You’re having trouble waking up in the morning and have a lack of energy once you do. You’re feeling withdrawn from family, friends, and basically the outside world in general. Hopelessness and despair are common feelings for you. If this is the case, one of two things has happened: either you’ve just finished the series of Gossip Girl and you’re wondering why your life can’t be like Blair Waldorf’s, or you could have a case of S.A.D.
S.A.D., seasonal affect disorder, is a mood disorder where people experience depression-like symptoms as a result of weather. S.A.D. is most common in winter, when the weather is cold and there is a lack of sunlight, causing many students this time of year to feel lethargic and melancholy. Aside from consulting a doctor and getting a prescription, the best way to fight S.A.D. is to get outside and exercise.
But with spring only a tiny light at the end of a seemingly endless tunnel, it can be difficult to muster the energy and willpower to exercise every day. If you’re like me and the temperature has to be in the double-digits (preferably starting with a five) for you to even think about touching those running shoes, then it’s time to get creative and think of other ways to get your daily dose of physical activity and vitamin D. Here are some ways to get up and moving to keep yourself from being S.A.D.—girl tested, HerCampus approved.
1. Walk across Lake Mendota to picnic point- Yes, I know what you’re thinking. Ninety percent of my thoughts while walking to class are designated towards praying I don’t slip on the sidewalk and bite it, so why would I willingly trek across a snowy and slippery lake? Hiking across the lake provides a sense of adventure that a normal walk can’t, and it will leave you feeling like Elsa from Frozen as you “Let it go!”
2. Hit up State Street- Instead of sitting at home eating your bowl of soup and online shopping, pick a day to spend an afternoon or evening on State Street. Alright, so this in no way qualifies as “exercise” per say, but any time spent outside and amongst real civilization will help stop any signs of blues. And while it may not be spring outside, the store windows of Urban Outfitters say otherwise, so treat yourself to a shopping splurge that goes beyond searching for steals online.
3. Go ice-skating at the Shell- Taking inspiration from the Olympics, add some fun physical activity to your day by going to the Shell for open skate. For just $3, you can take a group of friends (or maybe a campus cutie) on an outing to the rink.
4. Study in the WID– With midterms coming up, everyone is you’re pressed for time, so a valid option is a visit to the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, otherwise known as the WID. Simply turn your back on the dreary slush outside and study next to the waterfalls and gardens located on the south side of the building. It might not satisfy your physical activity for the day, but it will help you remember that there will come a time when it will be green outside instead of brownish-gray and when the water does in fact exist in a non-frozen form.
So while it can be tempting to sit around watching Netflix and counting down the days until Spring Break (27 days, 5 hours, and 31 minutes, in case you were wondering), the only way to fight these mid-winter blues is to get up and move.