It's Time: Blindingly Bright Seasonal Depression is Here

I feel it. It's settling in. 

There’s a particular kind of dread that doesn’t get a lot of airtime. It doesn’t arrive with gray skies or icy sidewalks. It doesn’t wrap itself in cozy sweaters or whisper about “winter blues.” No. This one shows up loud, bright, and entirely unwelcome. It comes with blazing sunlight, 9PM sunsets, air that makes everything feel damp, cold drinks that sweat, and the creeping realization that the days are about to get longer, louder, and far less forgiving.

This is the other side of seasonal affective disorder. The one people don’t romanticize. Reverse seasonal affective disorder, or summer SAD, is what happens when sunshine becomes too much of a good thing. When the world turns up the brightness and your nervous system quietly begs for a dimmer switch. For some of us (me), summer doesn’t feel freeing. It feels invasive.

The longer days stretch everything out—my energy, my patience, my ability to pretend I'm fine. There’s no natural 'closing time' when the sun refuses to set. Evenings lose their softness. Night doesn’t feel like a full exhale anymore; it feels delayed, like the day is overstaying its welcome. I find myself checking the clock, wondering why it’s still light, why my brain hasn’t gotten the signal to slow down.

And then there’s THE HEAT. Not the cute, golden-hour, Instagram-filtered version of summer. The real heat. The kind of humidity that clings. The kind that makes your skin feel like it doesn’t belong to you. The kind that turns simple tasks like walking to the mailbox, watering your outdoor plants, and even just getting into your car into minor endurance events. It’s overstimulation in its purest form: too bright, too hot, too much.

While everyone else is talking about beach days and barbecues, you’re quietly trying to regulate your body temperature in front of the air conditioner naked. My sleep gets weird. It's too hot to sleep. My appetite shifts. It's too hot to eat. My mood dips in ways that doesn’t match the 'happy summer' narrative being sold everywhere you look. It's just too damn HOT. All I want to do is close the blinds and sit in a cold bath.

And that’s the isolating part. Because when people think of seasonal depression, they think of winter. They expect sadness when it’s dark at 4:30PM. They understand the heaviness of cold, barren months. NOT me. I love winter. And summer? Summer is supposed to be easy. Carefree. Fun. It isn't. All it does is drain the life OUT of me. 

When you’re struggling when the sun is shining, it feels like you’re doing something wrong. You’re not. Summer SAD is real, and it often shows up with irritability instead of sadness, restlessness instead of fatigue. It can feel like anxiety that won’t settle, like you’re constantly too warm, a little too on edge, a little too aware of everything. Your body doesn’t get the same cues to wind down, and your mind follows suit. And if you’re someone who already leans toward quiet living, toward softer spaces and controlled environments, summer can feel like a full-blown sensory assault. See post about Slow Living.

It’s the season of outdoor activities that I do not want any part of this time of year. Give me a hayride, a bonfire with smores, or a Christmas tree lighting ceremony, and I'm in. You can keep those summer cookouts, concerts, and festivals full of sweaty people with a sun that burns and bugs that love to sting and bite. It's that pressure to participate in a version of life that feels anything but fun. Even the language of summer is exhausting: “Make the most of it.” “Don’t waste the sunshine.” “Get out and enjoy it.” Meanwhile, I'm over here wishing for a cloudy afternoon with thunderstorm warnings as an excuse to stay inside without explanation. 

For me, there’s something deeply comforting about dim light, about the hush of early darkness, about seasons that give you permission to retreat. Blankets, sweaters, cute scarves, brisk walks, crunchy leaves, then crunchy snow, hot cocoa... Summer never offers that. It asks you to expand when what you need is to contract. Step outside in summer, and sweat beads from you in mere minutes. You can hardly breathe; it just feels heavy, too heavy.

This is where the quiet rebellion comes in. You’re allowed to create your own version of summer. You’re allowed to close the blackout blinds at 4PM, crank the AC to 62 degrees, and make your space feel like a soft, shaded cocoon. You’re allowed to run errands very early or very late, chasing cooler hours like small pockets of sanity. You’re allowed to say no to plans that feel like too much and yes to the ones that feel manageable. You’re allowed to treat air conditioning like a best friend who needs you right now. You’re also allowed to name what’s happening without minimizing it. This isn’t you being dramatic or 'just not a summer person'. This is your body responding to environmental stressors in a very real way. Light exposure, heat, disrupted sleep cycles? These things matter. They affect your mood, your energy, and your ability to function.

So if you can feel it coming on, as I do, that slow shift, that low-level dread as the days drag on, you’re not imagining it. You’re noticing a pattern. And noticing is powerful, because it means you can prepare. Maybe that looks like building small rituals that anchor you: a dimly lit morning with coffee before the sun gets aggressive, a cool shower at the end of the day, ceiling fans constantly humming like white noise against the sounds of summer. 

Maybe it looks like protecting your peace a little more fiercely during these months. Or maybe it simply looks like giving yourself permission to not love this season. Not everything has to be your favorite. Not every season has to fit you perfectly. Some you survive more than you savor, and that’s okay. Because eventually, the light softens. The heat breaks. The evenings return to something gentler, something quieter, something that feels like you again. 

Until then, you don’t have to bloom just because it’s summer. You’re allowed to stay a little shaded. 

Stay cool, my friends.

love, kate

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Summer Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a form of depression occurring during warmer months, often triggered by extreme heat, humidity, and excessive sunlight. Symptoms typically include anxiety, insomnia, weight loss, and reduced appetite. Effective management includes using air conditioning, cool showers, blackout curtains, maintaining routines, and seeking therapy. "Summertime Sadness" comes from the pressure to be happy, active, and social during summer, which can intensify feelings of depression or isolation. (Source: National Institutes of Health)

Articles to Read:

Summertime Sadness Could Be a Type of Seasonal Affective Disorder

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Got that Summertime Sadness? You’re Not Alone!

Summer Sunshine, Hidden Stress: Understanding and Managing Seasonal Anxiety and Depression