Lesson 408: How to Record and Analyze Seasonal Mood Patterns
Duration:75 minutes
Topic Introduction (Overview):
Many people experience "unexplained low mood" or "extra fatigue" during certain seasons, but rarely recognize these recurring states as a rhythm that can be recorded, observed, and adjusted. The so-called seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is not simply about being prone to depression in winter and irritability in summer; rather, it is an "invisible curve" formed by the repeated effects of various factors such as daylight hours, temperature changes, social activities, holiday frequency, work rhythm, sleep, and diet on your mind and body throughout the year.
This course won't immediately lead you to conclude "Do I have seasonal affective disorder?" Instead, it will guide you through learning: how to use simple, sustainable methods to record changes in your mood, energy, sleep, and behavior; how to identify "which months are particularly difficult and which periods are particularly sensitive" on a monthly calendar and yearly chart; and how to transform this data into gentler care strategies, rather than new self-blame labels. You will practice caring for yourself as a garden with seasons, rather than a machine that needs to maintain the same efficiency year-round.
[arttao_Healing_Course_tts_group408_410]
▲ AI Interaction: Which months of the year are the least friendly to me?
Please briefly describe your mood, sleep, energy, and social changes over the past 1-3 years in different seasons (e.g., a greater desire to stay home in winter, increased anxiety in spring, mood swings before and after long holidays, etc.). AI will assist you:
① Initially organize your seasonal mood record framework
② Mark the "sensitive months" and "buffer months" that require special attention.“
③ Provides a simple recording method that suits you (color marking, mood level, keywords, etc.)
④ Please note: Any diagnosis should still be made by a psychiatric/clinical psychologist.
○ Listening to the Emotional Curves of the Four Seasons: Musical Guidance
Choose a piece of instrumental music with four distinct sections: from soft to loud, and then back to soft, like the ups and downs of the four seasons.
While playing, mentally name the four segments: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.
As you listen to each segment, gently reflect on what emotions and physical states you are more likely to experience during this season.
You don't need to analyze; just let the music "play" a seasonal mood curve that belongs to you.
○ Chinese Healing Tea: Seasonal Harmonizing Tangerine Peel and Astragalus Tea
Recommended reasons:Dried tangerine peel regulates qi and invigorates the spleen, helping to dispel the gloom and depression brought on by seasonal changes; astragalus tonifies qi and strengthens the exterior, supporting the overall energy foundation. It can be enjoyed warm in all seasons, like setting aside a cup of "Little Rhythm Guardian Tea" for yourself throughout the year, reminding you that you can still practice stability in different seasons.
practice:Steep 3 small pieces of dried tangerine peel and 3-5 slices of astragalus root in hot water for 8 minutes. Add a little warm water to cool it down before slowly sipping. This is suitable as a daily support during periods when emotions are prone to "seasonal imbalance."
○ Taoist Dietary Therapy: Seasonal Grains and Nourishing Rhythm Meals
Taoism teaches that "the five flavors of the four seasons nourish the five internal organs." A bowl of "seasonal health-preserving rice" is made with the five grains, such as glutinous rice, millet, oats, and a small amount of brown rice, combined with seasonal vegetables and a small amount of beans: spring is refreshing with a hint of spiciness, summer is light and refreshing to relieve heat, autumn is moisturizing and nourishing yin, and winter is warm and astringent.
This kind of diet, which lasts all year round, is not about pursuing something amazing, but about letting the body remember: the seasons change, but my foundation remains stable.
For those whose emotions fluctuate significantly with the seasons, this dietary therapy serves as a gentle reminder:
First, let your body experience the four seasons, then your emotions will have room to be seen and settled.
○ Medieval Gothic calligraphy: “Seasons reveal my hidden patterns.”
Practice statements (Gothic Script):
Seasons reveal my hidden patterns.
Key points to note:
- The Gothic structure is compact and orderly, symbolizing your search for clues that can be organized within a chaotic experience.
- “The initial letter "S" of "Seasons" can be written in a slightly curved, tall shape, representing the flow and cycle of the four seasons.
- “The word ”reveal“ uses a stable vertical line and a short horizontal line to express the process of ”letting something invisible slowly emerge.”
- “The suggestion to use "patterns" implies consistent spacing between each letter, symbolizing that the pattern is gradually revealed rather than being judged.
Mental Healing: Mental Mandala Meditation 08
Imagine a mandala divided into four slowly rotating quadrants: some patches are cool, some are warm, some are still, and some vibrate subtly. Don't rush to name them; just observe—which patch resembles your winter mood, and which resembles your summer weariness? The mandala isn't about painting the perfect four seasons, but about inviting you to see, within the cycle of light and color, your own recurring seasonal patterns that have never been gently understood.
When you learn to observe your own seasons, emotions are no longer the sudden weather, but a climate that can be predicted and cared for.
The significance of a mental mandala lies in allowing you to gradually see your own cycle through repeated cycles, rather than rushing to change it.
[mandala_course lesson=”408″]
Lesson 408: Drawing Guidelines for "My Seasonal Emotional Rings"
Purpose:It helps you to concretize the emotional ups and downs of the year, forming an "emotional ring" that can be observed and cared for.
step:
① Draw a dot in the center of the paper to symbolize "me as the observer".
② Draw a large circle with this dot as the center, and divide it into 12 equal sectors, representing the 12 months of the year.
③ Reflect on the past 1-3 years and mark each sector with color or simple symbols: your mood this month was generally stable/low/anxious/tired/relaxed.
④ On the outer edge of the month when you are having a particularly difficult emotional time, draw a small circle of "support symbols" (such as the sun, hot tea, friends, healing, holidays, etc.) to represent what you hope to have to support you at that time.
⑤ Write a sentence:
“"I'm not blaming my seasons, I'm just learning to live with them."”
Please log in before submitting your drawings and feelings.
○ 408. Log Guidance
① Looking back over the past few years, have there been certain months or seasons where similar emotional patterns have repeatedly occurred?
② How will these seasonal fluctuations affect my work, relationships, physical condition, or self-esteem?
③ So far, how have I explained these recurring experiences? (For example: I'm too lazy, I don't fit in with this city, I have poor stress tolerance, etc.)
④ If we change our perspective to "seasonal mood pattern," how can I offer a gentler and more informative explanation?
⑤ Write a sentence:From today onward, I am willing to treat the year as a map, slowly learning to mark and take care of my emotional seasons.
Please log in to use.
When you learn to record and analyze seasonal mood patterns, you will no longer be a lost soul in an emotional storm, but a traveler with a map in hand, who can more calmly arrange light, rest and support for yourself.
EN 
ZH 
ES 
FR 
JA