As winter is coming up, it is getting darker earlier and becoming much colder. While some people may love this seasonal change, some people are affected by it negatively. The dark and cold can have a huge affect on mood and behavior, including that of students’. Here are some of the affects this seasonal change can bring on.
So the cold and lack of daylight actually physically changes the chemicals in people’s brain that causes depression (Hopkinsmedicine.org). As a result of this, many people suffering from this tend to be much more tired during these months. Our bodies naturally produce more melatonin when its dark leading to drowsiness and low energy. Especially in students, this can make it much harder to complete work or feel productive. This can increase procrastination and lead to a decrease in work quality. People simply don’t want to do the work like they do when its warm and sunny all day. Its important to acknowledge these physical and emotional feelings and learn how to counteract them. Doing more tasking work when there is sunlight is a good way to get more work done. Another way, is to spend more time outside in the sun, whether on a walk, playing with pets, yardwork, etc. This allows our bodies to get vitamin D and therefore feel happier and more energized (nih.gov). This can really increase your ability to deal with this affective disorder and decrease the impact of symptoms.
Another affect is social withdrawal and sensitivity to rejection (hopkinsmedicine.org). Isolation and heightened emotions is never a good combination. With this disorder, failure becomes a much bigger deal in your eyes and affects your life/feelings drastically. In addition, many people during this time of you want to stay in their house or room all alone. They want to stay in bed and sleep or watch TV/social media. This can become extremely unhealthy because being alone all of the time and feeling like a failure can lead to serious mental implications. For students, these effects may increase due to how many assignments/ tests they complete and the potential failure that comes with it. In addition, FOMO is huge when you’re a teenager, so isolation can also be increased. In order to avoid these things, you must force yourself to leave the house and interact with others. This could be as simple as going to Target for a face mask. Getting out of the house and seeing other people can be super helpful for feelings of isolation and rejection. In addition to this, you should also try connecting more with the people you know. This could be giving your grandma a call every week or going out to lunch with a friend every two weeks. This not only helps you feel more connected to others, but also gets you out of the house and gives you something to look forward to.
This leads to the last and possibly most draining symptom, depression (hopkinsmedicine.org). When the days feel so short and its often to cold to go outside, people become depressed. They don’t want to see people, they don’t have things to look forward too, they feel as thought it is never ending, and everyday tasks become a drag. Depression often comes from the previous examples of isolation, rejection, low energy, etc. The main way to overcome depression is to admit its a problem, that way it can be fixed/helped. First, on your own you should increase self-care to give yourself personal joys. You should also allow family to understand how you’re feeling and find support from both family and friends. Also try picking up a new hobby you enjoy. This gives you something to look forward to and keeps your mind busy. You also need to include some type of exercise in your routine. This gives you serotonin and therefore helps uplift your mood. Lastly, if these symptoms are intense or long-lasting, you should seek help from a therapist and see what your options are.
These are just a few of the symptoms that come with SAD. There are many that can affect anyone during the colder months. There is also some people who experience this in the summer as well (nih.gov). This disorder varies from person to person and can affect everyone in very different ways. The best thing to do for yourself during the winter months is socialize, create things to look forward to, exercise, and get sun when you can. Dealing with these type of things alone can be difficult and upsetting. Get the help and support you need, when you need it.
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/seasonal-affective-disorder
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/seasonal-affective-disorder#:~:text=Seasonal%20affective%20disorder%2C%20or%20SAD,antidepressants%20can%20help%20treat%20SAD.
