346: Seasonal Affective Disorder: When the Darkness Affects Your Emotions, Energy + Faith
Do you feel heavier, more tired, or spiritually foggy during the darker winter months?
In this episode, I talk about Seasonal Affective Disorder in a way that removes shame and replaces confusion with clarity. As the days get shorter and darkness increases, many women notice changes in energy, emotions, motivation, and even faith, but don’t always realize those shifts are connected to light, not failure.
I also share stories from three women, Chrissie, Melody, and Beth, who describe how winter consistently affects them emotionally and physically. Their experiences help normalize what so many women quietly struggle with during darker seasons.
This episode is about understanding what’s happening, naming it honestly, and responding with compassion instead of self-judgment.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:
[00:00] Why Seasonal Affective Disorder Is Real and Why It Affects So Many Women
[04:00] What Is Seasonal Affective Disorder and How Does Reduced Light Impact Emotions and Energy?
[08:00] Why Does Winter Darkness Affect Motivation, Mood, and Spiritual Clarity?
[12:00] How Different Women Experience SAD in Unique Emotional and Physical Ways
[17:00] Why Experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder Doesn’t Mean Your Faith Is Weak
[18:00] How Can SAD Be Reframed as a “Wilderness Season” Instead of a Personal Failure?
[22:00] How God Uses Darker Seasons to Invite Deeper Awareness and Growth
[23:00] Using the A.D.D. Model to Confidently Manage Emotions During SAD
[28:00] What Practical Supports Help the Body and Nervous System During SAD?
[31:00] Why You’re Not Alone and Taking Gentle Next Steps Toward Support
[00:00] Why Seasonal Affective Disorder Is Real and Why It Affects So Many Women
Seasonal Affective Disorder is a real condition connected to reduced exposure to light. When light decreases, the body and brain respond in measurable ways that affect mood, energy, sleep, and emotional regulation.
I explain that this is not about mindset or discipline. Many women assume they should be able to push through seasonal changes, but SAD reflects how the body responds to its environment. Recognizing this reality helps replace self-blame with understanding.
[04:00] What Is Seasonal Affective Disorder and How Does Reduced Light Impact Emotions and Energy?
Reduced light impacts serotonin and melatonin, which directly affect mood and sleep. As these levels shift, women may experience lower motivation, sadness, irritability, fatigue, or emotional flatness.
Chrissie shares that winter reliably brings a noticeable emotional and energy shift for her, even when nothing external has changed. Her experience highlights how seasonal changes alone can affect how we feel and function.
[08:00] Why Does Winter Darkness Affect Motivation, Mood, and Spiritual Clarity?
When energy decreases, spiritual practices can feel harder. Focus, prayer, and emotional engagement may feel less accessible.
Beth describes feeling disconnected and questioning her faith during winter months. I clarify that this experience does not mean God is distant or that faith is weak. Often, it reflects physical and emotional depletion rather than spiritual failure.
Psalm 34:18 is referenced here: “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Thankfully, our nearness to God does not depend on our emotional energy.
[12:00] How Different Women Experience SAD in Unique Emotional and Physical Ways
Seasonal Affective Disorder does not present the same way for everyone.
Melody shares that winter brings emotional numbness and mental fog for her. Chrissie experiences heaviness and low energy. Beth notices emotional and spiritual struggle. These stories demonstrate that SAD affects women differently, and comparison only adds confusion.
What matters is noticing personal patterns and responding with care.
[17:00] Why Feeling This Way Does Not Mean Your Faith Is Weak
I emphasize that emotional struggle during darker seasons is not evidence of weak faith.
Faith does not override the body’s need for light and rest. Isaiah 40:29–31 is referenced to reinforce that God gives strength to the weary and meets people in exhaustion, not after they overcome it.
Weariness is not a spiritual failure, it is a human experience.
[18:00] How Can SAD Be Reframed as a Wilderness Season Instead of a Personal Failure?
Instead of viewing winter heaviness as something to fight, this season can be reframed as a wilderness season.
Scripture shows us that many people encounter God most deeply in less comfortable places.
Elijah was depleted and depressed when God met him with rest and care.
David wrote psalms in isolation.
Israel was formed in the wilderness.
Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness before ministry.
Beth’s story echoed this truth: once she stopped fighting the season, she began noticing what it was inviting her to release and receive from the Lord.
Wilderness seasons aren’t punishment. They’re often preparation. We can use this principle not as a way to gloss over the difficulties of SAD but to help ourselves compassionately understand how to connect to God when we’re experiencing the heaviness and emotional fog od seasonal affective disorder.
[22:00] How God Uses Darker Seasons to Invite Deeper Awareness and Growth
Here’s another analogy that can help us spiritually connect to God while walking through SAD: Dark seasons slow us down and expose the deeper elements of what’s going on inside.
Chrissie shared how winter reliably brings a shift in her energy and mood, even when external circumstances haven’t changed. The contrast between brighter seasons and darker months helped her recognize that her emotions weren’t random, they were connected to reduced light and seasonal rhythm.
John 1:5 anchors this hope: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Darkness does not cancel God’s presence.
[23:00] How to Use the A.D.D. Model to Notice, Discern, and Decide in This Season
The A.D.D. model becomes especially helpful here.
Acknowledge what you’re feeling without minimizing it.
Discern what may be contributing: light exposure, stress, expectations, or exhaustion.
Decide what kind of support would actually help right now.
This process replaces self-judgment with intentional care and creates space for wisdom instead of pressure.
To learn more about the ADD Method and discover how to use this emotional management tool in everyday life, check out my book Emotional Confidence: 3 Simple Steps to Manage Emotions with Science + Scripture.
[28:00] What Practical Supports Help the Body and Nervous System During SAD?
Practical supports mentioned include light therapy, sunset alarms, consistent sleep rhythms, gentle movement, and adjusting expectations.
If you’re struggling with seasons of heaviness and sadness, and would like additional counseling support through this season, I recommend Better Help Online Counseling (save 10% when you use my affiliate link).
Another helpful resource is my Free 7-Day Notice + Name Course which helps you acknowledge and recognize what these feelings look like, and how to begin to offer yourself more understanding, and compassion as you’re working through SAD.
Supporting the body helps regulate emotions and nervous system responses. These supports are not shortcuts; they are appropriate responses to how the body is designed to function.
[31:00] Why You’re Not Alone and How to Take Gentle Next Steps Toward Support
Chrissie, Melody, and Beth’s stories all point to the same truth: you are not alone in this.
Awareness is the first step toward relief. Naming what’s happening opens the door to support, compassion, and hope even before circumstances change.
This season doesn’t mean something is wrong with you. It may simply be asking you to respond differently.
Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
Links to tools and resources mentioned in this episode are shared below to support emotional health and energy during darker months. Some of these may be affiliate links, which provide Alicia with a small commission at no additional cost to you.
- Better Help Counseling (10% off link)
Get the FREE 7-Day Course: Notice + Name Your Feelings
Learn the simple mindset tool that helps you understand what you’re really feeling, so you can stop spiraling and experience more peace!
Start the free course here: AliciaMichelle.com/feelings
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Ep 330 — How to Manage Big Out-of-Control Emotions
Ep 341 — Step #1 to Calming Emotional Spirals: Notice + Name Your Feelings
Ep 343 — Is Your Emotional Health Blocking Your New Year Breakthrough?
