By Evan Whitton
Various professionals in Yorkshire have been giving their thoughts on the rising number of Britons said to be suffering with Seasonal Affective Disorder, or “winter blues.”
According to mental health charities, negative emotions, such as stress, depression, or frustration, are appearing much more during winter months, with Christmas adding additional stresses.
Linda Morgan, a wellbeing specialist based in Skipton, said that some of her clients, “struggle a lot more to find the motivation to exercise, or eat as well as they usually would.”
Meanwhile, personal trainer Cerin Rees spoke to the universality of the condition, saying he noticed a shift in mood, “in himself as much as anyone else.”
“On darker mornings, it’s definitely more of a struggle to just get up”, he said.
This links to statistics obtained by Mental Health UK in November 2023, where nearly 80% of participants surveyed reported a generalised decline in their mental state around Christmas time.
They also reported a similar sized trend in people feeling pressure, “to enjoy or put on a pretence during the festive period”, and who found the festive season stressful or lonely.
This emotional decline during the festive period, research suggests, is increasing within young people.
Andrew Pickles, Sixth Form Coordinator and SEN teacher at South Craven School, said that he had seen “a definite shift” in the morale of students around winter time.
“Despite the fact that Christmas is coming, you definitely see a drop in mood as the year progresses.”
Citing a potential reason why, he expressed how teenagers, “are very aware of the stresses of adults in the household around the holidays”, but also that the pressure to enjoy themselves can be tiring.
“I think more kids dislike organised fun than we realise”, he said.
In order to combat the rise in adolescent SAD, he suggested that students make good use of the pastoral support available in schools, and urged parents to get “genned up.”
“Read about it, what it is, and how it affects different people. You’ll be doing yourself a favour.”
If you, or anyone you know, is struggling with SAD, consider visiting Mind’s SAD support page via this link.