04/13/2026
April showers bring May flowers.” 🌧️🌷
A simple, hopeful saying for a rainy season. But it also speaks to something deeper. 🤔
This time of year can feel… dreary and chaotic all at the same time. It's the muddy, messy, middle. 😵💫
As the seasons shift, children and adults often experience:
🌱 More emotional ups and downs, mood swings, dysregulation
🌱 Increased anxiety, agitation, irritability
🌱 Restlessness, problems with sleep
🌱 A sense of heaviness, emotional fatigue, depression
We see this most often with kids with sensory sensitivities, ADHD, and those who are especially sensitive to their environmental surroundings.
For children and adults with mood disorders*, spring can feel especially confusing—because while the world around us is brightening and blooming, internally things feel heavy. For teens and adults who struggle with depression and anxiety, the spring time is especially difficult.
You don't have to weather this alone.
Just like in nature, growth doesn’t happen in perfect conditions.
It happens with:
🌧️ Discomfort
🌱 Change
☀️ Support and care over time
The rain isn’t just something to “get through.”
It’s part of what allows growth to happen.
Without it, things don’t bloom.
And just like flowers need more than rain—they need sunlight, care, and the right environment. People do too. 🌱☀️💛
We want to remind you to take one day at a time. Celebrate small successes, even if it's just surviving the day. If you don't have an umbrella to weather the storm ⛈️ grab a towel to dry after. Reach out to a friend who cares about you - even if it's just to say, “Today is hard. I'm struggling.”
The hard moments (days, weeks..) are not a sign that hope is lost or that things will be this way forever.
They can surely feel defeating.
And yet, they are a part of the process of growth and recovery.
And you don’t have to do it alone 🌱💛
*Children and adults with mood disorders often experience an increase in symptoms in the spring months. This is especially true for manic-depressive symptom presentations, with manic symptoms very likely to increase.
Mood Disorders include:
Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
Bipolar Disorder
Cyclothymic Disorder
Dysthymic Disorder
Major Depressive Disorder (“Depression”)
Seasonal Affective Disorder
Schizoaffective Disorder
“Manic” symptoms present differently in children than in adults.
Unlike adult mania, children often show intense, prolonged outbursts, silliness, or aggression rather than just elevated mood. These moods represent a drastic shift from their normal behavior.
High Energy/Restlessness: Feeling "wired" or having excessive energy.
Reduced Need for Sleep: Sleeping very little yet waking up feeling energetic.
Racing Thoughts and Rapid Speech: Talking fast, jumping between topics, and having trouble focusing.
Impulsivity and Risky Behavior: Poor judgment, leading to dangerous actions, reckless behaviors, or inappropriate sexual behavior.
Differences from Typical Behavior
While all children can be moody or hyper, manic episodes in children are distinguished by:
Severity: Symptoms are so extreme they interfere with school and home life.
Duration: Manic episodes typically last for several days or weeks, not just a few hours.
Shift in Functioning: Behaviors are clearly different from the child's typical personality.
