 When you go to college in the South, you picture having amazing weather all of the time, doing everything outside, and obviously getting really tan. While all of those things have most definitely been true for the start of this year—with the exception of the hurricane—we nonetheless go to school in the tropics and, as you would assume, it definitely rains here. When it rains, all anyone wants to do is sit in bed, do nothing, and not go outside under any circumstances, but what most people don’t know is that this lazy feeling is not only caused by not wanting to venture out into the rain, but also a medical disorder caused by a lack of sunlight. The disorder is called seasonal depression, but the good news is that this lazy weather feeling can be easily avoided!
Seasonal depression, which is more professionally known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), is a severe problem in which people who are typically happy throughout the year show depressive symptoms during times of bad weather. Although there are a few serious cases in which people have SAD for long periods of time, almost everybody will show at least some symptoms whenever gross weather comes around. This explains the lazy feeling that comes when you look outside the window and see the pouring rain. The main reason behind this phenomenon is because our bodies respond positively to the light and so when we are deprived of sunlight for days, we end up demonstrating depressive symptoms. Though we cannot control when the sun is going to come back out, there are a few things that we are able to do to fight these lazy and depressive feelings.
Things to do during the bad weather to fight seasonal depression:
Hit up the gym. Leaving your room may seem like the absolute last thing you want to do, but working out makes you feel great about yourself; it is medically proven to make you happier! Also, since the weather is horrible, going to the gym is a great indoor activity that will get you up and out of your bed.
Eat healthy. There is nothing worse than when you are stuck eating tons of junk food. Processed foods make you feel gross and don’t give you the energy you need to get work done during all the free time you have while being stuck inside. Also, eating well makes you feel as great about yourself as working out does! Another reason to work out more and eat better.
Be productive. Since you won’t be missing out on anything when it is pouring outside, why not take the opportunity to actually get stuff done?! It will make you feel a whole lot better about yourself if you are actually accomplishing something rather than just sitting around.
Do something creative. Painting your nails, making jewelry, or making your own cutoff jean shorts are all great ways to be creative. Not only will this give you another great indoor activity to keep you from dying of boredom, it will put you in a productive mindset. When you focus on something for a long period of time, like an art project, it puts you in the mood to be constructive without even realizing it. This will make you actually want to do work so it’s a win-win situation!
Well obviously the sun is back out and there is beautiful weather outside once again. Although we may not necessarily need to use the tips right now, since it gets rainy down here in the tropics I’m sure they will be put to good use soon!
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