\u201cWhat I was not ready for was the endless winter gloom\u201d in Sacramento, said Hansen. He recalled going 21 days straight that year \u201cwithout even a hint of the sun,\u201d which, much like this year, saw a record stretch of foggy and gloomy weather.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt was like a plane crashed on top of me,\u201d he said. \u201cI fell into a terrible depression.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Hansen didn\u2019t leave the house, and eventually, he began neglecting work.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMoving to Sacramento really highlighted the problem, and, you know, set me on a path to figuring out what the heck was going on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Hansen is one of millions of people across the U.S.<\/a> who, as the days get shorter and nights get longer, brace for symptoms more substantial than the colder weather itself.<\/p>\n Seasonal depression \u2018interferes with almost every aspect of life\u2019<\/p>\n Seasonal depression <\/a>affects about 5% of U.S. adults \u2014 roughly 13 million people \u2014 for roughly 40% of the year, according to the American Psychiatric Association.<\/p>\n While seasonal depression is treatable, it \u201cinterferes with almost every aspect of life,\u201d said Gloria Petruzzelli, a licensed clinical psychologist with UC Davis Health Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. If the following symptoms persist for two weeks, she said, seek help from a trained mental health professional<\/a>:<\/p>\n Low mood<\/p>\n Loss of interest in hobbies and habits<\/p>\n Fatigue<\/p>\n Sleep and appetite changes<\/p>\n Difficulty concentrating<\/p>\n Restlessness or sluggish<\/p>\n Pattern of hopeless and worthless thoughts<\/p>\n \u201cNo matter what role or how long I\u2019ve practiced, (seasonal depression) is something that we see recurring because of the time of the year,\u201d said Petruzzelli, who\u2019s been practicing in the Sacramento area for more than 15 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n Young adults, women and people living in geographic locations with fewer daylight hours in the winter are at high risk of seasonal depression<\/a>, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Some people experience symptoms in the summer, but it\u2019s not as common.<\/p>\n Hansen\u2019s seasonal depression typically starts creeping in shortly after Halloween with symptoms of fatigue and low motivation. Sometimes, he said, all he can manage to do is lie in bed and watch television all day.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou can find a way through this, but you have to be an advocate for yourself because even in this day and age, it\u2019s difficult with doctors to get to a place where they understand what you\u2019re experiencing, said Hansen, now 69, who\u2019s been working with Stop Stigma Sacramento since 2015<\/a> to educate the region about mental illness. \u201cYou have to be brutally honest \u2026 and a lot of people won\u2019t open up that way.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Hansen was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder<\/a> in 2015, which is a mental illness that causes periods of intense emotional shifts in mood, energy and ability to function, according to the American Psychiatric Association.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mental illness is a common health condition<\/a> in the region and affects all ages, according to Stop Stigma Sacramento, a mental health resource funded by the Sacramento County Division of Behavioral Health Services.<\/p>\n People are more likely to experience seasonal depression than generalized depression, especially those who haven\u2019t experienced a significant trauma in their life, said La Viola Ward, a licensed professional clinical counselor.<\/p>\n \u201cJust because (seasonal depression) comes seasonally doesn\u2019t mean that it can\u2019t feel really heavy,\u201d said Ward, who serves clients in Sacramento and across the state of California through her private practice.<\/a><\/p>\n Seasonal changes and well-being<\/p>\n As the colder weather brings brighter mornings and darker nights, it\u2019s normal not to feel like yourself.<\/p>\n That\u2019s coming from Petruzzelli, who said the effects of seasonal changes highlight the connection between the body and the environment. The dip in sunlight hours during the colder months decreases serotonin<\/a> and increases melatonin<\/a>, triggering mood dips and fatigue. <\/p>\n The winter holiday season can exacerbate symptoms as people feel the extra pressure to be social and festive. For some, Ward said, the holidays bring financial stress and family conflict.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re trying to physically stay warm, you\u2019re trying to fiscally manage, and you\u2019re trying to make sure that your mental health is balanced and managed,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a very difficult thing.\u201d<\/p>\n About 10% to 20% of people in the U.S. may experience winter blues, a mild form of seasonal depression<\/a> where its effects aren\u2019t as widespread, according to the Cleveland Clinic, an academic medical center.<\/p>\n The circadian rhythm is the body\u2019s 24-hour clock<\/a> that not only influences its wake-sleep cycle, but also other processes, including hormones, digestion and temperature, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Light or lack thereof affects its function the most.<\/p>\n Other factors include stress, mental health conditions and food intake.<\/p>\n \u201cFor anybody, no matter how good your mental health is, if your rhythm is disrupted, it\u2019s going to cause some amount of stress,\u201d said Kasturi Banerjee, a clinical health psychologist <\/a>with the University of California, Los Angeles Health.\u00a0<\/p>\n Psychological processes play a key role in how the body functions, said Banerjee, who specializes in digestive diseases. Factors such as nature, social and political events, and human interactions affect emotions.\u00a0<\/p>\n Chronic stress keeps the digestive system in a state of flux, Banerjee said, leading to dysfunction in how the brain and the gut communicate through the nervous system over time. It also causes disruptions in behaviors such as eating and sleeping patterns.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAll of those things have an impact on how well our body is functioning,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Treating seasonal depression\u00a0<\/p>\n Take charge of your mental health with a consistent routine, said Petruzzelli, who specializes in health and performance psychologies.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cWe are whole people and what we put in our body and how we move our body \u2026 it\u2019s all integrated,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Light therapy, vitamin D supplementation, therapy and medication are traditionally used to treat seasonal depression<\/a>, according to UC Davis Health. Here are several behavioral changes to make, Petruzzelli said, to also combat symptoms:\u00a0<\/p>\n Regular exercise<\/p>\n Daily walks outdoors<\/p>\n Consistent wake and sleep scheduled<\/p>\n Mindful movement (yoga and meditation)<\/p>\n Be social\u00a0<\/p>\n Limit alcohol intake<\/p>\n Prioritize nutritious foods\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re boring things that we always hear, but they\u2019re really important to being able to manage how we feel,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Ward, who experienced her own bouts of seasonal depression, said keeping the body warm and talking about your feelings helps.<\/p>\n \u201cSuffering in silence, I think, is one of the worst things that people with any form of depression or anxiety can do because our internal dialog can oftentimes sound very factual,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you allow yourself to just sit and listen to it, it can tell you really, really bad things.\u201d<\/p>\n For Hansen, relief comes in many forms, including his 2-year-old Cavapoo named Luna.<\/p>\n \u201cShe is the absolute light of my life,\u201d he said, \u201cand the idea that you have a little creature that you\u2019re responsible for that really depends on you helps with this as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Link between food and mood<\/p>\n What you eat affects your mental health.<\/p>\n The entire body, including the brain, needs adequate nutrition to run properly, said Carmen Moyers, a registered dietitian<\/a> with Dignity Health Mercy Medical Group in Sacramento. Nutrients such as protein, healthy fats and carbohydrates influence mental capacity in both focus and mood.<\/p>\n Reach for fruits, vegetables and legumes, whole grains and omega-3 fatty acids to help stave off feelings of sadness and fatigue, said Moyers, who provides medical nutrition therapy to patients.<\/p>\n![\"Man](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC01205-1024x683.jpg\")
Michael Hansen in his office. (Cameron Clark)<\/p>\n![\"Man](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC01298-1024x723.jpg\")
Michael Hansen holds his dog, Luna. (Cameron Clark)<\/p>\n