When to Get Help for Anxiety (And Why Now Is the Best Time to Start)

This blog is adapted from one of our recent podcast episodes. You can take a listen at the button above.

I'm going to be direct with you today: if you've been thinking about doing something about your anxiety, September is the time. Not November. Not after the holidays. Now.

Here's why.

You're going to come to me at the beginning of November (I see it every year) and you're going to be dealing with two things simultaneously: the holidays are looming, and if you have a history of seasonal affective disorder, that's starting to ramp up too. Those are not the ideal conditions for beginning anxiety treatment. September is.

After reading this, I want you to walk away with a clear picture of what to do right now, in September, to set yourself up for a better fall and winter.

Key Takeaways

In this blog post, you'll learn:

Why September is genuinely the best time to start anxiety treatment
What to do right now if you have a history of seasonal affective disorder
How to build a non-medication plan for SAD and what actually works
Why holiday anxiety is its own category and why it builds up differently than people expect
What to do before and after therapy to address anxiety effectively
How to reach Seen Therapy Services if you're ready to get started

Why September? Here's What Happens If You Wait

If you're listening to this in September and you've been managing anxiety symptoms or putting off doing anything about them, I want you to sit with this for a moment.

By the time you reach November, you're going to be managing anxiety plus holiday stress plus, for many people, the beginning of a seasonal mood dip. Starting therapy when you're already in the thick of all of that is harder. The groundwork takes longer. The work is heavier.

Starting now means you have September, October, and the first part of November to build resources, address patterns, and get some traction before the harder season hits. That's not nothing. That's actually significant.

And if you're reading this in November? No judgment. Come in anyway. We will absolutely welcome you. Just know that September would have been easier.

Ready to get started? Book a free consultation at Seen Therapy Services →

Seasonal Affective Disorder: What to Do Right Now

If you've experienced seasonal affective disorder before (a significant dip in mood that reliably shows up in winter and lifts in spring), September is the time to act on that. Not when you're already in it.

In the Midwestern United States, I typically see SAD hit hardest in December, January, and February, with improvement in early to mid-March. That means the window to prepare is right now.

If You're Managing SAD with Medication

Go get the refill. Seriously. If you've been on medication that's helped you manage seasonal affective disorder before and you need a refill, make that appointment with your prescriber in September. You want the medication working for you by the time you're heading into December, not scrambling to get it sorted after the dip has already started.

If You're Managing SAD Without Medication

That's completely valid. But then the question is: what's your plan? And have you actually talked to the people in your life who need to know about it?

Here are the things worth addressing right now, in September:

Get outside. Every day. During peak daylight. I can tell you about red light therapy, light boxes, supplements - and some of those things have genuine value. But nothing replaces getting outside in the middle of the day during winter months. Not one thing. So how are we going to make that happen?

Does your boss know you need a midday walk? If not, have that conversation now. I'm happy to send data on productivity and mental health if that helps your case.
Does your spouse or partner know what you typically experience in winter and what you need? If not, September is the time to have that conversation - not mid-January when you're already struggling.
What worked last year? What didn't? What were the barriers to what didn't work, and how can we address those barriers now?

Plan something to look forward to. If you have the means, consider a trip somewhere warm in January or February. I'm in Springfield, Missouri, and our little airport can take you straight to Florida. Sitting by a pool in Arizona on January 20th is not frivolous if you know you're going to be in a mood dip. It's proactive care.

Even smaller things matter: a weekly book club, a standing coffee date with a friend, something mid-week that's just for you and gives you something to look forward to. I personally notice a dip in my mood over winter even though I wouldn't meet criteria for SAD, and I'm already thinking about what mid-week connection will help me stay regulated. If you're a therapist reading this: yes, we need this too.

Holiday Anxiety Is Its Own Thing

Even if you don't experience seasonal affective disorder, November and December carry a particular kind of weight. Anecdotally, from years of working in the mental health field, I see people in our culture carrying a different quality of stress and anxiety in those months, even people without difficult family dynamics, even people who genuinely enjoy the holidays.

It builds. It accumulates. And it arrives at a time when there's often less space to address it.

If you're already noticing elevated anxiety in September, and if your symptoms are consistently outside of your control, that's the signal. Come in now, while there's still room to work.

How to Get Started at Seen Therapy Services

If you're in Springfield, Missouri or anywhere in Missouri and you're ready to do something about your anxiety before the harder season hits, here's how to reach us:

📞 Text or call: 417-708-7909 🌐 Website: seentherapy.org — every button leads to a free 15-minute consultation 📅 Book directly: calendly.com/417seen/call 📍 In person: 2148 West Chesterfield Blvd, Suite E205, Springfield, MO 65807

We offer EMDR therapy, EMDR intensives, and couples counseling - in person and via telehealth throughout Missouri.

If you're reading this in September: go book the consultation. You have time to build something solid before the holidays arrive.

If you're reading this in November: text us anyway. We'll take you where you are.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is September a good time to start anxiety therapy?

Starting in September gives you time to build resources, establish a therapeutic relationship, and make real progress before the holidays arrive and seasonal mood changes begin. Starting treatment when you're already in the hardest stretch of the year is significantly more difficult than starting when you have some runway ahead of you.

