The autumnal equinox, Sept. 22 or 23, marks the end of summer and the beginning of fall. Many people grieve this time, the end of summer, and dread the cold, dark fall and winter months ahead. These circumstances cause people to develop Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), commonly referred to as seasonal depression.
Feelings of irritability, trouble waking up, lack of enthusiasm, fatigue, and more are symptoms that arise from SAD, according to the University of Washington. SAD occurs because of reduced light exposure, which interrupts our circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm is a part of almost every tissue and organ within humans and is the “physical, mental, and behavioral changes an organism experiences over a 24-hour cycle. Light and dark have the biggest influence on circadian rhythm”, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Because of light and dark’s influence, changes in daylight duration throw off the balance of mood-altering brain chemicals such as serotonin and melatonin. From this, SAD is developed.
Junior Evan Hooe falls victim to the “winter blues.”
“The weather just makes me so tired and unmotivated, and when it’s dark at 6pm I feel like I should probably be ready for bed, but I still have a lot of things to do,” Hooe said. “And not because I don’t like the dark, but just because it kind of throws off the rhythm of my days.”
Fall and winter are especially challenging months for Hooe, as SAD is an addition to her everyday struggles.
“I have seasonal depression on top of normal depression. So winter is an eight or nine bad, and then normal summer is a five bad,” Hooe said. “It’s dark, and it’s so much easier to not do things.”
The pressures of school contribute to Hooe’s lack of exuberance, making it hard for her to “feel good.”
“In the summer, you have real life and free will and you can go do things you want to do,” Hooe said. “But now it’s just school, and then even the weekends aren’t as good as they used to be because there’s so much work that’s just repetitive.”
Hooe experiences a lot of negatives in the fall and winter season, but she appreciates the season’s festivities.
“The holiday season is always a lot better because I like Christmas lights, and it’s nice out, not weather wise, but the vibes are just better,” Hooe said. “And I like ski season because I really like to ski, and that I can look forward to.”
Though the bad may seem to outweigh the good throughout the fall and winter seasons, when SAD is at its highest, it is important to prioritize self-care and have something positive to get you through, until spring.
