Seasonal Affective Disorder & Relationships: Why High-Achieving Women Crave Connection in Fall & Winter

Updated November 2025 | Originally published October 2023

When the Clocks Turn Back, Our Bodies Slow Down

We just turned our clocks back this weekend, and if you’re feeling foggy, lonely, or out of rhythm—you’re not imagining it. Shorter daylight hours and colder evenings subtly shift your body’s internal clock. For many high-achieving women who run on drive and productivity, this sudden loss of light can feel like hitting an invisible wall: the motivation dips, your mood changes, and suddenly you crave comfort and connection.

These emotional shifts aren’t weakness—they’re biology.

The Science Behind Seasonal Relationship Cravings

As autumn settles in and winter approaches, our systems naturally long for warmth and regulation. Reduced sunlight affects two key hormones: serotonin, which supports mood, and melatonin, which regulates sleep. Lower serotonin and increased melatonin can leave you tired, restless, or searching for something—often, another person—to help you feel steady again.

This is where the term “cuffing season” comes from: the instinctive desire to pair up when it’s cold and dark outside. But for many women who are already overextended or emotionally exhausted, this seasonal pull can also bring confusion, anxious attachment, or self-criticism.

🧭 If you notice relationship patterns intensifying this time of year, therapy can help you regulate your nervous system instead of seeking safety through old patterns of connection.

If this season has you craving connection or comfort, you’re not alone. I recently spoke with Self Magazine about how to navigate “cuffing season” with self-compassion — including a few movies to watch if you’re single and feeling the pull for warmth and belonging.

Read the Self feature here: Movies to Watch If You’re Single During Cuffing Season — featuring insights from Chloë Bean, LMFT

When Your Nervous System Feels Off: Somatic Signs of Seasonal Affect

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) affects millions each winter, but high-functioning women often miss the signs because they’re still “getting things done.” Common somatic cues include:

• Heaviness in the chest or limbs

• Morning fatigue even after a full night’s sleep

• Difficulty focusing or feeling emotionally “flat”

• Craving sugar, caffeine, or closeness just to stay regulated

These are not personal flaws; they’re nervous-system cues that your body is seeking grounding and connection.

Learn more: Somatic Therapy in Los Angeles

🪷 Somatic Tools to Ground After the Time Change

1. Reset with Morning Light.
   Step outside within an hour of waking—even for five minutes. Natural light tells your body it’s daytime, boosts serotonin, and helps regulate circadian rhythm.

2. Anchor Through Sensation.
   Pause between meetings or emails. Notice your feet on the floor, your breath moving in your belly, the temperature of the air. Grounding through sensation helps your body return to the present moment.

3. Soften Your Edges.
   Try gentle movement: stretching, shaking, or placing a hand over your heart and exhaling slowly. These simple somatic gestures cue safety to your nervous system.

4. Invite Warmth and Connection.
   Text a supportive friend, wrap in a blanket, or sit with a pet. Physical warmth and safe co-regulation lower stress hormones faster than logic or “positive thinking.”

5. Schedule Stillness.
   High-achievers often fill every moment. Create micro-pauses—two minutes to breathe before you check messages or transition tasks. Stillness is the medicine your body is asking for.

Explore more tools: Somatic Therapy Los Angeles | Nervous System Regulation for Women

Preparing for Fall: Therapy as a Seasonal Reset

Therapy isn’t just for crises—it can be a way to realign with your body’s natural pace. Together, we can:

• Identify how seasonal shifts influence your mood and relationships.

• Develop grounding practices that support energy and emotional stability.

• Strengthen self-trust, boundaries, and resilience through IFS, EMDR, and Somatic Experiencing®.

Related resource: Breakup Recovery & Self-Trust After Toxic Relationships

Frequently Asked Questions About Seasonal Affective Disorder & Somatic Therapy

1. Why do I feel more anxious or emotional after the time change?

When the clocks shift back, your body’s circadian rhythm temporarily falls out of sync with the environment. Less daylight affects serotonin and melatonin, which can lead to mood dips, irritability, or fatigue. High-achieving women often feel this imbalance more acutely because their nervous systems are already running on high alert.
This is where somatic therapy helps — by teaching your body to regulate through grounding, light exposure, and nervous-system awareness.

2. How does somatic therapy help with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?

Somatic therapy works by helping you tune into your body’s natural rhythms and cues instead of pushing through exhaustion. Through gentle awareness, breathwork, and nervous-system grounding techniques, you can restore energy, improve sleep, and stabilize mood.
Learn more: Somatic Therapy for Trauma in Los Angeles

3. What’s the difference between talk therapy and somatic therapy for SAD?

Talk therapy helps you understand patterns and emotions, but somatic therapy integrates the body directly. For Seasonal Affective Disorder, this means using the body as an anchor—breath, sensation, and movement—to help regulate mood and reconnect with calm. Many clients combine both approaches for deeper, longer-lasting results.
Related read: Why Somatic Therapy Heals What Talk Therapy Misses

4. How can I tell if what I’m feeling is SAD or burnout?

While both involve fatigue and emotional depletion, SAD tends to follow seasonal patterns—appearing as days shorten—while burnout builds gradually from chronic stress and over-functioning. It’s common for them to overlap, especially for women balancing demanding careers or caregiving roles.
Therapy can help differentiate the two and guide your body back toward balance.
Explore more: Anxiety Therapy in West LA

5. Can therapy really help me feel more like myself this winter?

Absolutely. Therapy isn’t about fixing who you are—it’s about helping your body feel safe enough to rest, reconnect, and move through emotion with compassion. Through Somatic Experiencing®, IFS, and EMDR, we’ll work to bring your nervous system back into alignment so you can feel grounded, present, and whole again.
👉 Book your free 20-minute consultation to get started.

Ready to Feel More Grounded This Season?

If the darker months leave you craving balance, therapy can help you regulate from the inside out.
I offer somatic trauma therapy in-person in West Los Angeles and online throughout California.

About Chloë Bean, LMFT #155325

Chloë Bean is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Los Angeles, CA, specializing in trauma, anxiety, burnout, and toxic-relationship recovery for high-achieving women. Her integrative approach combines Somatic Experiencing®, Internal Family Systems, and EMDR to help clients move beyond talk therapy into embodied healing.