What is seasonal affective disorder (SAD)?

Seasonal affective disorder is a pattern of significant mood changes that follow the seasons — typically a depression that arrives in fall or winter and lifts in spring. In the Midwest, it tends to hit hardest in December, January, and February. If you've experienced it before, September is the time to start preparing, whether that means refilling medication, building a non-medication plan, or both.

How do I treat seasonal affective disorder without medication?

Getting outside during peak daylight hours is the single most effective non-medication intervention for SAD. Beyond that: building social connection, planning something to look forward to in the darker months, communicating with the people in your life about what you need, and addressing barriers that kept you from doing these things effectively in previous years. Therapy can also be a significant part of a non-medication plan.

How do I know if my anxiety needs professional treatment?

If you've tried self-help tools like regulation practices, lifestyle changes, nervous system support, and your anxiety symptoms are still consistently outside of your control, that's the signal. If anxiety is impacting your sleep, your relationships, your work, or your ability to function in daily life, professional support is appropriate.

Does Seen Therapy Services treat anxiety?

Yes. At Seen Therapy Services in Springfield, Missouri, we specialize in EMDR therapy, which is particularly effective for anxiety rooted in past experiences. We also offer EMDR intensives for those who want to do a significant amount of work in a concentrated period, and couples counseling. In-person and telehealth available throughout Missouri.

