By La’Niyah Jones
It is that time of year again, when the sun’s light fades away and darkness welcomes the world in. You may feel like your days are slipping away as you fall into a state of sudden sadness.
This sudden feeling of sadness during the winter season is known as “winter blues,” more professionally called seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Why do people get the “winter blues,” and what are some ways to cure it?
Start by looking at the definition of SAD. Seasonal affective disorder is defined as depression that comes and goes in a seasonal pattern, most commonly in the late fall through the winter season, hence the term “winter blues.”
A list of symptoms can be found on the Mayo Clinic website, including low energy, weight gain, oversleeping, sudden sadness, difficulty concentrating, and many more.
The “winter blues” are a pretty common thing. Research from Mental Health America states that, “In a given year, about 5% of the U.S. population experiences seasonal depression.”
What causes five percent of the US population to go through this?
The leading causes of the “winter blues” fall into the categories of serotonin and melatonin.
Serotonin is a chemical that sends signals to the brain and throughout the human body. Something that serotonin can affect is a person’s mood.
Melatonin, a hormone related to sleep, plays a significant role in your body’s biological clock. With the lack of sunlight comes a drop in serotonin levels, which drops your mood. According to Mental Health America, “Lower levels of serotonin have been shown to be linked to depression.”
With shorter days and more darkness than light, your body may think it is time to sleep. This can lead to sleeping problems and mood changes.
There is no way to cure SAD, but you can prevent it from worsening and help treat it briefly.
When it comes to treatments for the “winter blues,” it truly depends on the person experiencing them. During an interview with Unmun Kaur, she discussed the “winter blues” and how she has dealt with them.
How she would describe the “winter blues?” She talked about the feeling of sadness that she experiences when coming down from the adrenaline high after the holiday season.
“I kind of don’t get over my winter blues; they kind of just go away after about a week,” Kaur said. She doesn’t know the moment when they leave her, but she does know that she eventually feels better and can get back to being her normal self.
Take some extra steps this year to prevent the “winter blues” from getting out of hand. Be social with the people around you, sometimes all you need to feel better is good company. Focus on the positives going on around you; don’t get stuck in a negative mindset. Make sure you’re still active in some shape or form, even if it’s just walking around your room. Keep your environment warm, open, and welcoming, and try to get as much light as possible. Watch a movie, read a book, listen to music, or do whatever makes you happy to escape the cold breeze of this winter season.
