Shorter Days and Longer Nights Won’t Last Forever – When Is Winter Solstice?
If you haven't noticed yet, it is getting darker earlier. Before we know it, the sun will be setting before we leave the office for the day.
How Long Until the Days Get Longer
If this makes you sigh in SAD like it does me, you may be wondering how long we have to wait for the days to start getting longer again. Keep reading to find the answer!
Winter Can Be Tough on Our Mental Health
For many people, the long, cold nights of winter can wreak havoc on our mental health. As the days get shorter and the nights get longer, it can begin to feel as though we are living in a perpetual state of darkness but there is a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel - Winter Solstice.
SAD Is Reality for Many
The colder days and longer nights definitely have an impact on a lot of people and their mental health. In fact, the National Institute of Mental Health says that symptoms of Seasonal Affected Disorder, or SAD can last four to five months out of the year.
Many people feel "down" or have the "winter blues" when the days get shorter in the fall and winter and feel better in the spring when longer daylight hours return. Sometimes, these mood changes are more serious and can affect how a person feels, thinks, and behaves. If you have noticed significant changes in your mood and behavior when the seasons change, you may be experiencing seasonal affective disorder (SAD). In most cases, SAD symptoms start in the late fall or early winter and go away during the spring and summer, known as winter-pattern SAD or winter depression.
Winter Solstice is Coming and Its Bringing More Sunlight
For now, the days are continuing to get shorter and the nights longer, but in just a few weeks, the daylight will begin to take the hours back. The Winter Solstice, or first official day of winter, marks the point in the year that the days begin to get longer.
The Longest Night of the Entire Year
The Winter Solstice happens on December 21, 2024. This will bring the longest night of the entire year, according to the Farmers Almanac, and then slowly, day by day, the nights will gradually get shorter and the sun will set a little later.
Winter solstice is the astronomical moment when the Sun reaches the Tropic of Capricorn, we have our shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere in terms of daylight. Regardless of what the weather is doing outside your window, the solstice marks the official start of winter. - Farmers Almanac
Hang In There, It Won't Last Forever
If you're struggling with the lack of sunshine, just hang in there, friend! The long, dark winter nights won't last forever and soon the days will begin to get longer. We'll make it through.
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