Related Resources

Hello. Hello. Hello, friends, welcome to the podcast where we simplify everything about mental health. Just kidding. But here's what we are gonna do. We're gonna sit down together a licensed mental health professional, that's me and a regular old Joe as my husband Garth would describe himself. We're gonna talk about the nitty gritty of EMDR, some nervous system mapping, how couples can help each other heal. What's healthy parenting actually look like? Maybe a little bit of good old banter mixed in. All with the goal of making mental health a little bit simpler for you. Quick note, because my lawyer says that I have to, I'm a therapist, but not your therapist. Unless I am. Even if I am. This is still just a podcast. Okay, now have a good listen. We are back for another solo episode. What? I know. But we're gonna talk about why you should be treating your anxiety right now. Right, right, right, right, right now. Okay? So before we get into it, I'm back to you with my favorite Ollipop. I have nothing else interesting to talk about apparently. My desk is full of plants in my plant hospital so maybe I could talk about those. I did find out that I have a lily that I was recently gifted that is highly toxic, so that guy is... It doesn't matter how recovered it is tomorrow it's going to the office where there are n- like, I can reasonably expect there are no living beings that are going to attempt to eat it. Whereas here I have a almost 12-year-old dog and a 1-year-old human that I really think it would be reasonable to expect would take a go at it at some point. So, I'm looking at it right now. Your days here at the plant hospital are, are numbered, lily. You're headed to the office. So that's gonna be our bant today. Please be thinking of my plant hospital and wish me well because I am not the best at... Well, I guess wish my plants well. I am not the best plant parent. Thank goodness I, I think I'm a much better human plant- parent than a plant parent, or my kids would really be struggling. Okay. Oh, quick thing though before I move on from plants. I did have a friend at some point last year tell me- You can buy a houseplant for about the same cost as you can buy a bouquet of flowers. So it's not that you, like, try to kill the houseplant, but when it does eventually inevitably die, which is typically what happens in our house, you've probably had months of enjoyment out of it before that happens. And that was really a r- relief for me. I'm like, you know what? This is so true. So anyway, I'm gonna give the plant hospital my best effort, and also if the results are not fabulous they have lived and they have been loved while they have been here. Okay, back to your regularly scheduled programming. Checking out my notes here so I make sure I don't miss anything. We are talking why you should treat your anxiety now, and by now I mean this month. Why do I mean this month? I mean this month, folks, because here's what's gonna happen. You are listening to this in September, and you're going to come to me the beginning of November. And you know what you're gonna be dealing with at the beginning of November? Two things. Here's what you're gonna be dealing with. You are going to be thinking about the holidays. They are going to be impending. You are also going to be You're gonna be possibly headed into, like, a seasonal affective situation. Maybe. Not for sure, right? But possibly. If you've done it before, chances are, if you're living in the same area, you're gonna do it again. So when I say, "Go get your anxiety treated right now," I mean in September. It's a great time to do it. And if you're listening to this in November, no worries. No worries, no worries, no worries, no worries. Maybe turn off the episode and just text 417-708-7909. You really don't need to listen anymore, okay? Just send a text. All right. Now, for those of us who are listening in September, here's what I want you to know. This is the perfect time to start considering how you are going to just rock the holiday season, enjoy it, love it, soak it in, and also, if seasonal affective disorder is applicable for you, how you're gonna manage that. Okay, so let's start with seasonal affective disorder. That sounds fun, right? The acronym is SAD, so it should be a good time. All right. With seasonal affective disorder, here are a few things that we can do in September that aren't nearly as relevant in November. So again, if you're still listening and it's November, I told you earlier, hit pause on the episode. 417-708-7909, okay? Okay, okay, okay. It's gonna be fine. All right. In September, if we have historically seen for more than one year that we have a significant dip in mood starting if you live in, like, the Midwestern United States like me, I typically see this start for folks around the end of November, okay? And it's typically going through the beginning to mid-March, okay? So we're seeing it heavy hit December, January, February. Three months, that's when it heavy hits and about two weeks or so into March, okay? So we want to go talk to our medical providers. We wanna go talk to our primary care about the symptoms that we had last year, okay? We wanna be really clear about those symptoms. We wanna be really clear about when they increased and then when they got better. Now, maybe you've already been on medication to help you deal with SAD or seasonal affective disorder before, but you need a refill. Girl, go get the refill. It's September. It is time for the refill, okay? Okay, okay, okay. Because you want that stuff kicked in and rearing and ready to go for you by the time you get to October. It's not gonna be quite there, but one can dream. No, really though, you want to go get it refilled now so that by the time we're heading into the beginning of December, you're rocking and rolling. All right? Now, let's say that you know that you deal with seasonal affective disorder, but you don't want to manage it with medication. Totally fine. Get it. Get it, get it, get it, get it. Okay? What's our plan? What's our plan? Have we talked to anybody about our plan? Does our husband know about our plan? Are we gonna try to get outside more this winter? Is that part of our plan? What are the things that kept us from getting outside more last winter? How are we gonna tackle those barriers, right? Because the red light is great, right? You can... There's lots of different solutions that you can use in your home. I'm telling you right now, nothing is going to beat you getting outside in the height of daylight in the winter Nothing else. So, how do we make it happen? Do we need to talk to our boss? Is boss not cool with us taking a walk over our lunch break? Let's talk to our boss. Let's talk to him about it. I can send him some data. You can send him to me. I'll tell him how much more effective you're gonna be as a worker after you go take your little midday jaunt. We can talk about it. Okay? All right? So, have we talked to our spouse? Have we talked to our boss? What is our plan to get outside? What is our plan to treat this without medication? Okay? Now, when I say treat it without medication, if we have the means, guys, when are we going to the beach? Go to the beach. If you have the means to take a beach vacation January 20th, and you have experienced seasonal affective disorder before, go. I'm in Springfield, Missouri. If you are in Springfield, Missouri, you know that we have the cutest little airport. Take you right to Florida. Take you right there. Go, go. Go, go, go. Go, go, go. Arizona? I'll take you to Arizona. Sit by the pool. Sit by the pool in Arizona on January 20th. Okay? Okay, okay, okay. So, if we're not gonna treat it with medication, how are we gonna treat it? Okay? It is okay to talk about seasonal affective disorder. A lot of people in seasonal areas experience it to differing degrees, and, you know, to some degree, I think we should be slowing down a little bit as the weather around us slows down. But sometimes that's not always feasible. So, what are we gonna do to keep our mood in a good place? I would not meet criteria for seasonal affective disorder, but I do notice a typical dip in my mood over the winter. I am talking to friends about, like, what about a book club midweek? You know? Like, what's something that I can just go do, Mom, me, not the whole family, like just me that would be a nice mood lift midweek? Though like my family's the jam. Like, they're awesome, right? I also really enjoy reconnecting with friends and like surprise, surprise, shocker as a therapist having one-on-one or small group conversations. I know, right? Okay. So be thinking about, do I need to go to my prescriber? If I don't want to treat sad with medication, that's okay. But then what's my plan? And what pieces of that plan have I tried to implement in the past that have not gone well? And what have been the barriers to that going well? And what pieces of that plan have I tried to implement in the past? And it's gone super well. Okay. If you have the means go to the beach January 20th, just saying. All right. Now Other thing that's a little bit more gray and why I think you should treat your anxiety right now. I did not look up the data beforehand, and in one of our recent previous episodes, I really butchered some data about green and blue space. So I'm not gonna try to throw out a specific number. I will tell you anecdotally from experience in working in the mental health field, folks are holding, folks in our culture are holding a different kind of stress and anxiety in November and December, even if they do not necessarily have stressful family dynamics. So if you are noticing high levels of anxiety in September, go talk to somebody about that. Now, in a previous episode, I talked about some things to do for your anxiety before you go to therapy. Listen to that, okay? And then once you've done those things, if you're still really feeling like those anxiety symptoms are not within your control, go to therapy in September. September is a great time to go to therapy. It's not that we won't welcome you in when you come right after Thanksgiving because you just went through one stressful holiday and you see another gently caressing over the horizon. That's not how it actually happens. It feels like it's coming in like a freight train, okay? But it's not that we won't welcome you in then. We will, we will, we will, we will. Come on in at the beginning of December. And also, maybe we have, like, the rest of September, October, and the first part of November to really work on some stuff. That would be awesome. So folks, this whole episode is me saying, "It's September. Come on in." Thanks for the listen. Talk to you again soon. Well, that's all folks. Please see our show notes for ways to connect with us or go give us a follow on Instagram. You can find us at Simply Mental. If this episode resonated with you, send it over to a friend. Give us a five star rating. Subscribe. Download all the things the cool kids are doing these days. Thanks for having to listen.