A new season of academics is beginning deep in the heart of winter when nights are long and sunlight seems fleeting. Many college students have New Year’s resolutions to be more productive and get better grades than they did in the previous quarter. However, there is a major obstacle in these students’ paths that may make it difficult to fulfill their resolutions: seasonal depression.
Winter-pattern seasonal depression or Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is more common than some would believe. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, millions of Americans are affected by these “winter blues” each year. It’s not you suddenly feeling lazy and unproductive for no reason. It is your body reacting to the changing hours of sunlight and being unable to adjust to the shifted schedule.
Thankfully, there are ways to combat this lethargy and lack of motivation, tricking your brain long enough to rise from the depths of depression. Hopefully with these techniques you will still be able to stay on top of your schoolwork and fulfill those New Year’s resolutions.
Sunlight
Because seasonal depression is a result of the reduced hours of sunlight (the longer nights and shorter days), the simplest solution would be to expose yourself to as much physical light as possible. This is easier to do in Southern California, with the abundance of sunlight we have compared to other places, including the northern parts of the state. When the weather forecast shows even the slightest bit of sunshine, make sure you are outside of your dorm or apartment.
At the very least, take breaks from studying in places where you don’t have sun exposure. And, if your schedule allows it, try to get as much work done during daylight hours. Once the sun sets your motivation and productivity will decrease and be replaced with the usual exhaustion.
If going outside of your dorm or apartment feels like too much of an energy drain, keep your blinds open to let the sunlight into your living space. The amount of times my body had been too exhausted to do any work on a given day until it felt the warmth coming in from the windows is too many to count. It is genuinely surprising how much sunlight can affect one’s mood until you don’t have access to it for long periods of time.
Music and friends
Now, winter in Southern California does not give us access to the sun at all times with bouts of rain and gray skies interspersing our days of sun. Some may tell you to get a sun lamp, or a form of light therapy specifically designed for seasonal depression. Unfortunately, spending money is not always an option, so here is how to combat the seasonal depression when you cannot rely on or do not have access to light.
Music can be incredible encouragement, and when all else has failed, it has pulled me out of bed when it felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. Pick your favorite song of the week or queue a playlist with high energy beats. Set it as an alarm or play it as soon as your regular alarm wakes you up to trick your brain into producing more dopamine that will make it easier to leave the warmth and safety of your bed.
Roping your friends into a group can also help keep motivation high as well as be a way to hold each other accountable. This is a powerful motivator for the people pleasers. Ensure that your friends know your schedule and vice versa so you can make sure that you are attending your classes instead of skipping them just to rot in bed.
Create a system where if you attend all of your classes that week, you get some sort of reward at the end — like a sweet treat or that Lego set you’ve been eyeing for a while. If everyone in the group attends their classes for the full week, there should be a bigger reward like a day trip to Los Angeles. This will ensure that everyone is keeping each other accountable with the motivation to achieve each prize getting higher each time.
Hobbies and schedules
One of the first things to disappear as a result of seasonal depression is interest in activities and hobbies. It is one of the most devastating feelings when you realize the things that used to bring you joy don’t anymore. When you start noticing this lack of desire, it becomes very important that you start scheduling time out of your day and week to do one of your old hobbies or try out a new one.
This serves two purposes. One, it gets you out of bed and forces your mind to be active, which can help reduce the sluggish haze brought on by seasonal depression. Two, it allows you to remember how to do your favorite things, so that the shame that can be felt from the lack of productivity is mitigated when spring and summer arrive. The structure of the schedule will help keep you in a working mindset in a time when everything feels exhausting.
These are several ways to help mitigate the symptoms of the winter blues. However, if your symptoms are more serious such as not eating or having suicidal thoughts, please contact a health professional as seasonal affective disorder can be a gateway to other mood disorders.
So that’s it. Hopefully, these tips will help with seasonal depression and keep your motivation on track to stay on top of classes and your other goals for the new year!
