Now that spring is here and the sun has decided to grace us with its presence, it’s time for everyone to stop lying — seasonal depression isn’t real. It never was.
The idea that wintertime sadness is some medically recognized phenomenon rather than just the world’s most dramatic excuse for being a homebody is absurd. Every year millions of people suddenly claim they are “depressed,” as if a minor inconvenience of the Earth’s axial tilt is a personal attack. These individuals aren’t suffering — they’re just looking for an excuse to stay inside, wear socks with holes in them and avoid their responsibilities. And frankly, it’s time we stopped indulging this delusion.
The foundation of seasonal depression is built on two deeply flawed assumptions. The first is that human beings require sunlight to function, and the second is that people aren’t just naturally lazy. It relies on the belief that the sun has magical properties capable of controlling emotions. Never mind that people in places like Antarctica, where the sun disappears for months, somehow manage to function without spiraling into existential despair. It simply isn’t possible for the residents of California, where the sun is the default weather, to still whine about their winter blues. The sun is not the problem here. The real problem is that society has decided to make it socially acceptable to be useless for an entire season.
There was a time when human beings had to fight to survive winter. Cavemen didn’t have the luxury of claiming “seasonal depression” when they needed to hunt for food everyday. The Ice Age didn’t come with a therapy discount. Yet somehow, modern humans—with central heating, vitamin D supplements and the ability to order groceries from their beds—have convinced themselves that a lack of sunlight is a legitimate crisis. It’s not. It’s just a convenient excuse to avoid obligations and stare at a screen while blaming the sun for personal shortcomings.
And let’s be honest: the so-called symptoms of seasonal depression sound suspiciously similar to the side effects of simply being a person. If seasonal depression were real, it would imply that there is some magical time of year when everyone is bursting with energy, waking up at 5 a.m. with a thirst for life. But that never happens. No one is out thriving in July just because the sun is up for a few extra hours.
The biggest red flag in this entire charade is how easily “seasonal depression” disappears the moment the weather improves. The moment the sun comes out, all these supposedly affected individuals are back on their feet, as if their months of despair were nothing more than a bad mood with a deadline. It’s a modern miracle. Or, more likely, it’s proof that this is nothing more than a temporary commitment to laziness disguised as a medical condition.
And yet, instead of addressing the root of the issue — perhaps the fact that many people just dislike their friends and would rather hibernate in peace — society continues to push the idea that this is a legitimate struggle. The real tragedy isn’t seasonal depression; it’s the fact that people now expect to be coddled for their unwillingness to function in mildly inconvenient weather. Instead of pushing through like generations before them, they demand sympathy for refusing to leave their apartment unless the sun personally invites them outside.
To make matters worse, the conversation surrounding seasonal depression has reached a level of absurdity where even the most basic solutions are ignored. People will complain about the darkness for months while sitting in a room lit only by the faint glow of their laptop screen, refusing to hit the switch on their overhead light because it’s “too harsh.” If seasonal depression were truly a crisis, there would be an epidemic of people standing in front of UV lamps like moths. But instead, there is only an epidemic of people making melodramatic Instagram posts about their misery.
People act as if the winter months demand suffering comparable to a global pandemic. Imagine surviving a worldwide health crisis only to hear someone complain that they “just can’t function” because the sun sets at 5 p.m. It’s selfish, really. If someone is truly experiencing a mental health crisis, that’s one thing. But if the main symptom of this alleged disorder is “not wanting to go outside,” maybe the issue isn’t the lack of sunlight but an abundance of excuses.
At the end of the day, “seasonal depression” is just rebranded laziness with a touch of self-pity. It’s a socially acceptable way to opt out of responsibilities for a few months while blaming the weather instead of personal choices. The next time someone claims to be suffering from seasonal depression, remind them to stop making excuses for their laziness.
