Dark Days, Heavy Moods: Seasonal Depression Spikes
Dark Days, Heavy Moods: Seasonal Depression Spikes
Kaitlyn Fuller
The cold months bring cozy sweaters and holiday lights, but for most, the bitter and cold season brings a silent heaviness they can’t shake. “Seasonal Depression” or “The Winter Blues” are some of the most common names to define the universal feeling almost everyone has felt. The acronym for these names is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), ironic, but what is the actual cause behind this?
SAD is defined by the triggers of seasonal changes; most commonly occurring in the late fall as well in the summer. Symptoms mostly include: lack of energy, loss of interest in usual activities, oversleeping and weight gain in most cases. The emptiness causes people to feel hopeless and become pessimists, most become irritable and frustrated with others or themselves which causes conflicts even with their most loved ones. “I definitely feel like talking to people is a task I need to do like when I'm doing homework” says a student.
Although most people’s mindset is to push themselves until the leaves sprout, that’s not the goal of making yourself happier. Intervening with hostile thoughts and feelings needs a strong sense of stability in building habits to combat such thoughts. Most psychologists recommend taking a daylight walk, but trudging through the bitter winter isn’t always an efficient way to think of it. Rather listening to your favorite song, podcast, or the news if you’re looking for a vexatious way to brighten your day. The action of doing something you like will cause you to make it into a habit which seems obvious but hard to put in place. Inviting activities, you like to do without waiting for your brain to give you motivation is also the best way to approach seasonal depression. Don’t push off chores for another 30 minutes, but instead take small baby steps to achieve your main goal. Oftentimes this makes you feel better because the nervous system feels like it’s been rewarded for doing something that once felt impossible. Physical activity, regardless of intensity, like going to the gym is a good way to increase energy. Taking a 5–10-minute walk during lunch, or taking the stairs 4 times a day supports sleep and improves mood without requiring the dreading feeling of motivation to do something extraordinary.
Humans aren’t the only ones affected by this either, in cases such as in the winter time. When the leaves fall and sunlight time decreases, the photosynthesis process halts when the conditions aren’t proper and chlorophyll isn’t replaced anymore as a result, leaving the leaves to die. Bears enter hibernation during winter which is an envious thought for many humans to ponder on. It seems as if the entire ecosystem enters a stage of lack of tenderness when plants die and the cold bites.
The mind is an important thing, it causes us to breath, walk, and move so take care of it. Unhealthy communication to the brain can take a toll on how you view things, which makes life often feel dreadful instead of something to experience with joy. Take time out of your day to focus on yourself, whether it's talking to your friend or eating your favorite food. Aim to make yourself happy in the long run by considering the future, pushing off assignments will only cause you to feel regret later. In addition, common symptoms of SAD is loss of appetite, loss of energy will cause dehydration, blood sugar crashes, and fatigue along with irritability. Protect your happiness, it matters.