As the summer months wind down, I thought this would be a good time to reflect on a topic that I am increasingly seeing as a therapist and that is Summer Depression. It may be something that has never crossed your mind, but even as you read those words, it might resonate. I want to assure you that you are not alone.

Most of us are aware of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) because of the frequent general discussions about the wintertime blues. How does Summer SAD differ from its winter counterpart? I have noticed a few common markers around the causes and impact of the summertime blues. These factors can play a significant role in summer depression and they frequently overlap with one another, causing feelings of unease to compound. I will list them out and then we can discuss each one in more detail.

Factors that play a role in Summertime Depression can include, but are not limited to:

• Negative body image
• Unmet expectations of summer fun with family or friends
• Heat claustrophobia
• Changes in activities that bring joy, like the ability to exercise outdoors and other hobbies
• Heat-related increase in physical symptoms because of a chronic illness or medical condition

Acute body dissatisfaction and negative body image

Summer can amplify body dissatisfaction. A negative body image challenges the individual to see their body and appearance with accuracy.

A person who struggles with body image dynamics can look at a picture of themselves or in the mirror and literally see a completely different version than what is true and accurate.

Many individuals who deal with body image challenges find a significant increase in their struggle during the summer months. Body comparison, the inability to feel more comfortable through clothing layering, and the feeling of bodily sweat all increase during summertime.

Unmet expectations of summer fun with family and friends

Nothing says summer like our social media feed full of other people traveling and looking like they are having fun. These same individuals might be former friends who we once enjoyed summer travel plans with or even estranged family members where tension has replaced summertime activities. Our social media feed could be filled with complete strangers on the internet and, yet we are flooded with images and videos of what appears to be a quality of life we are not experiencing ourselves.

Even if we did fun things this summer, we know about the real-life challenges that came with social or travel plans. We know about the tension among people, the plans that didn’t work out the way we envisioned, or the feeling of being left out. We don’t know those nuances of other people’s summertime fun as we are scrolling.

Toxic people we know may also intentionally inflate the joy of their own summer plans just to elicit feelings of jealousy from us. We also see this during the holidays. Summer and winter blues have some overlapping common features.

One thing I have noticed is an increase in people sharing disappointment that traditions they have always enjoyed are being altered and that is leading to feelings of loss and the inability to recharge during the summer. For example, river water levels in places like Steamboat, Colorado were too low very early in the season this year to offer summer water activities. Individuals and families who have for years enjoyed tubing or other fun along that river had to make other plans or no plans at all if vacation logistics were only available for the Steamboat region.

Heat claustrophobia

Individuals have described to me the feeling of being trapped inside environments where there is air conditioning because of the intense heat outside. Depending on where you live, this duality can also confine us for months at a time.  In addition, access to air conditioning in homes, places of work, and automobiles is not something everyone experiences. Many people do not have ways to adequately cool themselves, leading to increased feelings of heat claustrophobia. The experience of oppressive heat can be the cause of chronic sleep deprivation, dehydration concerns, and feelings of uncertainty about traveling in the heat and humidity without working or adequate air conditioning in the vehicle.

We can develop a different type of “cabin fever” that one might experience during the winter months, but it is related to our attempt to stay cool during the summer heat and limit our exposure to the outside elements.

Changes in activities that bring joy, like the ability to exercise outdoors or other hobbies

If the outside temperature is beyond what we can physically tolerate, we must adjust and go without normal activities that help us regulate our emotions. Summertime depression is amplified by a reduction in our exercise routines, hobbies such as gardening, and other interests that add value to the quality of our lives.

Heat-related increase in physical symptoms because of a chronic illness or medical condition

There are several medical issues that are exacerbated by the summer heat and/or impair the body’s ability to effectively process warmer conditions. They can include thyroid imbalances, autoimmune disorders, chronic fatigue, arthritis, migraines, and pre-existing mental health concerns. That is also just a brief list of the many illnesses and medical issues impacted by summer heat, but it highlights how broad summertime challenges may impact different physical conditions.

As the temperature climbs, we can physically feel worse within our bodies and that also impacts our mental health.

Research shows that heat also decreases our ability to self-regulate our emotions. As our body is trying to cool itself down, the energy used causes our emotional state to take a backseat to the immediate physical needs. This inability to regulate emotions is why we see a documented increase of physical aggression during periods of heat waves and sustained days of high heat indexes.

If we find ourselves personally impacted by the summertime blues, there are several things we can do to help address each of the items that lead to a decrease in our wellness. It will be an individualized plan based on what specifically weighs heavily on your mind and body.

The first place to start is to recognize the pattern of a lower mood in the summer months. If you find yourself in that space today, a few helpful tips can be to temporarily reduce the demand on your schedule as much as possible, talk to your doctor about ways to help mitigate the heat’s impact on your physical health, and remind yourself that you’ve made it this far along in the summer months and the change of the season is right around the corner. We will soon feel that first cooler breeze of fall.

You can also begin working to make a plan of what you can do differently to support yourself even before next summer begins. There are many tools and resources available. It’s important to remember that you are not imagining the physical and mental wellness dip during the summer. Summer SAD is just as valid as the winter blues.

– Shannon