More than Winter Blues

By Erika Chan

Moving to New York can be a difficult transition, especially in the winter where the days are short, and it’s always cold. As you move farther from the equator, people are more likely to get seasonal affective disorder, otherwise known as SAD. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression that comes and goes with the seasons,” most often affecting people in the late fall or winter. Some common symptoms are “having low energy,” “hypersomnia,” also known as excessive sleeping or having trouble falling asleep, overeating and weight gain, and loss of interest in activities and social withdrawal. Many factors can increase your chances of having SAD, such as gender, location, and age. Women are diagnosed 4 times more than men are, people in New England are 9x more likely to have SAD than people in Florida, and young adults are at a higher risk of having SAD.

There are treatments such as psychotherapy, medication to increase serotonin, lightboxes, and vitamin supplements. Lightboxes, also known as SAD lamps, light lamps, and light therapy boxes, mimic the sunlight and help realign your circadian cycle, although they can be expensive. They average around $70, but you can find them on amazon for as low as $30. Although many have found Vitamin D supplements helpful, there have been mixed findings on whether it truly helps. Buzzfeed also complied a list of things people that suffer from SAD do during the winter to feel better or happier:

1) Plan events in advance to look forward to, whether that be a cute ice skating date or a fun movie night

2) Make a SAD box with items such as coffee vouchers, bath bombs, and new candles, and pick an item every week to treat yourself

3) Pick up a new hobby to stay social!

And of course, Furman Counseling Center is an amazing resource. They have individual therapy session, counseling groups, and listening hours. Counseling groups are great for expressing emotions to others, and can help people feel less alone knowing others have similar experiences. Listening hours are low commitment drop-in sessions to chat with a counselor, and are held on Monday and Thursday nights. In this difficult season, be sure to keep an eye out for your friends and those close to you, and to help and support one another.