'A darker season': Guelph-based video series aims to tackle winter mental-health challenges

To many Canadians, winter may be about staying in and spending a lot of time with family and friends, especially during the Christmas holidays.

For others, winter can mean isolation and deteriorating mental health.

Dealing with mental health struggles during winter is what Homewood Health, a mental health and treatment centre based in Guelph, is addressing in their winter video compilation, Winter Wellbeing Mental Health Series.

“We wanted to steer away a little bit from the regular holiday theme that we all seem to hear, and really focus on the winter months because it's truly a darker season for some,” Gabrielle Provencher, director of enhanced mental health care at Homewood Health, told The Morning Edition.

“We want to provide tips and tools on how to quickly reconnect with ourselves … transforming the way that we see [the winter season], steering away from the classic jolly and cheerful [approaches], which for some may work, but not for others.”

The video series looks at people’s mental health during the winter months beyond just the holidays, and offers ways to help people deal with their mental-health challenges.

‘The comparison trap’ 

Provencher says data Homewood Health has collected between 2022 and 2025 shows a big dip in demand for mental-health care in December, followed by a big spike in January.

“We really aren't that great [at taking] care of ourselves during the holiday,” she said.

Provencher explains there are many explanations to this, including the fast pace of the holiday season as well as people having so many things on their plate at one time.

It could also be related to how people use social media during the holidays.

One of the videos in the series tackles “the comparison trap,” which Provencher explains happens when people compare their lives to what they see on social media.

She explains it becomes a bigger issue during the Christmas holidays, generally considered “the most jolly and cheerful time of the year.”

“The heavy commercialization of the holidays really amplifies the way that we compare each other during the holidays,” she said. “It's important to remember that there is a much broader reality for Canadians.”

Provencher says many Canadians experience “grief, loss and recovery” during the winter holidays. She also points to food scarcity remaining a big problem for many, making the comparison trap more devastating.

“Picture a large family, abundance of food … it's simply just not the reality for everybody,” she added.

According to the recent Hunger Report from Feed Ontario, in Ontario alone, more than one million people made 8.7 million visits to the food banks between April 2024 and March 2025.

“We want people to be aware of these things when they go out into the world and they share their reality and understanding … not everybody will have the same experience that they will during this time,” said Provencher.

‘Hibernating’ during the winter season

Physiologically, Provencher says the human body naturally “hibernates” during the colder winter months.

“It's important to remind yourself that it is a natural way for our body to slow down,” she explained. “And so we should also mimic this with the way that we interact with each other, that we will check in with our mental health.”

Similarly, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) explains that it’s common for people to experience low energy levels and mood shifts and swings during the cold winter months.

It’s the winter blues, CMHA explains, pointing to Ontarians for example.

"In Ontario, research suggests that 15 per cent of the general population experience these winter blues, which can include changes in appetite and lethargy," CMHA said on its website.

Overcoming the winter blues is not easy, but there are things people can do to deal with it.

CMHA suggests going out more to get some sunlight and fresh air. They also suggest exercising regularly as well as eating well.

"The prevalence of the winter blues highlights the need to make our mental health a priority throughout the year," CMHA said. "It is especially important during the winter months when the lack of sunlight can impact your mood."

Provencher says addressing mental health is “not just a one-time deal.”

“I think the key here is really to have those check-ins sporadically with ourselves, making sure to have kind of the little mini game plan of what a radical self-care plan looks like,” she said. “Instead of having a resolution on January first, have them throughout the year.”

“They [keep] us motivated.”

The Winter Wellbeing Mental Health Series is now available on Homewood Health’s Youtube channel.