With our recent bout of snow and bitter cold, it feels like winter is just now beginning. And as much as we don’t want to admit it, we have a couple of months to go of early sunsets, gloomy weather, and little-to-no sunshine. If you find yourself feeling down this time every year, you might be suffering from seasonal depression, otherwise known as seasonal affective disorder.
Seasonal Depression is a killer and hopefully, with some advice, you won’t feel like it’s killing you too much.
Don’t sleep too much during the day. Oversleeping is a huge contributor to depression. It’s okay to take a little nap but don’t sleep the whole day away.
Do something. Even if you don’t feel like it, try to do something. Go for a walk, clean your room, just do something. Don’t sit around feeling unmotivated.
Eat. Eat something– not junk food either. Eat something healthy. You are what you eat.
Read a book. Do something you might enjoy like reading a book or baking some cookies.
Communicate. If you’re feeling down, vocalize that. Don’t let it consume you inside.
Hug something. Hugging lowers the levels of Cortisol in our bodies and helps us feel more at ease.
I hope all of you have a wonderful spring semester!