Winter Blues or Seasonal Depression? Getting Through Utah's Dark Months

When the clocks fall back and the sun sets before you leave work, many people in Utah notice their energy drop. Add a few weeks of gray inversion skies over the Salt Lake Valley, and it’s easy to feel flat. For some, it’s a passing case of the winter blues. For others, it’s seasonal depression.

Blues vs. seasonal depression

The winter blues are mild: you feel a little slower and more tired, but you still function and enjoy things. Seasonal affective disorder (often called SAD) is a form of depression that returns around the same time each year, usually in late fall, and lifts in spring. Signs include:

• Low mood most of the day, nearly every day.
• Oversleeping and still feeling exhausted.
• Craving carbs and gaining weight.
• Pulling away from friends and activities, as if “hibernating.”
• Trouble concentrating at work or school.

If these patterns show up every winter and get in the way of daily life, it’s more than the weather. It’s worth getting help.

What helps

• Get morning light. A walk soon after sunrise, or sitting near a bright window, helps reset your internal clock.
• Keep a steady routine. Wake up and go to bed at the same times, even on weekends.
• Move your body. Regular movement, even a short indoor workout, lifts mood.
• Plan connection. Put time with people on the calendar so isolation doesn’t creep in.
• Ask about light therapy. A light box used correctly can help many people, but talk to a professional first, especially if you have bipolar disorder or eye conditions.

When to reach out

Therapy, especially CBT adapted for seasonal depression, can ease symptoms and help prevent them from coming back next year. You don’t have to wait for spring to feel better.

NeuroCare PI offers depression treatment in Salt Lake City, in person in Sandy or online across Utah, in English and Spanish. Request an appointment any time.

If you are having thoughts of harming yourself, call or text 988 right away, or call 911.