There’s something about the transition from summer to fall that can leave us feeling a little… off. The days get shorter, the mornings get darker– and suddenly, leaving the house after 5 p.m. feels like a logistical challenge. The carefree days of summer give way to packed schedules, cooler temperatures, and the realization that the holidays are somehow just around the corner.

For some people, this seasonal shift brings more than a little reluctance to trade flip-flops for sweaters. It can bring persistent sadness, low energy, changes in sleep, difficulty concentrating, and a loss of interest in activities they usually enjoy.

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a form of depression associated with seasonal changes, most commonly beginning in the fall and continuing through the winter months. While not everyone who experiences the “winter blues” has SAD, changes in mood and energy during seasonal transitions are worth paying attention to.

So, where does music therapy fit in? Quite literally, it can give you something to turn to when the seasons—and your mood—begin to change.

Why the Change of Seasons Can Affect Your Mood

The transition from summer to fall brings changes beyond the weather. Reduced daylight can affect our circadian rhythms, sleep patterns, and mood. We may spend less time outdoors, move our bodies less, and have fewer opportunities for the activities that help us feel connected and energized.

For women juggling careers, family responsibilities, aging parents, and the thousands of other things on their to-do lists– this transition can add another layer of stress. And if you’re already feeling emotionally exhausted, the prospect of several months of gray skies and early sunsets may not exactly inspire enthusiasm.

Sometimes, you don’t realize how much the change of seasons is affecting you until you notice that you’re withdrawing from people, struggling to get out of bed, or feeling unlike yourself.

The good news? There are ways to support your emotional well-being during seasonal transitions, and music can be one of them.

How Music Therapy Can Help

Music therapy is more than putting together a playlist of cheerful songs and hoping for the best. It is a clinical, individualized approach in which a board-certified music therapist uses music-based interventions to support therapeutic goals.

Here are a few ways music therapy may help during the transition into fall and winter.

1. Supporting Mood and Emotional Expression

Sometimes, when you’re feeling down, the last thing you want to hear is someone telling you to think positively. You don’t need another person insisting that you look on the bright side when you’re struggling just to get through the day. It’s also easy to downplay seasonal depression since “it’s the happiest time of year” with all the family-centered holidays.

Music therapy provides space for your actual feelings.

Listening to meaningful songs, exploring lyrics, or creating music can help you identify and express emotions that may be difficult to put into words. You might discover that what feels like general sadness is actually loneliness, grief, anxiety, or frustration.

And no, every song has to be happy. Sometimes a sad song helps you feel understood in a way that an upbeat pop anthem simply cannot. (Although there’s certainly a time and place for dancing around the kitchen to your favorite ’80s hit.)

The goal is to explore your emotions related to seasonal depression, not pretend they aren’t there.

2. Helping You Regulate Stress and Energy

Music can influence arousal, attention, and emotional state. In music therapy, we can explore how different musical qualities—such as tempo, rhythm, and familiarity—affect your mood and energy.

Feeling sluggish and unmotivated? Music with an engaging rhythm may help you get moving or make a difficult task feel more manageable.

Feeling anxious or overstimulated? Slower, familiar music may help you settle and create a sense of calm.

A music therapist can help you identify which musical experiences support you in different situations and develop a personalized collection of strategies you can use outside sessions.

Think of it as building a musical toolkit for the days when your motivation has apparently packed its bags and headed south for the winter. (This is especially helpful in between music therapy sessions!)

3. Creating Structure and Motivation

With seasonal depression, everyday activities can feel harder than usual. Music can become a helpful cue for building routines and initiating activities.

You might create a morning playlist that helps you get moving, or use music to make household tasks more tolerable. Or you could pair a favorite album with a walk outdoors during daylight hours.

These strategies aren’t a cure for depression, but they can support daily functioning and help you reconnect with activities that contribute to your overall well-being.

4. Reconnecting With Yourself

Seasonal changes can highlight feelings of disconnection, especially if you’re already navigating a major life transition like empty nesting or divorce or the loss of loved ones (all very common for Gen X!).

Music carries memories. A familiar song might reconnect you with a time when you felt confident, hopeful, adventurous, or more like yourself. Exploring those memories in music therapy can help you identify what you miss, what still matters to you, and what you want more of in your life now.

This can be particularly meaningful during midlife, when changing family dynamics, career questions, and shifting priorities may leave you wondering who you are outside the roles you fill for everyone else.

Music can help you rediscover parts of yourself that have been buried under years of responsibility.

A Few Important Things to Remember

Music therapy can be a valuable part of a broader approach to managing seasonal depression.

If you experience persistent low mood, loss of interest, significant changes in sleep or appetite, or difficulty functioning– it’s important to talk with a healthcare professional. SAD may be treated with approaches such as psychotherapy, light therapy, and medication, depending on individual needs. Music therapy may complement these treatments.

If you suspect you have SAD, don’t feel you have to simply tough it out until spring.

You Don’t Have to Wait for Spring to Feel Like Yourself Again

You may not be able to control when the sun sets, how quickly the temperature drops, or how many holiday decorations appear in stores before Halloween. (Seriously, can we at least finish September first???)

But you can take steps to support your emotional well-being as the seasons change.

Music therapy offers a space to understand what you’re feeling, reconnect with yourself, and develop personalized ways to navigate difficult emotions.

If the transition from summer to fall leaves you feeling unlike yourself, you don’t have to navigate it alone. Sometimes, the first step toward feeling better is giving yourself permission to pause, pay attention, and listen.

And perhaps putting on a favorite song while you’re at it.