President’s Paragraph
By Cheryl Hurd, MD, TCMS President
This article was originally published in the March/April 2026 issue of Tarrant County Physician.
As I was first writing this article, we were facing our usual “once a winter” storm with freezing temperatures, snow, and ice. Despite our best preparations, Texas just does not have the infrastructure to maintain business as usual during significant winter storms. Honestly, up to this point, it seemed like a pretty mild winter. And then the front came through with howling winds, record low temperatures, freezing rain that turned to sleet, and barely any snow, though some did fall. People stayed indoors in the warmth, but many I am sure enjoyed some “winter sports” with sledding on trash can lids and attempts to build snowmen.
However, it didn’t take long before people started feeling cooped up and wanting to get out. Thanks to telehealth, my clinic was able to provide care for patients during the following week while we awaited sunnier days and above-freezing temperatures. Patients were already mentioning that they felt a dip in their mood and lower motivation. Friends, family, and acquaintances over the years have sometimes mentioned things like this when the winter sets in. It happens only now and again, when people may want to stay home but still are interested in their usual activities. This is not seasonal affective disorder, a serious variant of clinical depression that often requires professional treatment. This is a fairly well-known phenomenon called “winter blues.” NIH-funded researchers have been studying both of these conditions for decades.
Patients were . . . mentioning that they felt a dip in their mood and lower motivation. Friends, family, and acquaintances over the years have sometimes mentioned things like this when the winter sets it. . . . This is a fairly well-known phenomenon called “winter blues.”
The winter blues tend to occur in colder and more northern (or southern if south of the equator) areas because it is a reaction to reduced sunlight and the changes of the season. Yet it can happen anywhere when the weather turns “dark and dreary.” According to the University of California-Davis Health, people still continue to function while experiencing a mood dip, minimal sadness, fatigue, and less motivation.1 These feelings are usually mild and temporary, which is different from seasonal affective disorder. According to Dr. Matthew Rudorfer, an NIH mental health expert, the winter blues can be linked to something specific, like holiday stress or loss.2
What should we do or recommend if we or those around us have the snowy doldrums? It may seem obvious, but simple things like getting outside (dress appropriately!), opening your blinds/curtains for more ambient light, being social, and getting physical (the Jane Fonda kind, not the Mike Tyson kind) are all ways to get past this. The kids have it right—go sledding, have snowball fights, make a snow (or ice) man . . . and enjoy some hot cocoa when it’s time to relax. Because the seasons always change, and spring is on the way! Well, technically, in Texas, it’s already here.
References:
- UC Davis Health, “Seasonal Affective Disorder, Winter Blues and Self-Care Tips to Get Ahead of Symptoms,” Cultivating Health (UC Davis Health Blog), November 29, 2023, https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/cultivating-health/seasonal-affective-disorder-winter-blues-and-self-care-tips-to-get-ahead-of-symptoms/2023/11.
- “Beating the Winter Blues,” NIH News in Health, January 2013, https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2013/01/beating-winter-blues.
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