March and Springtime Reflections
Jessica Chang, MHC-LP
I may be biased as I was born in the month of March on the first day of spring, but March feels like a particularly significant time of the year. It is a time full of mental health awareness, women’s history and International Woman’s Day, and the end of winter (and the arrival of spring). March is also the anniversary date of the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring COVID-19 a global pandemic followed by lockdowns and is associated with an increase in high-profile COVID-related anti-Asian hate crimes. In recognition of the impactful month of March, this blog post will outline some ways you can connect with your mental health during this time of year.
A note on Palestine during Ramadan this March
This year, March also includes Ramadan. Ramadan is celebrated by Muslims around the world, and this year, Ramadan began at sundown on February 28 and concludes with the celebration of Eid al-Fitr at the end of March. Although Ramadan is not a celebration of spring and does not always occur in the month of March, I feel it is necessary to acknowledge what is occurring in Gaza at this time. During a season that symbolizes rebirth and growth, during the holy month of Ramadan, a time of fasting, prayer, reflection, and community, Israel broke the ceasefire agreement and resumed bombing in Gaza. Eid al-Fitr, “festival of the breaking of the fast” that is typically done with family and special foods is approaching, and Palestinians are being starved. If you are feeling affected by this extreme dissonance, you are not alone, and your body is responding naturally and is communicating to you. Keep paying attention to what is going on around you while also tuning into what is occurring within you, and recognize your capacity. Take care of yourself and lean into community. We are here together. Palestine is all of us, and Palestine will be free.
Springtime
In the Northern hemisphere, the first day of spring, the vernal equinox, is on March 20. Many celebrations occur amongst various cultures to recognize this time of year, like Holi (India and Nepal) and Nowruz (Persia and Iran), as it symbolizes renewal and rebirth and the reawakening of the earth after winter. These celebrations often include bright colors and gatherings with friends and family along with the sharing of special foods. Although for some it is a remarkably joyous time, it can be a very difficult time for others that may involve feeling pressured to begin tasks and want to socialize.
Change
With the spring energy of renewal often comes the air of change. Again, change can feel exciting and energizing, and it can also feel scary and intimidating, amongst various other associations.
You may feel spiritually aligned with the changing of seasons and awakening of the earth such that you also begin feeling more awake and looking forward to births to come - of ideas, plans, feelings, actions, etc. Journaling and creating a schedule can be helpful to organize your thoughts and name feelings that are surfacing that may be new or seasonally recurring or previously unnoticed (intentionally or unintentionally). It is important to remember to breathe through your excitement as well to prevent burnout and promote continued connection between mind and body.
Spring can feel really challenging as well, and you may experience a gap between where you are currently at and where you want to be. Instead of, or along with, feeling excited and motivated to make changes, change may feel daunting, burdensome, frustrating, or annoying. It can feel inevitable and occurring too quickly or not fast enough. Spring can be a particularly difficult time for those who identify as disabled or having a chronic illness or pain that may interfere with the direction and speed one is wanting to go. As the world seems to be picking up and moving forward, judgment towards one’s body and comparison with others may arise that may have felt less noticeable during the winter. If you notice these feelings arise, consider reflecting on the messages you are communicating to yourself. Take time to understand what you are saying to yourself, what you want to be saying, and how you can tell yourself what you need to hear. Reflect on how society and systemic levels of oppression may be influencing your current values and priorities, and realign yourself with what is important to you and your communities. It could be salient to note how current events at various levels may be impacting your typical patterns such as motivation to make changes and your mental health during this time.
Mental Health
With the increased energy spring can bring and the start of a season of change (and allergies), it can also exacerbate pre-existing mental health conditions such as depression, mania in bipolar disorder, anxiety, and seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which can begin in spring and last through summer. Springtime is also the time of year when suicide rates are highest. There are many factors associated with spring that may contribute to these mental health effects. For example, increased social events and expectations to interact with others may feel overwhelming and distressing. The increased amount of daylight may disrupt people’s circadian rhythm, triggering manic episodes. It is finals season at the end of the school year, which can be a particularly stressful time for young people. Switching to warmer-weather clothing may feel uncomfortable to some and contribute towards negative thoughts on body image and self-esteem. Those who struggle with suicidal ideation may feel more energized and motivated to cary out their plan.
It is important for people who live with or without suicidal ideation or self harm behaviors to be aware of these seasonal patterns and to be in community. By recognizing seasonal patterns, preventative and proactive efforts may be utilized to connect with and manage one’s mental health. If you regularly struggle with your mental health during this time of year, consider discussing these patterns with loved ones and/or a professional. You do not need to struggle through these times alone. Additionally, sometimes art and creative modalities like music, dance, or poetry can help guide people in reflecting and being in tune with their mental health and emotional state while providing an alternative outlet for potential pain, discomfort, and emotions during difficult times.
Collective Grief Anniversaries
With the beginning of spring is also the anniversary date of the onset of the global pandemic COVID-19 and the ensuing recognition and spike of high-profile anti-Asian hate crimes. It is important to acknowledge and show compassion towards collective grief that may come up within you consciously or somatically during this time of year.
COVID-19
March 2025 marks the 5 year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has impacted and continues to impact millions of individuals, families, communities, and institutions around the world. Despite how referenced it is in past tense, COVID-19 remains relevant. Long-term consequences can be seen in people’s physiological, pyschological, emotional, and behavioral health and wellbeing. People of all age groups have been significantly affected by the pandemic, and new resulting impacts from the pandemic continue to emerge. Lockdown was a particularly isolating time for many people. Recognizing one’s feelings and the impacts of COVID-19 during this time is essential to collective processing and healing of grief and trauma. Although it was a particularly isolating time, lockdown was a global, collective experience, and connecting with others through this time can help honor yourself and others and what we have gone through and continue to get through.
