Every year when the temperatures drop, so do the spirits of millions of people. As the holidays approach, about 10 million people in our country find themselves in low spirits and genuinely depressed as days get shorter and colder, according to Psychology Today magazine.

These 10 million people, including myself, are affected by seasonal depression. I would like to share my experience with the disorder and describe how I push through the winter blues.

Being in college and living with seasonal depression means that it strikes at the most inconvenient times. I find myself unmotivated and feeling insecure about myself during the most crucial weeks of the fall semester and well into the spring semester. This is extremely challenging and usually ends with me isolating myself for weeks on end and taking frequent naps.

Those who suffer from seasonal depression understand the feelings that I am describing and know that it feels impossible to get back to normal. Although everyone who lives with this disorder has different experiences, I have found ways of coping other than traditional methods such as talk therapy and getting a light bulb that mimics sunlight. One thing that I have found to be very helpful is planning trips to sunny places. There are many websites, such as Skyscanner.com and Airbnb.com, that make it affordable to travel on a student budget. Last February I was very depressed and to combat it, I planned a trip to Disney World in Florida with my boyfriend. This was extremely helpful in distracting me from the depression and motivated me to push through the weeks leading up to my trip. Another trip that I took in order to combat my seasonal depression was a trip to Charleston, South Carolina in April 2017. This trip was the reason I was able to push through the second semester of my freshman year and have the motivation to get through finals week.  

I hope that everyone who lives with seasonal depression is taking care of themselves and finds some of this insight helpful. Nothing is more important than being informed about your disorder and taking care of yourself!