When winter is fast approaching how do you react? Are you someone who embraces the winter season with love or with dread?
Whenever I am reminded that winter is coming up soon I become upset.
The shorter days, the cold weather, the constant darkness, and the snow are all negative factors for me and many others.
January is Mental Awareness Month, and this needs to be recognized during the winter season we find ourselves in.
The winter is a very dreary, and depressing time for so many people.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, nearly a quarter of America’s population reports that they feel depressed in the winter.
Two in five people report that their overall mood decreases in winter. https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/news-releases/new-apa-poll-finds-americans-mood-declines-winter
So what are the causes for this decrease in mood and emotions?
It is commonly known that after the Summer Solstice in June, the days slowly get shorter, but typically this decrease in daylight is not recognized until about mid-November.
According to The Wave Clinic, seasonal depression, or the “winter blues,” is more commonly recognized in adolescents 18 years and younger, and here is why.
https://thewaveclinic.com/blog/summer-pattern-understanding-seasonal-depression-in-young-people/
About 50% of teenagers ages 18 and younger are actively fit. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/exercise.htm
Adolescents spend about eight hours of their day in a school building, and by the time school lets out for the day, it is getting dark outside, and they cannot do the same exercises they would typically do. These teenagers are forced into the confinement of their homes, feeling stuck inside with nothing to do. They cannot go for walks, runs, practice their outdoor sports, etc … because there is no daylight left after they have been stuck in school all day.
However, daylight is not the only factor in seasonal depression.
Weekends allow adolescents and even adults a whole two days of free time to do whatever they please, with a whole morning and afternoon full of daylight.
But then there is snow.
For some people, snow is a gracious miracle, because it means delays or even snow days, but for some people, it is their greatest enemy.
I and so many others are active athletes rely on the outdoors to practice our sports. I utilize the soccer field, as well as the softball field for practicing my sports. When there is snow on the ground, this makes it impossible for me to get outside and remain engaged in the off-season.
This is another reason why many fall and/or spring athletes like myself struggle with the winter season.
We are left with three months with no sports, which kind of makes us feel lost in our minds. For fall sport athletes, you spend every day outside playing your sport, and it becomes a daily routine. You do not realize how much you miss being in this routine and just being able to be outside until you are left stranded in the house during a dark evening with snow covering the ground.
Cold weather is another negative factor.
Most people can just simply not stand the cold, and it changes their whole mood. They begin to sleep more, develop unhealthy eating habits, and lose interest in their normal leisure activities.
Many people who struggle with seasonal depression feel trapped, alone, and lost, and that is why it is important not just in January, but throughout the whole winter to to prioritize your mental state.
Some small things that can help with seasonal depression, are setting small goals.
Maybe one goal could be to do some easy exercising inside your home, or maybe clean one room in your house. Setting small, easy, achievable goals for yourself helps in so many ways. When you complete these goals, it gives you a sense of accomplishment and pride, as well as motivation to continue to make and complete other small goals.
Another idea to help with the “winter blues,” is to take a deep breath, and do things that you enjoy doing, that sometimes you may not have had time to do.
For me, this consists of getting cozy under a warm blanket and reading a book for pleasure. Typically during the school year, I never have time to read a book that I want to because I am constantly reading books that I am assigned to read by my English teachers, but over the Christmas break I have been able to sit down and read books that I want to read, and it has helped my mental state so much. Books are a great escape from the reality of the dreary, winter season that we find ourselves currently in, and they help get your mind off of the negative conditions outside.
Another thing that I enjoy doing that helps me relax and improve my mental well-being is coloring.
Choosing things you want to do for your pleasure is so important to utilize in the winter season because it increases your overall mood. As hard as it can be sometimes, it is also important to try and maintain a positive attitude and mindset throughout the winter. Focusing on the negatives only wears you down more, and gets you in an even worse mood and mental state.
For those struggling with the “winter blues,” I promise you that you are not alone and will get better.
Before we know it, the warm weather will be back, and we will all be outside enjoying the daylight and our outdoor activities, as well as absorbing much-needed vitamin D from the sun.
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