The Stop AAPI Hate movement
Asian Americans faced their own consequences from the pandemic beginning in March 2020 with the rise in public usage of racist anti-Asian rhetoric and sentiment which blamed Asians for spreading the virus. On March 19, 2020, the Stop AAPI Hate coalition formed when community leaders from three organizations (AAPI Equity Alliance, Chinese for Affirmative Action, and the Asian American Studies Department at San Francisco State University) recognized the need to document the rise of COVID-19-related anti-Asian racism in the early stages of the global pandemic. The outpouring of responses, people gaining awareness from this platform, and the rise of high-profile anti-Asian attacks marks the start of the Stop AAPI Hate movement. Asian Americans may grieve community members including families, young women, and elders who were brutally stabbed to death in their homes or heinously beaten in broad daylight while people walked right on by because of racist anti-Asian beliefs. A year later, on March 16, 2021 the Atlanta shootings occurred in which a 21 year old white man fatally shot 8 people, 6 of whom were Asian women, at 2 spas and a massage parlor in Atlanta, Georgia, highlighting the historically underrepresented violence and fetishization of Asian women and the importance of intersectionality. This time of year can bring up many feelings and questions regarding what it means to exist as an Asian American with intersecting identities. It can be incredibly powerful and healing to reflect on these moments around this time and to grieve and to feel not just individually, but in community.
Overall Reflections
Springtime reflections may include deep moments of gratitude and recognizing and expressing appreciation for where you are at now and where you are going. They may also include tuning into and naming distressing and judgmental feelings, processing grief individually and collectively, and feeling stuck. Check in with yourself and allow yourself permission to feel and to heal. Show yourself and your communities patience and compassion, and focus on aligning yourself with manageable and realistic goals and expectations. Remember that you are never really alone, and do not forget to breathe.
Sources:
Han, S., Riddell, J. R., & Piquero, A. R. (2023). Anti-Asian American Hate Crimes Spike
During the Early Stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of interpersonal violence, 38(3-4), 3513–3533. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605221107056
H. Steven, Moffic, MD. What Does the 5th Year Anniversary of COVID-19 Mean to You? [Video]. March 19, 2025.
March is Self-Harm Awareness Month, Health Experts Encourage Parents to Learn the Signs. Wisconsin Department of Health Services. March 13, 2025.
Spring’s Arrival Affects Mental Health | American Behavioral Clinics.
Today, much of the research fails to center or include BIPOC women, particularly transgender BIPOC women. For example, according to the DSM-V, the prevalence of Major Depressive Disorder among women is 10.3% compared to men at 6.2% (APA, 2013). For Generalized Anxiety Disorder, the prevalence in women is 6% as opposed to 3% among men (APA, 2013). A 2014 study on depression among transgender women revealed the lifetime prevalence of depression for transgender women was as high as 62%, whereas the lifetime prevalence for cisgender women was 16% (Hoffman, 2014). While these numbers are helpful to understand a fundamental disparity in mental health among the binary genders, there is a dearth of information to help us understand the nuanced differences in prevalence among Black, Indigenous, and other racialized groups of women as well as femmes that identify elsewhere within the gender spectrum.
To get a better understanding of the potential risks women and femmes may face within the unique intersections of their respective identities, it is helpful to understand social determinants of health. These include social and community context; access to high quality healthcare; economic stability; access to high quality, individualized education; and the structure and environment of a neighborhood or community. For instance, isolation or limited social support leaves individuals vulnerable and subject to violence and exploitation. It is important that individuals have access to resources that can provide them with a work-life balance, that working class communities have access to affordable and accessible childcare and eldercare, and feel a sense of belonging, acceptance, and safety within society at large. Moreover, access to quality healthcare is paramount for overall quality of life and mental wellbeing of all people. People need access to qualified medical and mental health professionals who are culturally competent within a reasonable distance from their homes. Long waits in underfunded hospitals and clinics paired with being fearful of medical discrimination can be distressing for many, especially if they have previously experienced medical trauma. Financial stressors such as food and housing insecurity, having to work multiple jobs, and limited access to dignified employment opportunities are also known to have an adverse impact on one’s physical and mental wellbeing. All of these determinants of health uniquely impact women, particularly when contextualized in misogyny, fatphobia, anti-Blackness, and classism.
Conclusion
Women’s mental health has been and continues to be an under-researched area in both the medical and mental health fields. Contextual and environmental factors are essential to obtain a nuanced and holistic understanding of how all women’s mental health and wellbeing are impacted by systemic disparities without pathologizing their responses to oppression, marginalization, and violence.
Sources:
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596
Healthy People 2030, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Retrieved [date graphic was accessed], from https://odphp.health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/social-determinants-health
Hoffman B. An Overview of Depression among Transgender Women. Depress Res Treat. 2014;2014:394283. doi: 10.1155/2014/394283. Epub 2014 Mar 13. PMID: 24744918; PMCID: PMC3972927.
Patel , K. and Rocha, T.C. (2024) Study exposes high injury rates in transgender women, RSNA Press Releases. Available at: https://press.rsna.org/timssnet/media/pressreleases/14_pr_target.cfm?ID=2537#:~:text=Released%3A%20December%2004%2C%202024&text=Injury%20rates%20among%20transgender%20women,times%20as%20many%20chest%20injuries. (Accessed: 15 March 2025).