Winter is long. It’s heavy. By the time February and March roll around, most people are just white-knuckling it. But there is a specific kind of psychological wall we hit right before the finish line. I’m talking about that grueling stretch of late winter and early spring where you find yourself constantly saying you’re just holding on till May. It’s not just a vibe or a mood; it’s a documented phenomenon that impacts everything from your cortisol levels to your productivity at work.
You’ve probably felt it. That mid-March slump where the novelty of "cozy season" has long since curdled into a desperate need for a single green leaf. Honestly, it’s exhausting. We live in a culture that demands constant "on" energy, yet our biology is still very much tethered to the seasons. When the light stays low and the temperatures refuse to budge, our brains start to feel like they’re running on a low-battery mode that won’t quite charge.
The biological reality of holding on till May
Why May? Why is that the magic month we all fixate on? Well, for most of the Northern Hemisphere, May is the true inflection point. It’s when the "false spring" finally gives way to consistent warmth. Biologically, we are waiting for a shift in our circadian rhythms. According to research on Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and its sub-syndromal variants, the "winter blues" don’t just vanish the moment the calendar flips to spring. In fact, many people experience a lag. Your body is still recovering from months of vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D isn't just a supplement; it’s a pro-hormone that regulates mood and immune function. By April, your stores are likely at their lowest point of the entire year. This is why you feel more fragile. This is why a minor inconvenience in April feels like a soul-crushing catastrophe. You are literally running on empty while holding on till May to get that natural recharge from the sun.
I’ve seen this in clinical data and anecdotal evidence alike. The "spring peak" in certain mental health crises is a real thing. Experts like those at the National Institute of Mental Health have noted that transitions in seasons can be more taxing on the brain than the dead of winter itself. The instability of the weather—one day 65 degrees, the next day a literal blizzard—wreaks havoc on our internal equilibrium. We crave predictability. Our brains love a pattern, and the chaos of early spring offers none.
The Dopamine of Anticipation
There is a psychological concept called "anticipatory pleasure." Sometimes, the act of looking forward to something provides more of a dopamine hit than the event itself. This is what keeps us going. We tell ourselves, "If I can just make it to the May long weekend, everything will be fine." It’s a survival mechanism. We anchor our hope to a specific point on the horizon.
But there’s a risk here.
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If we put too much pressure on May to "fix" us, we can end up with a massive emotional crash if the weather stays gray or if our problems don't magically evaporate with the first bloom of tulips. It’s better to view May as a transition, not a cure.
Productivity and the "April Burnout"
In the corporate world, April is often a graveyard for motivation. Q1 is over. The initial "New Year, New Me" energy has been incinerated by the reality of spreadsheets and endless Zoom calls. This is where the struggle of holding on till May becomes a professional liability.
Managers often wonder why their teams are flagging in the spring. It’s simple: cognitive fatigue. We’ve been indoors, under artificial lights, staring at blue screens for months. The pre-frontal cortex—the part of the brain responsible for executive function—gets tired. It needs "soft fascination," a term coined by environmental psychologists like Rachel and Stephen Kaplan. Soft fascination is what happens when you look at clouds, trees, or moving water. It restores your focus.
In April, most of us are still staring at gray concrete.
If you're struggling to care about your KPIs right now, don't beat yourself up. You aren't lazy. You're just a biological entity that hasn't seen a UV index above 3 in five months. It's hard to be a "thought leader" when your brain is screaming for a nap in a hammock.
Strategies for the home stretch
So, how do you actually survive this? You can't just hibernate until the flowers come out. You have to find ways to bridge the gap while holding on till May.
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One of the most effective methods is "environmental enrichment." If the outside world is ugly, make the inside world better. I don't mean buying more stuff. I mean changing the sensory input.
- Light therapy: If you haven't been using a 10,000 lux lamp, start now. Even twenty minutes in the morning can trick your brain into thinking it’s already late spring.
- The "One Green Thing" Rule: Buy a plant. Or go to a conservatory. Seeing green triggers a primitive "safety" signal in the human brain. It tells us that food is coming and the lean times are ending.
- Micro-scheduling: Stop looking at the whole month. Just look at the next three hours. When you're in the thick of a mental slump, the future feels too big. Shrink it down.
Social connection matters more now than ever. In the winter, we isolate. It's natural. But by spring, that isolation starts to rot. Force yourself to get a coffee with a friend, even if you’d rather stay under your weighted blanket. The oxytocin boost from a real-life conversation is worth the effort of putting on real pants.
The Myth of the "Perfect Spring"
We also need to talk about social media. Instagram and TikTok are about to be flooded with "Spring Aesthetic" videos. People in sundresses frolicking in meadows. This creates a "comparison trap." You look out your window at the slush and feel like you're failing at life.
Real life in April is muddy. It’s messy. It’s sneezing because of the sudden pollen explosion while also being cold.
Let go of the idea that you should be feeling "bloomed" right now. It’s okay to be a bulb that’s still mostly underground. Growth is happening, even if you can’t see it yet. The process of holding on till May is, in itself, a form of growth. You are building resilience. You are learning how to endure.
Acknowledge the "Seasonal Lag"
Psychologists often discuss the "lag effect." This is when your external circumstances improve—the sun comes out—but your internal state doesn't catch up immediately. This can be deeply frustrating. You might think, "The sun is out, why am I still sad?"
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This is normal. Neurochemistry takes time to recalibrate. Serotonin levels don't just spike the second you step outside. It’s a slow climb. Be patient with your brain. It’s doing its best with the limited resources it’s had all winter.
Actionable Steps for the Final Push
If you are currently in the trenches of holding on till May, here is how you navigate the next few weeks without losing your mind:
- Lower the bar. Seriously. If you’re at 60% capacity, stop trying to perform at 100%. Aim for 65% and call it a win. Survival is a valid goal for this time of year.
- Force the "Outside" time. Even if it's 40 degrees and raining. Put on a raincoat. Walk for ten minutes. The change in air pressure and the movement of your large muscle groups will break the cycle of rumination.
- Plan a "May 1st" ritual. Give yourself a concrete reward for making it through. It doesn't have to be a vacation. It could be a specific meal, a hike you love, or just a day where you turn off your phone.
- Watch your caffeine intake. When we're tired, we reach for coffee. But in the late-winter slump, too much caffeine can exacerbate the "wired but tired" feeling, leading to increased anxiety. Swap one cup for water or herbal tea.
- Audit your "Inner Monologue." Are you being a jerk to yourself? Are you calling yourself "lazy" because you’re tired? Stop. Talk to yourself like you would talk to a friend who is recovering from a long illness. Because, in a way, winter is a long, slow illness for the human spirit.
The transition from late winter to early spring is arguably the most demanding time for our nervous systems. We are caught between the desire to emerge and the lingering exhaustion of the cold. But the clock is moving. The tilt of the earth is fixed. May is coming whether you feel ready for it or not.
Focus on the physical sensations of the present. The weight of your feet on the floor. The temperature of the air. The fact that the sun is setting just a few minutes later every single day. These are the small evidences of progress. You don't need to be "thriving" yet. You just need to keep moving forward.
The struggle of holding on till May is nearly over. Take a breath. You've made it through 100% of your hardest days so far, and this stretch is no different. Soon, the grit of the transition will be replaced by the ease of the season, and the energy you've been missing will return, bit by bit, with the light.