Everyone has emotions, but have you ever felt the seasonal emotional shifts? Have you felt that sinking feeling caused by the shortening of daylight? Our emotions have a natural flow just as the seasons do.
Each season comes with its own energy, which can trigger different emotions. Think about how you feel in the summer as that warm sun hits your skin. This season causes an increase in energy and laughter due to the increased sunlight and warmth.
As the summer comes to an end and those long days of sunlight fade away, we often begin to feel neutral as we prepare to descend into autumn, a season that causes a decrease in emotional energy. We begin to feel the chill of the wind and are reminded that the winter isn’t far off. Emotionally, we begin to feel drained, tired and we begin to crave those extra minutes in bed.
As the winter winds blow in, we begin to feel the weight of the colder weather on our bodies. Spending more time inside to escape the frost and observe the wintery scene from afar is common, however it can often led to excessive thinking. Winter has a distinct feeling that comes a long with it, one that is often indescribable. It’s that chill that runs down your spine when your alone with the bare trees on a cold winter night.
But that chill doesn’t always fade and often lingers until the first signs of spring. When spring pops up, you feel an increase in spirit and good energy.
This is not to say that you can’t be happy in the winter and sad in the summer, but it’s important to remember that our emotions are always evolving. Identifying your emotional changes as you approach different months can be beneficial. You won’t feel as apprehensive as you approach the months and seasons that bring a change in emotion. For instance, before you get that stomach-knotting feeling as you approach wintery months you can mentally prepare yourself for what is to come.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that occurs during certain times of the year, typically in the winter. In regards to evidence of SAD at PSU, “We don’t commonly see it as a clinical diagnosis here but that doesn’t mean it’s not going on,” said Nancy Dyer, staff member at the Counseling and Human Relations Center, “We don’t hear that your diagnosis is specifically seasonal affective disorder, generally folks come in with anxiety or some type of a depression, but it’s not always diagnosed as seasonal but every once in awhile is it. It’s probably more so than we realize.”
The biggest question is, what’s the difference between seasonal affective disorder and depression and why don’t people seek treatment for this disorder?
“I think people with seasonal affective disorder, they may appear less frequently in counseling centers and mental health centers because they’re aware that when it gets warmer they’re going to feel good again, so they don’t have that same sense of hopelessness and despair than an individual might with depression,” said Dyer.
There are certain measures we can take in order to manage this disorder or prevent its development. The best thing is to get outdoors and take in as much natural sunlight as you can.
Dyer said, “I think here, many people fortunately are engaged in winter sports. Students like to go skiing and snowboarding. That’s really helpful because it gets them out in the sun. Those students usually do a bit better and suffer less from seasonal affective disorder than those who aren’t able to go out and engage in winter sports.”
If you are unable to get out and enjoy the natural light, you should consider investing in a full spectrum light or simply finding a student services center that has one. “We use full spectrum lights, there are two here and one in the wellness center, and there’s something about them that really can help a person feel better,” said Dyer, “If you think about the change in our daylight patterns, it’s the early morning sun that’s the most important.” The light from a full spectrum light can emulate the natural sunlight.
In order to embrace each seasonal emotional transition we should remember what George Santayana once said, “To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring.” In the case of being hopelessly in love, we may wait forever for change rather than embracing it as it arrives. Include laughter in your day-to-day agenda and make living for joy a priority.