How different times of the year can affect you

When you have experienced a traumatic event, you might find that different times of the year can affect you, your mood and maybe even your relationships.

So let’s first understand, what is trauma? Well, trauma can be described as a negative experience, small or big, that has impacted you. This can be a car accident, a person behaving in a negative way towards you, you may have witnessed a physical fight; an incident that may be negative to you. Whatever the incident may be, it may impact you by causing you stress or overwhelming you. This can lead to other changes, such as you feeling scared, increasing your anxiety or other feelings that you may not have felt.

 Seasons may play a significant part, such as the amount of day light you have in a day, as this can sometimes be associated with your mood. As we are now heading in to fall, the days are slowly getting shorter with us having less day light. Have you experienced any change in mood? Perhaps not wanting to go for that morning walk, or perhaps not wanting to meet your friend at that patio to have a barbeque?

The temperature also is changing, and it is getting colder or cooler in the day, not to forget how it may rain more often than it did, and we are thinking of how we wish we should have appreciated the sun last week, despite being cooped up in the office and having meetings.

 If you had experienced trauma on a particular day in the fall or winter, it may be that you recall the incident, and that upcoming date is a trigger. You may have children who are back in school in the fall, and you are now resuming a structured work schedule from that time away you recently had. In the summer and during the warmer days we can be more likely to socialize with friends, family, and colleagues. However, it may decline when fall comes, as there may be less opportunities to do those fun activities, or the weather may influence us to want to stay indoors with a blanket and a movie.

So how do we recognize and identify if we are being affected, and what can we do?

1)    Check in with yourself.

Try to catch yourself feeling your feelings. If you sense you are anxious, note to yourself that this is happening to your body and think of what the trigger may be.

2)    Keep a journal/diary.

Write how you felt, what you thought and what you did in the day. Try to keep track of the events and what transpired. Read it to yourself after you have written it and try and reflect on your day.

3)    See if there is a change in your routine.

Are you staying in bed longer? If so, then why? and are you sensing any change with your feelings or physical change in your body? For example, is your heart racing.

4)    Keep a mood log.

Write down your mood in the day and what may have happened for you to feel that way. Was it a thought? Did a loved one say something? Was it dark when you left that office you were in?

5)    Speak to someone.

Letting someone know how you are feeling can help! If you think the hard work you have done to manage your trauma may feel as though you have taken a few steps back, it can be challenging. You are not alone. Reaching out to someone who you trust or feel supported by can help you with those feelings. And, if you don’t have someone or wish to talk to a professional, there are trauma therapists you could try to connect with.

If you are looking for some help in understanding how the different seasons are affecting you, I would be honoured to meet with you. I work out of our Surrey office and do my best work with adults 24+.