While the winter season hosts a handful of holidays and gives you ample time to spend with your friends and family, many of us experience some level of anxiety. This can be for a plethora of reasons: a full calendar with little time to relax, the cold weather keeping you indoors, and the sun setting way earlier than it did just a couple of months ago.
“Winter naturally disrupts many of the systems that help us feel emotionally steady,” says Rio Wilson, licensed counselor and founder of Brain-Body Therapy. “Shorter days and reduced sunlight can affect serotonin and melatonin, which play a key role in mood and sleep regulation. Colder weather often leads to less movement and more time indoors, reducing two powerful regulators of the nervous system: physical activity and social connection.”
The cold weather, coupled with daylight saving time, are things we can’t control—sadly. But what we can be in charge of is what we do to keep our anxiety at bay or lessen any seasonal depression you may be experiencing. Think reading, hanging out with friends, getting outside while the sun is still out, and getting your body moving with some sort of workout class. “From a brain-body perspective, anxiety in winter isn’t just psychological—it’s often the nervous system responding to changes in light, rhythm, and stimulation,” Wilson says.
Although it’s great to develop habits during the winter season, some of them may actually be making your negative feelings worse. We spoke with mental health experts to pinpoint the habits that are actually worsening your anxiety during this dark, cold season.
Spending More Time Indoors
It’s hard to blame anyone for wanting to stay inside when it’s cold out and gets dark so early—but spending more time indoors can lead to habits that make your anxiety worse. The reason for this: a lack of sunlight.
“Most of us take advantage of sunlight and warm weather by getting outdoors, but during the winter, the days are shorter, colder, and quieter,” says Payal Patel, LMFT, licensed marriage and family therapist. “The isolation at home can provoke more overthinking and intrusive thoughts. Anxiety manifests around the idea of ‘control,’ and with the winter being so unpredictable, it almost loosens the reins on having routine for many people.”
Because the days can feel so short—especially if you’re in an office for most of it—it can seem hard to treat your body to sunlight. But getting outside when you can may just make a world of difference for your anxiety. “Getting outside earlier in the day, even briefly, supports circadian rhythm and mood regulation during darker months,” Wilson says. “Creating small, predictable routines can be especially grounding when winter feels so long and unstructured.”
Increased Screen Time
When there’s a snowstorm outside, your phone, laptop, or TV can quickly become your best friend. While there is no harm in decompressing and spending time watching funny TikTok videos, playing your favorite video game, or binge-watching a new TV show, doing so can become draining, especially if you’re coming across other people or characters doing things that make you think you’re not doing enough in your own life.
“Spending excessive time on social media or even the news can be draining, but also can put people into a spiral of ‘I should be doing this, I should be doing better,’ which can lead to overthinking and intrusive thoughts,” Patel says.
Having a Poor Sleep Schedule
Sometimes we fall into bad habits at various points in our lives, including our sleep schedule. “Sleep schedules can become inconsistent due to darkness and disrupted circadian rhythms,” Wilson says. “All of this sends signals to the body that it’s under stress. When the body doesn’t get regular movement, daylight, or rest, the brain interprets that as a threat—even if nothing is ‘wrong’.”
In turn, you may find yourself more fatigued in the morning and reaching for coffee and other caffeinated beverages, which may also contribute to anxiety during an already anxiety-inducing time.
Bailing on Plans
During this time of year, it’s important to notice the patterns you create, whether intentionally or unintentionally. It can be easy to create habits that lead to anxiety, such as staying home rather than hanging out with your family or not going to happy hour after work because it’s already dark out when you’re leaving the office.
Plus, bone-chilling weather or unpredictable road conditions are great excuses to get out of plans during the winter season. But when these factors aren’t at play, Patel says that it’s important to stick to your commitments, like “getting out of the house, going for a walk, making plans, and sticking to them no matter how cold it is.” This will keep your mind and body busy while helping you connect with others and stay accountable, even when it’s so easy to just crawl onto the couch and watch TV by yourself.
Drinking Alcohol
“Most people also tend to drink more in the winter because ‘there isn’t anything else to do,’ which, as we all know, can contribute to anxiety, even if it may feel good in the moment,” Patel says. But cutting back on alcohol and even caffeine may help reduce anxiety if you notice they’re contributing to your anxious thoughts.
Not Moving Your Body
Movement is such a great way to cope with anxiety, no matter the time of the year—but especially when you’re spending most of your time indoors. You can do this by investing in a walking pad, an exercise bike, or other workout equipment, and committing to a set amount of time each day or week to move your body. “The most effective habits work with the nervous system, not against it,” Wilson says. “Daily movement—especially low-pressure, consistent exercise—helps release anxious energy and signals safety to the body.”
Lacking Self-Compassion
The new year is filled with resolutions, goals, new habits, and eagerness to become a better version of ourselves. However, this doesn’t always play out the way you imagined, and it’s easy for us to be hard on ourselves for not achieving what we set out to do. “One of the biggest contributors to more anxiety is a lack of self-compassion,” explains Ashley “Ìyá Ashley” Edwards, founder and CEO of MindRight Health. “Many people are far harsher with themselves than they would ever be with a friend. Our self-concept shapes our thoughts, and those thoughts influence our behavior and emotional well-being. When self-criticism becomes the default, it can amplify anxiety rather than help us move forward.” So give yourself a little grace this winter, and remember that you’re not alone.