KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – You might be asking yourself, when you get home from work or in the evenings, why is it getting darker even earlier? It’s not in your head; it’s because this week, we will experience some of the earliest sunsets of the year. That means you’re not going to have as much daylight.
Experts told WVLT News this can cause many people to feel down or feel those winter blues. Casey Merrill is a licensed professional counselor and mental health service provider with years of experience working independently. Then Hope Nation Counseling found her, and now she is the Executive Clinical Director for the start-up.
Merrill said there are things to do to keep a positive attitude during this challenging season, “Mental Health is becoming a conversation that’s more included in everyday talk, which is wonderful, but on the downside of that might be googling their mental health symptoms thinking they have depression or anxiety. We see an increase right now in seasonal affect disorder, which is because of the sunlight because the lack of exposure to vitamin D.”
This time of year, Merrill said she does see a spike in people needing mental health resources and help during the winter months. She said this isn’t just here in Tennessee; it’s affecting people in every region, some worse than others.
“States that don’t have as much vitamin D or sunlight exposure, you’ll see the population is actually higher in depression so, we need that sun exposure.” When the sun is out, Merrill said to take advantage of it. “So yesterday, when the sunlight came out, I ran outside even for a minute and took some work calls.”
We are in the middle of the stressful holiday season and have the shortest days of the year. This means much less sunlight. She recommends incorporating little things into your daily habits because even the smallest things, like running cold water over your hands, can make a huge difference in how you feel.
“Things that we can do to increase our dopamine and our serotonin are really important. So, a healthy diet, which is hard during the holidays, but we kind of want to stay inside. It’s cold; we want to isolate,” said Casey Merrill.
Therapy can be intimidating at first and nearly impossible to find for people living in rural communities. Many rural communities have inadequate and variable access to core healthcare services. According to the Tennessee Rural Health Care Task Force Report from June 2023, nearly 97% of Tennessee counties are designated as a primary care professional shortage area, 98% of counties include a dental care professional shortage area, and 100% of counties include a mental health care professional shortage area, which restricts access to care. Hope Nation Counseling thinks that is unacceptable and is helping with this because they offer virtual options to see clinicians and more.
“We really work to make sure that the therapeutic repour and relationship isn’t sacrificed but enhanced because of the virtual experience,” said Casey Merrill.
Hope Nation Counseling, Merrill told me that they take their time with each patient and get them the best and most personalized treatment options and care specifically for them.
She recommends not to wait long to seek help if you need it. On average, a client waits about six weeks to be seen by a clinician.
“But at Hope Nation, we’re actually seeing our clients within as little as 48 hours because we are a start-up that’s serving Tennessee,” said Merrill. She also told me it is important to check in on people you know who might be struggling, especially during these more challenging months.
Here is a list of mental health resources in our area.
1. https://hopenationcounseling.com/
2. https://www.tn.gov/behavioral-health/mental-health-services/adults.html
3. https://mcnabbcenter.org/
4. https://newhopehealthtn.com/
5. https://wellness.utk.edu/community-resources/
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