You might have heard of, or experienced, seasonal affective disorder (also known as SAD) during the colder months of the year. Common symptoms of SAD are irritability, changes to your sleep patterns or the way you eat, and worsening of anxiety or depression. If you’re reading that and thinking “that sounds familiar” but it is the Summer and you dismiss your symptoms, we’re here to tell you that SAD can also happen during the sunnier, warmer months.

Our brains and bodies like routine: it makes things feel in control and predictable. So, any time there are changes introduced—like hotter weather, later sunsets, or change to homelife—it is understandable that our system would react in a certain way, no matter if it is Winter or Summer. There are a number of reasons why Summer SAD can happen, but here are two big ones:

Day-to-Day Disruptions

You might be planning vacations (hello travel stress!) which can add to your mental load or are having to navigate having kids home on school break....

After working with emotional eaters for more than a decade, it is common to hear from clients that they don’t understand why they keep emotionally eating when it makes them feel terrible.

They can’t stand the overfull feeling after a binge.

They hate hiding from others and sneaking food.

They judge their worth by thinking they need more willpower to get their shit together.

They dread the judgement, guilt, and self-hatred that comes after eating.

They’re ashamed of how much money they spend on food.

For something that is supposed to bring a sense of comfort, these things sound like anything but! So, why are you stuck in this emotional eating cycle when you know it doesn’t feel good? It isn’t about cravings for specific foods or an “addiction to sugar.”

It is because emotional eating is familiar. It is the predictability, even the negative side of it, that offers you a sense of comfort. You know what to expect and our brains are wired to go with what we know. Yup, even when what ...