College Students facing Seasonal Depression

With the holidays around the corner many students may feel early emotions about being alone for the holidays. Depression increases during fall and continues during the winter months. The weather is changing, and the days are shorter. Therefore, it leads to students feeling isolated.
It’s vital that students stay in tune with their mental health. Along with practicing self-care routines, staying fit, eating properly, or even finding a hobby you enjoy. Maintain a daily routine and create a balance in your schedule to keep your day in order and to prevent anxiety.
Students remember you are not alone. Try reaching out to friends or family that you could possibly spend the holidays with. Hence you wouldn’t have to dwell on being alone for the holidays. The holidays are a time to be spent with people you care about.
I personally detected a change in my emotions over the last few weeks. I quickly began to redirect my attention to the positive things in my life. Reaching out to my family to hear some encouragement to propel me to continue to focus on my studies.
Feeling down at times is normal but on a regular basis is not. Depression can be triggered from family issues, medical conditions, childhood trauma, or misuse of drugs or alcohol. Attempt to be productive every day. The more active you are the more time you have to fully be your best self.
Common symptoms of seasonal depression are low energy, hopelessness, sadness, change in weight, and appetite loss. Focus your energy on positive things rather than things that give you anxiety. Try to remove things that cause you agony and do things that bring you enlightenment.
Celebrate your small victories by treating yourself. Never let a day go by where you don’t praise yourself for all that you’ve accomplished during the day. Have a friend hold you accountable to assure that you were productive or attempted to be.
If you begin to feel impairment in your daily life, seek help. Seasonal depression is seasonal but it’s still a form of depression. Make an appointment with a campus counselor as soon as you begin to feel depression setting in.