How to cope with the winter blues
If your mood, energy and sleep slide every year as the days shorten, you are not imagining it. Get outside in daylight each morning, keep regular sleep and meal times, move your body, and keep plans with people even when you would rather stay in. If low mood lasts most days for two weeks or affects work or relationships, see your clinician. If you have thoughts of harming yourself, call or text 988.
Why it matters: Shorter days bring a dip in mood for many people, and noticing the pattern is the first step.
Steps
- Notice whether your mood, energy and sleep change at the same time each year, and write it down.
- Get outside in daylight within an hour or two of waking, even on cloudy days.
- Keep regular sleep and meal times, including on weekends.
- Move your body daily, such as a brisk walk at lunchtime.
- Keep at least one plan a week with a friend, even a short one.
- Book a clinician visit if low mood lasts most days for two weeks or affects work or relationships.
- Call or text 988 in the US if you feel hopeless or have thoughts of harming yourself.
Stop and call a professional if
- you have thoughts of harming yourself: call or text 988 in the US now, or 911 in immediate danger
- low mood, loss of interest or sleep changes last most days for two weeks: see your clinician or a therapist
Questions to ask the professional
- Could this be a seasonal pattern, and what treatments would you suggest?
- Is a light device right for me?
Common mistakes
- Assuming it will simply pass without telling anyone.
- Staying in bed later to make up for low energy.
- Buying a light device and using it without asking a clinician first.
Teach this to someone
A one page sheet for showing a friend, a teenager or a parent: what to say, what to show, and one question to check it landed.
Teach: How to cope with the winter blues
What to say
If your mood, energy and sleep slide every year as the days shorten, you are not imagining it. Get outside in daylight each morning, keep regular sleep and meal times, move your body, and keep plans with people even when you would rather stay in. If low mood lasts most days for two weeks or affects work or relationships, see your clinician. If you have thoughts of harming yourself, call or text 988.
What to show
- Notice whether your mood, energy and sleep change at the same time each year, and write it down.
- Get outside in daylight within an hour or two of waking, even on cloudy days.
- Keep regular sleep and meal times, including on weekends.
- Move your body daily, such as a brisk walk at lunchtime.
- Keep at least one plan a week with a friend, even a short one.
- Book a clinician visit if low mood lasts most days for two weeks or affects work or relationships.
- Call or text 988 in the US if you feel hopeless or have thoughts of harming yourself.
Where it stops
Stop and call a professional if you have thoughts of harming yourself: call or text 988 in the US now, or 911 in immediate danger.
Check question
What simple habit helps many people in winter?
Answer: Morning daylight outside. Daylight early in the day helps set sleep and mood rhythms.
Your checklist
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Quick quiz
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Related skills
Sources
- US national mental health guidance on seasonal depression, 2025. Reviewed September 28, 2026.
Written in our own words from the sources above. It is general information, not advice for your situation; where a professional, your doctor or your lease says something different, follow them.
Last reviewed . First published .