The winter months can bring cozy nights and festive cheer, but for some teens, the shorter days and colder weather can lead to a significant dip in mood. Seasonal depression, also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), doesn’t just affect adults—it’s surprisingly common among teenagers, who may already be navigating a whirlwind of emotions and stress.
While mood swings are a normal part of adolescence, persistent sadness, fatigue, or withdrawal could indicate something more. If you’ve noticed your teen acting differently this time of year, consider these 10 signs they may be struggling with seasonal depression.
Persistent Fatigue or Low Energy
It’s normal for teens to feel tired now and then, especially with the demands of school, extracurriculars, and social activities. However, if your teen seems persistently fatigued despite getting adequate rest, it might indicate seasonal depression.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), changes in light exposure during winter months can disrupt circadian rhythms, leading to feelings of lethargy and low energy. This can make everyday tasks feel overwhelming, even for teens who are typically active and engaged.
What to Do: Encourage your teen to spend time outdoors during daylight hours. Even on cloudy days, exposure to natural light helps regulate melatonin and serotonin levels, which play a key role in energy and mood. A short walk after school or sitting by a sunny window can be surprisingly effective. In addition, encouraging a balanced diet with energy-boosting foods like whole grains, fruits, and lean proteins can also help combat fatigue.
Loss of Interest in Hobbies
When a teen suddenly loses interest in activities they once loved—be it sports, music, gaming, or social outings—it’s worth paying attention. Seasonal depression often robs individuals of their ability to enjoy hobbies or find motivation for creative pursuits. The Cleveland Clinic emphasizes that this symptom, called anhedonia, is a hallmark of depressive disorders, including SAD. Unfortunately, this loss of interest often feeds into feelings of isolation and sadness, creating a cycle that’s difficult to break.
What to Do: Approach the situation gently. Instead of pointing out their lack of interest, suggest doing a low-pressure activity together, like baking, watching a nostalgic movie, or trying a simple DIY project. Shared experiences can reignite their interest and offer an opportunity to bond. If they seem hesitant, let them take the lead on choosing something they enjoy—it’s important they don’t feel pressured or judged.
Increased Irritability
It’s no secret that teenagers can be moody—hormones, academic stress, and social challenges are all part of growing up. However, if your teen’s irritability seems to spike significantly during winter, it could be a sign of seasonal depression.
According to research, teens often express emotional struggles like sadness or frustration through irritability rather than overt displays of sadness. Minor inconveniences might provoke outsized reactions, and they may lash out at loved ones without clear reasons.
What to Do: Stay calm and avoid taking their irritability personally. Instead, focus on opening a supportive dialogue. You might say, “I’ve noticed you’ve been feeling on edge lately. Is there something you want to talk about?”
Give them space to express themselves without fear of judgment. Remember, your role is to listen and validate their feelings. If they’re not ready to open up, let them know you’re available when they are, and try to model patience and understanding in the meantime.
Difficulty Concentrating
Teens struggling with seasonal depression may experience brain fog or find it hard to focus on schoolwork and everyday tasks. This cognitive slowdown, tied to changes in serotonin and light exposure, can make even simple activities feel overwhelming.
If your once-organized teen starts forgetting assignments or struggles to keep up with their usual workload, it’s worth considering the emotional toll of seasonal depression. Difficulty concentrating is a common symptom of depression that can affect memory and make decision-making and problem-solving more difficult.
What to Do: Help your teen establish a routine that supports focus and structure. Encourage short, focused study sessions followed by breaks to prevent burnout. Minimize distractions by creating a quiet, comfortable study environment and suggest minor adjustments like timers or to-do lists to keep them on track. If these changes aren’t enough, consider contacting their teachers or school counselors for additional support to ensure they don’t fall behind academically while addressing their emotional health.
Changes in Sleep Patterns
Seasonal depression can disrupt your teen’s sleep cycle, leading to oversleeping, insomnia, or restless sleep. Teens might find it harder to wake up in the mornings or lie awake at night, unable to settle their racing thoughts. According to the Mayo Clinic, changes in sleep patterns are one of the most noticeable symptoms of seasonal depression. These disturbances can worsen fatigue, irritability, and concentration, creating a negative feedback loop.
What to Do: Promote good sleep hygiene to help regulate the body’s internal clock. Encourage consistent sleep and wake times, even on weekends, to avoid disrupting their rhythm. Suggest calming pre-bedtime routines, such as reading, journaling, or listening to relaxing music.
