As we adjust back to our lives in Savannah and get use to our new schedule at SCAD this fall, I think we all have felt a dramatic shift in our energy as we do so. I’ve seen some people’s spirits dip while others bounce up into new and exciting directions. Sure, the change can alter our spirits, but I feel as if there are definitely outside sources causing this. It seems we get into a new funk similar to the year before every time school starts up, whether it be high school or college. I firmly believe the seasonal shift from summer to fall can cause a lot of this.
For some people, this can especially hold true if they have seasonal affective disorder(SAD). The NIH(National Institutes of Health) Medline Plus describes this as a form of depression in which seasons can trigger changes in mood for some people. Typically, fall and winter spark SAD and it goes away as Spring and Summer approach. 4 out of 5 people affected by SAD are women. How can seasons affect our emotional state though? Well, some experts predict it’s due to the shorter days and less sunlight in fall and winter. This could explain why, whether it’s SAD or any other emotional shift, that our emotional states shift as autumn hits.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, I’ve noticed many people around me falling in love, developing crushes, or getting together with people already and it’s only the second week back at school. I got into an in depth conversation with my best friend about this the other day and we both concluded that a primary reason for this is with a new school year and setting comes a lot of students meeting each other for the first time. In an environment full of new people, it becomes increasingly easier to become subject to love and lust. As I looked into this, I found many articles describing why autumn is the perfect season to be in a relationship with people. I think we hold autumn as a season that many people in our current society love. It brings a lot of exciting activities and opportunities. I think people just want to experience it with another. Also cuddling on chilly days is a thing many people also find appealing, and summer definitely doesn’t allow that.
I think seasonal mood shift directly affects SCAD students because of workload and opportunity. We just spent three months relaxing or maybe working a summer job, but now we are back into the class grind and mentally preparing for our first all-nighter. SCAD also brings a lot of new opportunities as the school year kicks off! Whether you are feeling up or down after starting off the school year, I just want you guys to make sure to stay healthy, safe, and don’t forget to take a breather when you need it. We all get stressed, but we also have a lot of fun hear. Have an amazing fall quarter everyone! Let’s start off this fall and the 2018-2019 school year off right!
Leaves fall and so do we. However, we can always get back up.
Sources:
https://medlineplus.gov/magazine/issues/fall09/articles/fall09pg27-28.html