The shift into winter can bring more than just colder weather and shorter days. For many, it brings a noticeable dip in energy, motivation, and mood. You might feel more irritable or tired, find yourself withdrawing from others, or just feel off. If how you're feeling in the colder months begins impacting your functioning or well-being, it’s worth paying attention to.
Whether you’re navigating seasonal sadness or more chronic depressive patterns, DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) offers practical tools to help you regulate your mood, stay engaged, and build resilience through the Winter season.
1. Start with the Body: PLEASE Skills
When your mood dips, it’s easy to overlook the role your physical health plays. In DBT, the PLEASE skills help you take care of your body so your emotions don’t get pulled even further down.
P – Treat Physical Illness: If you’re sick or not feeling well, attend to it. Cold and Flu symptoms, Pain, or fatigue can quietly erode your ability to cope. Take the day off if needed to give your body a chance to recover.
L – Balanced Eating: Overeating or not eating enough can spike irritability and reduce your energy. Try to eat regularly and fuel your body with what it needs.
E – Avoid Mood-Altering Substances: Alcohol and drugs might seem like shortcuts to feeling better but often backfire emotionally. If attending holiday events be mindful of how much alcohol you are consuming and how it might impact you the following day.
S – Balance Sleep: Oversleeping or Sleep deprivation can mimic or worsen symptoms of depression. Try to stick to a consistent sleep routine.
E – Exercise: Even gentle movement can have powerful antidepressant effects. A short walk in natural light can shift your energy more than you expect.
Before assuming your sadness is “just in your head,” check if your basic physical needs are being met. The body and mind are deeply connected.
2. Do the Opposite of What Sadness Urges: Opposite Action
When you’re feeling low, your urges will often push you in the direction of doing less. Less activity, less connection, less self-care. Opposite Action is the DBT skill that encourages you to act opposite to these urges when the emotion doesn't fit the facts or isn't effective to act on.
Here’s how to apply it:
Urge to isolate? Try texting one friend or joining a casual community event, even if you don’t feel like it.
Urge to stay in bed all day? Get up, shower, and change clothes, just those simple acts can begin to shift your internal state.
Urge to numb out with TV or food? Try doing one small thing that aligns with your values, even for five minutes; journal, read, walk, clean one corner of your space.
Opposite Action is not about faking it. It’s about choosing behaviors that move you toward the life you want, even when your emotions are pulling you toward withdrawal.
3. Check the Facts: Is This Seasonal?
If you find yourself struggling more in the fall or winter months year after year, you may be experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a form of depression tied to seasonal changes. You don’t need a formal diagnosis to start addressing the impact of less light, colder temperatures, and holiday stress on your well-being.
Some people find light therapy (using a full-spectrum light box) helpful. Others benefit from more structure, therapy, medication, or creative outlets to stay engaged.
Ask yourself:
“Is this sadness based on something happening right now or is it a pattern that takes place every year?”
Awareness of these patterns gives you more power to plan ahead and act skillfully.
4. Don’t Go It Alone
One of the hardest parts of winter sadness is the sense of isolation that comes with it. If you’re feeling stuck, therapy can help you gain insight, build emotional regulation tools, and reconnect with what gives your life meaning. You don’t have to wait until things feel “bad enough” to seek support.
Final Thoughts
Winter sadness is real, but it’s also workable. By tending to your body, practicing Opposite Action, and staying mindful of patterns and urges, you can weather this season with more stability and self-compassion.
Whether you’re struggling with seasonal blues or deeper emotional pain, DBT offers skills that help you build a life worth living even on the darkest days.