Limiting screen time an hour before bed is also crucial, as blue light from devices can interfere with melatonin production. Ensure their bedroom environment is cool, dark, and quiet for optimal rest.
Withdrawing From Family or Friends
Teens with seasonal depression may begin isolating themselves, avoiding friends, family, and social activities they once enjoyed. They might retreat to their rooms for hours or decline invitations to hang out with friends. According to Psychology Today, this withdrawal is often a coping mechanism to conserve energy or avoid emotional vulnerability. Unfortunately, isolation can deepen feelings of sadness and loneliness.
What to Do: Avoid forcing them to socialize, which might backfire. Instead, create a safe and welcoming home environment where connection feels natural and stress-free. Plan low-key family activities like game nights, cooking meals together, or watching a favorite show. Encourage small, manageable social steps, like texting a close friend or attending a short gathering, to help them ease back into connection without overwhelming them.
Changes in Appetite
Seasonal depression often impacts appetite, causing some teens to eat significantly more—especially comfort foods like sweets and carbs—while others lose their appetite altogether. This can stem from changes in serotonin levels. Both overeating and undereating can further impact mood and energy levels, creating a cycle that’s tough to break.
What to Do: Focus on balance rather than judgment. Keep your kitchen stocked with nutritious, easy-to-grab snacks like fresh fruit, trail mix, or yogurt. Encourage family meals where healthy eating is modeled positively and stress-free. If your teen seems uninterested in eating, gently remind them that food fuels their brain and body, and suggest smaller, more frequent meals as an alternative to full sit-down meals.
Negative Self-Talk
Teens experiencing seasonal depression often struggle with negative self-perceptions. They might express inadequacy or guilt with statements like, “I’m a failure” or “Nobody cares about me.” These thoughts often reflect deeper emotional struggles and may worsen if left unaddressed. Research stresses the importance of intervening early to help teens develop healthier thought patterns.
What to Do: Respond to negative self-talk with empathy and gentle reframing. For example, if your teen says, “I’m terrible at everything,” you could say, “I know you’re feeling that way right now, but I’ve seen how hard you work and all the great things you’ve done.” Please help them by modeling positive self-talk with yourself and paying extra attention to what they’re doing well.
Physical Complaints Without a Cause
Teens with seasonal depression might frequently complain of headaches, stomachaches, or other unexplained physical discomforts. This phenomenon, known as somatization, is how the body expresses emotional distress through physical symptoms. For teens who might not have the vocabulary to articulate their feelings, these complaints can signal that something deeper is going on. Physical symptoms are common in adolescents with depression, as emotional and psychological stress can disrupt normal bodily functions, including digestion, circulation, and immune response.
Physical discomfort often leads to missed school days, canceled extracurricular activities, or avoidance of social interactions, which can further isolate teens and intensify their feelings of sadness or anxiety. Unfortunately, these symptoms are sometimes misunderstood or dismissed as minor complaints, causing teens to feel unsupported or invalidated.
What to Do: Take their complaints seriously without immediately jumping to conclusions. Acknowledge their discomfort with statements like, “I’m sorry you’re feeling this way. Let’s talk about what might be causing it.” This can open the door to discussing emotional challenges they might not know how to share otherwise. Suggest gentle physical activities, like stretching or yoga, to help them soothingly connect their body and mind.
Declining Academic Performance
A noticeable drop in grades or a lack of engagement with schoolwork can be a significant red flag for seasonal depression in teens. Tasks that were once manageable or even enjoyable can feel insurmountable, leading to missed assignments, incomplete projects, or a reluctance to participate in class. Teachers might report that the teen seems unusually quiet, withdrawn, or disengaged during this period.
The stress of falling behind academically can also create a negative feedback loop. As assignments pile up, teens may feel overwhelmed and hopeless, decreasing their motivation to catch up. Academic struggles can also erode self-esteem, as teens often tie their sense of self-worth to their performance in school.
What to Do: Approach this issue with compassion and a willingness to collaborate. Begin by acknowledging their feelings: “I’ve noticed school has been tougher lately. How can I help?”
Work with their teachers or school counselors to identify accommodations, such as extended deadlines or modified workloads, to reduce pressure. At home, provide a quiet, organized study space and help break tasks into smaller, more manageable steps. Remind them that their mental health comes first and that it’s okay to take a step back to focus on feeling better.
