Mental Health Tips for Daylight Savings Time

With the year rounding the final corner, there are a lot of things to think about. Holidays, winter, activities, and changing schedules are all things that seem to shift us out of a routine. One thing that can have a significant impact on our routine that time of year is also daylight savings time. While shifting an hour may not seem like much, our mental health can be impacted significantly. People can feel more groggy, tired, and lethargic. It can also create quicker dysregulation and limit our capacity for coping. 

While we can’t stop the time change, we can prepare and plan for the impact. We went ahead and created a list of things that would be helpful to think about in order to prioritize mental health while adjusting to the shift. 

1. Shifting your schedule

While this might seem challenging to do, even little increments of time can be helpful. We want to try and have a longer wind-down time prior to going to bed in order to allow ourselves to feel tired instead of feeling the pressure of going to sleep immediately. Going to bed and getting up 10-20 minutes earlier can help prepare our circadian rhythm for the eventual adjustment. After the time change has happened, we want to really try and prioritize sleep. Trying to maintain a consistent sleep schedule can help our brains feel rested and prevent burnout.

2. Maximizing sunlight

When the sun is tucked away, it can feel challenging to engage in things outdoors. We want to try and maximize the time that we have in the sun in order to help with our circadian rhythm and overall mood. This might look like working by a window, taking a walk on a lunch break, or even sitting outside. With the sun going down earlier, it can also decrease our access to coping skills as well. This can be challenging since we have no control over when the sun goes down, but trying to seek it out while it’s high in the sky can make a huge difference. 

3. Maintaining routine

While the first couple of weeks can feel really wonky, it’s helpful to try and keep some sense or normalcy. Trying to eat at usual times, working our usual hours, and engaging in small activities can be helpful to ease the transition. It might be helpful to plan some activities ahead of time to ensure that you have some things to look forward to since our bodies and brains might find the initial shift more confusing. 

4. Mental health support

It might be helpful to track your mental health during this time to know when it may be appropriate to seek out mental health support. Whether it is light box therapy, individual, or group support, it can be helpful to know that you have individuals in your corner who are there to help with anything that might come up. 

While these are just a few ways to help with the time shift, we think it’s a helpful way to start. Leading up to a shift of the seasons can often come with some additional feelings. It is important to remember to engage with those feelings in order to practice coping instead of avoiding them to get them to go away. Engaging in our list of preventative and active care may provide some building blocks to do so.  

The information on this website is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical or psychological condition and is not a substitute for therapy. If you are experiencing an emergency please call/text 988 or go to your nearest emergency room.