End-of-Semester Blues: Purposeful Approaches to Seasonal Depression in College Students

Sophie Holland

Editor’s note: This piece was originally written for MCOM 452 - Feature Writing with professor Loranne Brown in the Fall 2022 semester.

As the temperature drops, the leaves fall, and the days grow shorter, many people have every reason to feel gloomier than usual.

“It’s harder to get yourself to do the things that you typically would when the sun’s up at six, it’s warm outside, and you don’t have to put on thirteen layers to get from here to there,” said Sarah, a fourth-year university student (whose real name is not provided as per her request). “It’s dark, and I’m already not a morning person, so that doesn’t help.”

Sarah is a psychology major at Trinity Western University (TWU). She is passionate about her field of study and works as a student leader on campus. However, for many college students like Sarah, depression and anxiety show up regularly in life. This is a foreseeable circumstance when it comes to university due to demanding academics and, for many, the transition from living at home to living far away.

“It’s a tug-of-war situation, especially when you’re dealing with both anxiety and depression at the same time,” Sarah said. “I have the anxiety that tells me, ‘you need to run to the library and print this and do that’ and there’s the other part of me that’s like, ‘how important is this morning class?’ It feels like you’re fighting yourself, trying to keep up with the norm of what you think society wants of you.” among students during these times.

“It’s a time where students who, maybe, if it wasn’t as apparent that they were struggling, those struggles become a bit more obvious,” Lepp said. “I think you start to see people’s behaviour changes, their patterns change. Student development, student mental health can feel very nebulous. It’s like this big ocean. Some people are struggling, not everybody’s struggling in the same way.”

Lepp, who has worked previously as a registered nurse in TWU’s Wellness Centre, said the campus clinic experiences an increase in clients when it comes to exam seasons, but campus itself experiences a lull around this time.

“One of the things I’ve already noticed this year is that campus is quieter. When I came on [to campus] I was able to find a parking spot the easiest I’ve ever found on a Monday,” she said.

Though seasonal depression can come out of nowhere, it can also be predictable and rhythmic for some students. When it comes to tackling SAD, Lepp encourages students to seek out mental health resources available to them and to know their own mental health patterns.

“As soon as you start doing something, it’s responsive. It won’t fix it all at once, but it builds. The little baby steps do make a difference with seasonal affective disorder,” Lepp said. “I’m a parent of a toddler now. I’ve never left my house in the last two years without nine thousand things that I might need––usually because I left the house once without them and learned the lesson! It is a tried-and-true rule that you need to plan for some of these things in your life and think through it. Even though it’s not always fun, it sets you up a lot better in the moment.” the campus clinic and above the student association lounge, The Well is a convenient space where students can come to rest and recharge between classes. The Well started at TWU in 2017 and has been in operation since.

With such a prevalent mental health issue affecting college students, it can often feel overwhelming. Students may feel hopeless, like there is nothing they can do in these seasons.

Fortunately, there are many solutions when it comes to student mental health. Affordable and confidential counselling services are available at TWU and most other university campuses in British Columbia.

The Well is an intentionally quiet space, so the buzz of conversation does not distract students from taking even a tiny chunk of time to rest. It is also homework-free and technology-free zone. Laptops, phones, and textbooks must be left at the door, which intentionally encourages students to take time for themselves. Sarah said she appreciates the homework and technology-free policy of The Well, as it eliminates the very causes of her stress.

The Canadian Mental Health Association estimates two to three per cent of Canadians will experience Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) in their lifetime, and those with SAD make up 10 per cent of total depression cases. SAD is a form of depression identified by many of the same symptoms, such as poor sleeping patterns, withdrawal from activities once enjoyed, and feeling anxious or on edge. According to TimelyMD, SAD is connected to a lack of Vitamin D due to limited daylight hours, which causes a chemical imbalance in the brain. This makes SAD “particularly troublesome for college students,” as this is a time in their lives when their routines change. Rather than getting the recommended amount of sleep, many post-secondary students will “stay up to study or socialize.” This can dramatically throw off a student’s schedule and make it more challenging to get the amount of Vitamin D they need. On top of this, the stress of lengthy papers, rigorous exams, and tight deadlines can increase the likelihood of developing SAD.

The increase of depression, anxiety, and stress among college students during the winter months and exam seasons is visible to campus staff.

Taryne Lepp, the Director of Community Wellness and Senior Health

Advisor at TWU, notices how these patterns of seasonal depression and anxiety increase

TWU’s Wellness Centre offers support groups each semester, designed for students with various mental health concerns, from depression and anxiety to eating disorders and body image struggles. These confidential groups are facilitated by registered clinical counsellors as well as supervised counselling interns from TWU’s Masters of Arts in Counselling Psychology (MA CPSY) program.

Since mental health is unique to every individual, there are many artistic outlets for students to pursue in order to approach mental health issues such as SAD. Zach, a second-year TWU student, said he prefers to cope with these feelings through his craft of filmmaking.

“I was raised in ‘solitude means strength,’” Zach said. “I used to internalize everything and process it that way, but that got really destructive really fast. I adapted to it and tried several different processes. The one I find works most well would be averting my attention to something creative––filmmaking. When I’m creating scenes, developing ways to move the camera, I’m channelling my energy and any negative feelings into those scenes, doing something productive. No matter what kind of depression it is, there’s no single one way to approach it or process it. Everybody’s different.”

In addition to its nurses, physicians, and mental health services, the TWU Wellness Centre also offers a relaxing space known to students as The Well. Located in the Douglas Hall residence building, next to

“It’s almost like you’re constantly on a treadmill with anxiety. Going into The Well, I could step off the treadmill and give myself a fifteen-minute break before getting back on,” she said.

The Well offers many outlets for relaxation, including weighted blankets, massage chairs, colouring, sensory toys, Play-Doh, books, puzzles, and more. These activities give students a chance to take a break from their crazy schedules and recharge, focus on something creative, or even take the chance to play. Students with SAD may find The Well to be a particularly uplifting space during the darker months, as it features a mood lamp––a lamp designed specifically to help with SAD––and a cozy fireplace.

“There’s actually a lot of really good pieces in there,” said Sarah. “All the things that are in there are there with a lot of intent and purpose, and I think that sometimes we forget the practical [use for] it. I’ve used weighted blankets only once or twice––I don’t have one myself––but this calms me down so much.

Through counselling and processing, a change in perspective and a practice of gratitude can also help students cope with seasonal depression and anxiety. While it might be easier said than done, it is possible. Sarah also said that she tries to change her perspective during stressful times and that this helps her stay motivated.

“I try to treat myself like I would treat someone else, to put myself outside of myself,” Sarah said. “If my friend got 100 per cent on a test that I know they’ve been struggling with, then I’d be like, ‘Oh, let’s go and get a celebratory coffee.’ I do that for myself. I try to celebrate the little things to keep me motivated because there’s so much in life that will get me down.”