Alyssa Wilson ~ Assistant Editor
Every year, when the weather gets colder and the days become shorter I find myself working a lot harder to get things done, be cheerful, and be present with friends and family.
This has never been something that was hard for me to do up until recent years. I have always been a relatively happy person and the winter months cause me to question that about myself.
This is due to something called Seasonal affective disorder, otherwise known as S.A.D. This disorder makes it hard to be social and motivated and generally be yourself.
Although it is not necessarily a long term disorder, it can be painstaking to think about how this season always happens, no matter what.
S.A.D is a shared experience among many people and three million people across the United States suffer from this disorder every year.
One of the symptoms that many people experience is hopelessness. This symptom can be especially daunting because it can be a recurring condition every year.
Some ways I combat seasonal affective disorder are:
- Counseling
- Making time for things I love
- Being with friends
Counseling
I started taking advantage of counseling services about a year ago and it has tremendously helped my mental health both during the winter months and when it is warm and sunny outside.
One of my favorite things about the University of Lynchburg is that it provides free counseling services for students. Counseling has many benefits for ranges of different issues or if you just need someone to talk to.
Making time for things I love
While seasonal affective disorder decreases your motivation and willingness to do things you usually love doing, I have found it increasingly important to continue doing things I love and scheduling those things into my day.
For example, two of my favorite things are plants and reading. The act of caring for my plants helps me to connect to myself and realize that caring for another living object, no matter the season, is just as important as caring for myself. Reading helps me to escape from the real world and find solace in fictional characters.
While I love fiction I also find it helpful to read nonfiction books as well. During the darker months I find it even more important to continue finding new topics to learn about and keeping my brain active.
Being with friends
This tip goes hand in hand with making time for things I love.
Social withdrawal is a common symptom within people who experience S.A.D. However, I find it even harder to cope without having that social aspect.
I make sure I still spend time in social settings while also counteracting that with alone time for me to process my social withdrawal and also speak to my counselor to learn more about why it is important to still be social despite my apprehension to be social.
Seasonal affective disorder affects many more people than you may realize that you interact with on a daily basis. By sharing experiences and ways that we cope, I believe that we can all help each other, one season at a time.
