4 ideas for Christian parents feeling low as the days get darker

Have you noticed how the dark nights and dark mornings have crept in much quicker than usual this year? Maybe it’s an age thing. The older I get, the faster time seems to move. Or maybe it’s that the weather has been so relentlessly miserable lately that those crisp, golden autumn days where sunlight filters through orange leaves and lifts your soul have been few and far between during 2025.

As the end of October approaches, so does daylight saving time. The clocks go back an hour, and we all brace ourselves for that sudden shift when the evenings seem to disappear altogether. In the weeks leading up to it, daylight actually decreases by about four or five minutes each day. That means on a Monday the sun might set at 5:30pm, and by Friday it could be dipping below the horizon just after 5:00pm. That’s a big change in one week! No wonder our bodies and minds struggle to keep up!

I don’t know about you, but I find this stretch of the year from the children going back to school in September until I put the Christmas tree up at the end of November, the hardest

I don’t know about you, but I find this stretch of the year from the children going back to school in September until I put the Christmas tree up at the end of November, the hardest. I feel as though I’m crawling through it. The warmth of summer feels like a lifetime ago, and all I want to do is get into my pajamas, wrap my hands around a hot brew, and disappear under a blanket. There’s a longing to block out the world, to retreat until the light returns and my soul feels lifted again.

A few years ago, after struggling with the same pattern year after year, I realised there was more to it than simply disliking the cold. I self-diagnosed myself with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). It’s sometimes described as “the winter blues,” but it can be far more debilitating than that name suggests.

Parenting is challenging enough when you’re feeling your best, but when your own mood is low, even small things can feel overwhelming

SAD affects around two million people in the UK and an estimated 332 million worldwide. It’s a form of depression that tends to appear during the darker months, often triggered by a lack of sunlight. Symptoms include low mood, fatigue, changes in appetite, cravings for carbs, difficulty getting out of bed, and a general heaviness that lingers no matter how hard you try to shake it.

Desperate to break the cycle, I tried everything. I bought a daylight lamp to give myself a daily dose of artificial sunlight. I experimented with vitamin D, diets, essential oils, and exercise routines. But no matter what I did, there wasn’t a magic pill or quick fix that could snap me out of it.

Shouldn’t I be joyful and full of hope? Why did I feel so flat when I believed in a God of light and life?

It was especially hard because, during those same months, I was still a mum raising three teenagers who needed me to be patient and present. Parenting is challenging enough when you’re feeling your best, but when your own mood is low, even small things can feel overwhelming. And as a Christian, I wrestled with guilt, wondering whether my faith should make me immune to these feelings. Shouldn’t I be joyful and full of hope? Why did I feel so flat when I believed in a God of light and life?

That’s when I began a deeper journey with God. Not to escape the season, but to learn how to survive and even grow through it. Over time, I found a few rhythms that helped me hold on to hope and parent well, even when everything in me wanted to hibernate. Maybe they’ll help you too.

1. Get a routine

SAD can quietly drain your energy, leaving even small tasks feeling like mountains. That’s why building gentle, life-giving habits can be so powerful as a daily act of care for your mind, body, and spirit.

I started small. Setting my alarm with intention, doing five minutes of stretching, reading a short Bible passage, and journalling a single thought or prayer. They weren’t grand resolutions, just quiet rhythms that grounded me.

Research shows it takes about 66 days for a new behaviour to become automatic. So don’t try to overhaul your entire life overnight. Start with one thing. Maybe it’s switching on a lamp as soon as you wake. Maybe it’s stretching before you reach for your phone. Maybe it’s reading one verse from Psalms while drinking your coffee.

Over time, these habits build a rhythm that helps lift the fog of the season.

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2. Don’t carry guilt

Parents, especially mums, often carry more guilt than we realise. When you’re struggling with SAD, that guilt can feel enormous. The version of you that existed in summer, full of energy and laughter, feels like a distant memory. You’re simply surviving, yet the voice in your head tells you that you’re not doing enough.

But can I gently encourage you to lay that guilt down? You were never meant to carry it. Jesus says, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:30) That means you don’t have to hold the world or your children on your shoulders.

plan a couple of small family activities each week

My prayer in those moments was simple.

“Thank you, Lord, that You sit with me in my moments of pain. Give me Your strength to parent today. Help me listen well, lean closer, and cherish the small moments even when I feel low.”

It also helped to plan a couple of small family activities each week. Things that were easy to manage but created connection. Maybe a film night where everyone’s in their pajamas by 5pm, wrapped in blankets eating dinner on the sofa. Or a family games night with fairy lights and hot chocolate. Having those few things planned meant I didn’t carry guilt on the days when I barely had energy to cook and tidy up.

3. Don’t wear a mask

When you’re struggling, it’s tempting to hide behind a smile. But wearing a mask is exhausting. You don’t have to open up to everyone. Just find a few trusted friends who make space for honesty without judgement, who listen more than they lecture, and who remind you of truth when you forget it.

Tell them when the dark mornings feel heavier or when you’re barely keeping up. Sometimes just saying, “I’m struggling, but I’m trying,” lifts some of the weight.

Church should be like family. Not just a place you go, but a community that carries one another through every season. Hopefully you have a few people there who see you beyond your Sunday smile. Vulnerability doesn’t have to be public to be powerful. It just needs to be real.

4. Rest well

Rest isn’t just sleep. It’s permission to stop striving for a while, to put down the expectations you carry, and let God hold what you can’t fix. Sometimes rest looks like a nap or a walk in the cold air. Other times it’s gentle worship music or sitting quietly with a candle flickering beside you.

The Psalms show us that David didn’t always feel on top form. He wrote from places of fear, sadness, and exhaustion. At times he even sounded depressed, crying out to God and asking why his soul felt downcast. Yet even in that darkness, David brought his emotions to God rather than hiding them. His honesty became worship.

So breathe, rest, and trust. The light is coming and God is with you in the waiting

I often think the Psalms were written for seasons like this. When our faces can’t quite smile, but our souls still whisper faith. When we stop pretending we’re okay, we make space for God’s comfort to reach us.

If you’re struggling right now, please know this. You are not alone. You are one in two million in the UK walking through this same shadowed season. But you are also held, seen, and loved by the God who promises never to leave you.

This season will pass. The light will return. Your children will be okay, and so will you. Hold on to the truth that “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” (Exodus 33:14). And as Isaiah 40:31 reminds us, “Those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.”

So breathe, rest, and trust. The light is coming and God is with you in the waiting.