Whether its spring, summer, winter, or fall, some of us really struggle with certain seasons of the year. For me, it’s winter! It may be because the season reminds us of a time when life wasn’t so great, or you might just hate the simmering heat or blistering cold! Either way here are a few tips on how to combat that seasonal depression.
I find it easiest to start with acknowledging that I’m in a season that I struggle to be happy and successful in. My mood goes down, and I start to feel unmotivated in my school work and a lot of other aspects in my life. I consider it a problem and ignoring a problem only makes it build up more inside of you, so start by finally accepting you struggle with your certain season. Then, try to get yourself into a better mindset about the season. You know what they say, fake it till you make it! Get yourself into a head space where you aren’t constantly reminding yourself about how much you hate winter/summer. If all you do is think and talk about how much you dislike a season, you condition yourself to instantly feel down about it. Tell yourself that though you dislike it, you’re going to try to enjoy it!
And it’s okay to tell other people how you feel about it too. I’m sure we are all aware that even though mental illness/health is becoming more and more talked about and accepted, it can still be treated as a very taboo and hush-hush topic. Confiding in someone or several people about how you are trying to improve can only strengthen your efforts to enjoy the season. Get out and try to find something you could enjoy during the season. I personally don’t like winter at all. I enjoy the sun being out all day and having the temperature super-hot. So in winter, I find the things I do like and surround myself with them, like holidays, winter clothes shopping, snowball fights or sledding (when heavily dressed up), canyon drives, hot chocolate runs, indoor ice skating, and more. Finding things that you like about a season can make it all the easier to make yourself actually look forward to it instead of dreading it!
These things help me get through my rough season, and I hope they help you too!