The Gatepost Editorial: Don’t let the wintertime blues beat you

By The Gatepost Editorial

New England winters are often portrayed as peaceful and picturesque - blankets of snow decorating the landscape and snow days filled with pond hockey, hot chocolate, and reading novels under cozy blankets.

However, the reality of a New England winter is quite different than Hallmark movies often depict. 

It certainly isn’t news that Massachusetts has been pummeled by snow since we returned from winter break and having class on a Monday has become rare this semester.

As the snow piles up over long dark days, it’s likely your emotions reflect the look of the world outside your dorm room. 

The stretch from December to April can be a hugely taxing time of year for all of us, but with so many dark, dreary, snow-filled days, the start to this semester has felt more difficult than most. 

This anxiety can contribute to what most of us call seasonal depression, which is medically referred to as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). 

SAD is a type of depression caused by a decrease in daylight. It typically begins affecting people around late fall and lifts during early spring. SAD is characterized by sadness and low energy. 

While information and conversations about SAD are increasingly prevalent, it can still be an invisible battle. It is important to remember you never know what your peers are going through. Whether it is an official SAD diagnosis or simply the wintertime blues, there are a few ways you can help yourself and each other get through this final stretch to spring.

First and foremost, getting involved in the campus community is incredibly important. Leaving the isolation of a dorm room is essential to feeling hopeful, being more productive, and spending time face-to-face contact with friends. 

For instance, the Henry Whittemore Library is hosting a “Cozy Winter Reset” on March 3 from 12-2 p.m. in UM-14 for students to relax with cocoa, snacks, aromatherapy, and relaxing music. 

Resident assistants in every hall put on fantastic events that feature community building and self-care. Events in your building are listed on flyers in each residence hall and on RamLink.

In addition, every residence hall has a Rejuvenation Room that features a massage chair, games, and light therapy lamps that specifically help students with SAD. 

Residents can request access cards to the Rejuvenation Room at the security desk in each residence hall. 

Light therapy boxes are relatively inexpensive, ranging from $20-150 and are scientifically proven to help people with SAD combat their symptoms.

The urge to stay inside under the covers, compounded with the stress of routines getting thrown off, can make things that much worse for students.

Missing so much class is a stressor for both students and faculty, as the pressure of falling behind in the syllabus throws off the flow of class time and assignment due dates.

A disruption in the rhythm of academic routines can make students feel ill-prepared or as if assignments, reading, or due dates are piling up faster than they can handle. 

Staying organized and writing things down, or using a calendar app, can be incredibly useful in visualizing your weeks and the semester as a whole. Having a specific place to plan your weeks from assignments to work shifts is valuable, especially if classes and commitments continue to be cancelled or rescheduled due to the weather. 

It is also important for students to ensure they are staying on top of their syllabi, looking ahead as much as possible, and attending office hours with professors if they begin to feel overwhelmed. 

Professors on campus are not immune to the frustrations that can come with snow days - they are here to help and support you. 

Further, for students who have jobs, every snow day means a day of work cancelled and a day of pay lost, adding to the stress they may be feeling. 

The Gatepost Editorial Board urges students to brave the cold and see their friends as much as they can during this bleak winter. 

Engage in activities that make you happy and fill your cup. Take a break from your studies to read a book, watch a movie, go to the Dining Commons, or attend an event. Treat yourself to a coffee or time with friends off campus. 

If the struggle ever becomes too much for you to handle, the Counseling Center is always available to students. 

This winter may be a tough one, but supporting each other is something our community does amazingly well. 

It may feel like a long way to May, but we’re all in this together.