One Reason Your New Year's Goals Fail by February |
January is when we set intentions.
February is when many people quietly decide they’ve failed.
As winter progresses, the initial motivation of a “fresh start” fades. The holidays are over. The days are still short. Energy hasn’t returned. And the goals that felt hopeful a few weeks earlier now feel like a reminder of the best life you could be living, but aren't.
That’s often when the self-talk shifts:
What's wrong with me?
Why is everyone else so perky?
Everyone else seems to be succeeding.
I hear this every winter—especially from women with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Adults with ADHD are much more likely to experience seasonal affective disorder (SAD)—a type of clinical depression tied to seasonal shifts in light and circadian rhythms.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, approximately 5 percent of adults experience SAD, and it lasts for approximately 40 percent of the year, with the worst months being January and February. It's more common for women and for those who live farther from the equator, with symptoms often peaking in January and February.
It’s also significantly more common among people with ADHD. Research suggests individuals with ADHD are three to four times more likely than others to exhibit SAD symptoms. Even more commonly, they experience sub-syndromal seasonal symptoms—noticeable winter-linked changes in mood, energy, and motivation that don’t meet full diagnostic criteria but still meaningfully affect daily life.
In other words, while as many adults with ADHD experience clinical depression in winter, many more are functional but depleted.
Given how often ADHD already affects motivation, emotional........