When the Spotlight Burns But the Sun Won’t Shine: Navigating SAD as a Visible Woman

It is December 2025. The year-end galas are on the calendar, the quarterly reports are due, and the world is demanding the most vibrant, charismatic version of you. But privately? You feel like you are moving through molasses. The "Black Girl Magic" feels like it’s running on a backup generator that is slowly sputtering out.

Here is the story I want you to sit with today: Imagine a high-performance solar panel. It is designed to capture energy and convert it into power for an entire building. If the sun goes behind a thick cloud cover for three months, and that panel produces less electricity, do we call the panel "lazy"? Do we diagnose the panel with "Imposter Syndrome"? No. We acknowledge that the input has changed, so the output must shift.

Sis, you are the high-performance panel. And if you live in the Northeast or similar latitudes, the input has changed. This is not a failure of your work ethic. This is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), and for women who are people facing, it presents a unique, intersectional threat to our well-being.

The Science of the Shadow (And the Melanin Paradox)

Let’s separate the truth of the situation from the emotional experience of it.

SAD is a type of depression related to changes in seasons. It saps your energy and makes you moody. Meanwhile, your beautiful melanin—the very thing that protects you—is also a filter. It requires more sunlight to produce Vitamin D than lighter skin. In the winter, when UV rays are weak, women of color are at a significantly higher risk for Vitamin D deficiency.

• The Stat You Need to Know: Research consistently shows that African Americans have significantly lower levels of Vitamin D compared to other groups—sometimes up to 15-20 times higher prevalence of deficiency.
  Vitamin D isn't just for strong bones; it regulates serotonin. When your levels drop, your brain chemistry shifts. You aren't "losing your edge." You are clinically depleted.

The "Manager" vs. The "Winter Child"

In my practice, I often use Internal Family Systems (IFS) to help high achievers understand their internal conflict. Right now, you likely have a "Manager" part of you. She’s the one who got you the C-suite role, the book deal, or the elected seat. She is terrified of stillness. She screams, “If we slow down, they will replace us. We have to be twice as good!”

But there is also an "Exile"—let’s call her your Winter Child. She is cold, she is tired, and she wants to pull the covers up. When you ignore the Winter Child to please the Manager, you burn out. The work of self-mastery is not to silence the child, but to teach the Manager that rest is a business strategy.

Cognitive Restructuring: Straightening the Narrative

The emotional labor of representation means you often feel you cannot afford a "down" day. But we need to use Cognitive Restructuring to challenge that narrative.

• The Lie: "I am feeling unmotivated and sluggish, which means I am a fraud and I don't deserve this platform."
• The Crown-Straightening Truth: "My body is entering a cycle of preservation. I am experiencing a biological response to low light. My worth is not tied to my solar output."

Your Homework: This week, I want you to stop trying to "willpower" your way out of biology. You cannot out-hustle a chemical imbalance.

1. Get Your Levels Checked: consider going to your physician. With the online Portal Systems that so many healthcare practices use, you can reach out and specifically for a Vitamin D test.
2. Audit Your Light: Are you sitting in the dark? Invest in a light therapy lamp. You can buy them easily online, and if you are eco-friendly, you may even find one in a thrift store!

YOU ARE NOT BROKEN. You are just wintering. And even the strongest roots need time in the dark to deepen.

If you feel the weight of the "Superwoman" cape crushing you this December, you do not have to carry it alone. Be True Counseling provides the confidential, culturally competent space you need to take off the mask and straighten your crown. Contact us today for a consultation. Click here, https://calendar.app.google/XoJz9zmGysuoiY7B8.

Go Deeper: For a full breakdown of the "Melanin Paradox" and my personal strategies for winter, listen to Crown Straightening Sessions: "Solar Powered in a Low Voltage World." Available wherever you get your podcasts.

#SeasonalAffectiveDisorder #BlackMentalHealth #WomenInLeadership #BeTrueCounseling #PhillyTherapist #HighFunctioningDepression #VitaminD #MentalWellness #CrownStraightening