346: Seasonal Affective Disorder: When the Darkness Affects Your Emotions, Energy + Faith

2026-01-26

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Do you feel heavier, more tired, or spiritually foggy during the darker winter months? Let’s talk honestly about Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), what’s actually happening in your body, how reduced light affects your emotions and motivation, and why this struggle doesn’t mean your faith is weak. Seasonal Affective Disorder doesn’t always announce itself clearly. For many women, it shows up quietly, through lower energy, emotional heaviness, irritability, foggy thinking, or a sense of spiritual distance they can’t quite expla...

Do you feel heavier, more tired, or spiritually foggy during the darker winter months?

Let’s talk honestly about Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), what’s actually happening in your body, how reduced light affects your emotions and motivation, and why this struggle doesn’t mean your faith is weak.

Seasonal Affective Disorder doesn’t always announce itself clearly. For many women, it shows up quietly, through lower energy, emotional heaviness, irritability, foggy thinking, or a sense of spiritual distance they can’t quite explain.

In this episode, I wanted to make this real and human by sharing stories from three women, Chrissie, Melody, and Beth, whose experiences reveal how differently Seasonal Affective Disorder can affect emotions, energy, and faith, especially in darker seasons.

This conversation isn’t about diagnosing yourself or forcing solutions. It’s about understanding what darkness does to the body and nervous system, and how God meets us with compassion instead of shame.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:

[00:00] Why Seasonal Affective Disorder Is Real and Why It Affects So Many Women

[04:00] What Is Seasonal Affective Disorder and How Does Reduced Light Impact Emotions and Energy?

[08:00] Why Does Winter Darkness Affect Motivation, Mood, and Spiritual Clarity?

[12:00] How Different Women Experience SAD in Unique Emotional and Physical Ways

[17:00] Why Experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder Doesn’t Mean Your Faith Is Weak

[18:00] How Can SAD Be Reframed as a “Wilderness Season” Instead of a Personal Failure?

[22:00] How God Uses Darker Seasons to Invite Deeper Awareness and Growth

[23:00] Using the A.D.D. Model to Confidently Manage Emotions During SAD

[28:00] What Practical Supports Help the Body and Nervous System During SAD?

[31:00] Why You’re Not Alone and Taking Gentle Next Steps Toward Support

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Links to tools and resources mentioned in this episode are shared below to support emotional health and energy during darker months. Some of these may be affiliate links, which provide Alicia with a small commission at no additional cost to you.