Seasonal Depression is REAL!
College students are about a quarter of the way through the fall semester already. As the weather gets colder for some of us and the days get shorter, we might start to feel unproductive, unmotivated and “lazy”*.
I didn’t know that people with Depression could also have Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD (nice pun) on top of it. I’ve been mostly in control of and comfortable with my mental health for a little over two years now, up until this previous winter. I was really confused as to why I was feeling so “lazy” and never wanted to leave my bed, let alone go outside. I reached out to my psychiatrist and he told me that it’s possible to have almost an “extra layer” of Depression on top of the original during the colder, darker months.
The simple act of identifying why I was feeling and acting a certain way helped me a lot. Knowing that I wasn’t just “being lazy”, and that my lack of productivity was due to my mental health, helped validate my feelings and reminded me that it’s important to take care of myself. I began to do things that I had forgotten about - like playing my Nintendo Switch - which brings me lots of joy. I reached out to friends to catch up. I rewatched some old episodes of Regular Show, because it never fails to make me chuckle.
So, if you’re feeling down, “lazy” or something just seems off, check in with yourself! Take care of yourself, because you deserve it.
* “Lazy” = a stereotype. You always have a completely valid and understandable reason for not doing something. There is no such thing as being lazy. We all need rest and we all deserve it
