College students experience a lot of stress especially as the semester starts to wind down. Anxiety is one of the most commonly diagnosed disorders among college students and depression isn’t far behind. Many individuals experience a slight change in mood when the temperature starts to fall and stress starts to rise. Seasonal depression is common with many people, but it can hurt students when it comes to the heaviest part of the semester. Students may feel tired, dragged down, and all out just unhappy with the world, as if that couldn’t happen more.

Seasonal Affective Disorder or Seasonal depression as it is better known is common when Daylight Savings occurs and the long summer days turn into cold winter nights. The weather changing affects everyone in one way or another. Maybe it’s chapped lips, allergies, or a sudden mood change for the worst. Seasonal depression is very common and around three million individuals suffer from it each year.

It can seem even lonelier in the middle of a global pandemic. We were already experiencing such a lonely time feeling isolated in lockdown and an added bit of seasonal depression can make the world feel even darker.

Although there is something students can do to help themselves from feeling so down as the colder weather starts to settle in. Exercise therapy can be beneficial to get your body moving and the serotonin up in your brain. It’s good self care and keeps you happy and healthy through the winter months, but exercise isn’t your style so maybe therapy is. Having a therapist to talk out your problems is good for any time of the year, but talking out how you are feeling might be just what you need. There are also lamps an individual can get that helps with seasonal depression.

If you feel you may need to talk with someone, West Liberty has a counselor, Liza Witzberger. Witzberger is available to meet with students, and is able to provide free counseling to those who need it. Contact her at [email protected].