.<\/p>\n
\u201cGetting outside, even if it\u2019s cloudy, is so much for you then unnatural light. Natural light is better for us,\u201d Charles said.<\/p>\n
For those who find cold weather too challenging, Charles suggested adapting hobbies to be more indoor-friendly, such as taking hot yoga classes or picking up creative activities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe more time that we spend being creative and imaginative, the less time our mind has to go down these rabbit holes,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Charles also emphasized the importance of sufficient sleep, eating healthy, and establishing a routine as key components for feeling your best during the fall and winter months.<\/p>\n
For those experiencing spiraling thoughts, she recommended journaling as an effective outlet.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re dumping words on the page and out your head,\u201d Charles said.<\/p>\n
Anyone struggling with mental health issues can contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which is available 24\/7.<\/p>\n
Copyright 2025 WWBT. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"RICHMOND, VA – As Friday marks World Mental Health Day, and shorter days and colder temperatures start to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":77684,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[220,218,163,85,46,54542,57,54541,522,523,21457,54543,54540],"class_list":{"0":"post-77683","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-breaking-news","9":"tag-breaking-news-video","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-il","12":"tag-israel","13":"tag-live-speeches","14":"tag-live-updates","15":"tag-live-video","16":"tag-mental-health","17":"tag-mentalhealth","18":"tag-press-conference","19":"tag-real-time-coverage","20":"tag-video-updates"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77683"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77683\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}