NewsNation/World

Actions

Counselors say rollercoaster weather can lead to mood changes and how you feel

Posted at 8:33 PM, Oct 20, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-20 22:33:51-04

OMAHA (KPTM) — One tree after another is now shedding a lot of leaves, which is a sure sign the weather is changing. That could mean your mood and the way you’re feeling is also changing, according to counselors.

For University of Nebraska Omaha grad student Angela Gifford, temperature swings are tough.

“You just don’t know how to prepare.”

For her, that’s especially true when rollercoaster weather goes from sunny and warm to gray and chilly.

“You just want to stay in bed and take a nap.”

It’s the kind of cycle the Omaha metro is in right now.

“What can you do, right?”

“With the weather changing so rapidly it becomes really hard to maintain the plans you may have had,” said Thomas Seguin, a counseling clinic coordinator at UNO.

He says changes to weather affect everyone differently, but they can lead to feelings of sorrow or gloom.

“It becomes really easy to talk yourself out of doing something that you would have enjoyed.”

Seguin says there are things you can do to improve your chances of feeling better.

“Really holding yourself accountable to actually get out and do those things that you like.”

He says if those feelings get worse to not be afraid to reach out to a doctor or mental health professional right away.

“Sometimes we don’t fully understand how our behavior and our mood and our thoughts have changed. Sometimes, they change slowly over time.”

Mental health experts also urge you to not ignore your feelings. They say doing so could make a tough situation worse.