Winter in the northern states. The snow, the cold, 50 different shades of grey, no we aren't talking about the book, more of the perpetual overcast that blocks out the sun for months on end. If you're from one of these states, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
I mean, think about it. You wake up in the morning, and it's dark out. You go to work or school or whatever you do, and by the time you're finished, it's dark out again. There's no sun, no warmth, no joy. Just endless shades of grey, with the only ounce of light you see for weeks at a time is the those flickering, hyper-bright, fluorescent lights that feel like they're eye f#cking you that for some reason every school, office decided to opt for.
Maybe you can deal with it for a little while. But after a week, a month, 5 months? It starts to wear on you. Your mood dips, your energy fades, and you start to wonder if you'll ever see the sun again all of a sudden even the slightest things feel like the hardest tasks.
That's just the winter. In the fall, it's a similar story the leaves turn, the days get shorter, and before you know it, you're living in a perpetual state of mid. It's like someone turned down the contrast on your life, and everything feels a little bit duller.
So what can you do? Well, there are a few things that can help. Exercise can be a game changer, as can getting enough sleep and blah blah blah you've heard the same things a thousand times I'm sure if you've taken the time to get this far. A real thing that I think people need to do is stop essentially going into a state of hibernation in the winters. Throw that text in the group chat, make plans so you have something to look forward too even if it's just the one-off night every other week where you meet up for drinks have something on the calendar so you don't feel like you're stuck in Bill Murray's hit movie Groundhogs Day just praying tomorrow you wake up and it's 55 and sunny, and it can stop hurting your face anything you decide to walk outside not looking like Kenny from Southpark.
But even with all these things, seasonal depression can be tougher to shake than your feelings for that one ex. It's like a weight that sits on your chest, dragging you down, no matter how hard you try to fight it. As a fellow Michigander there's nothing that feels more like a kick to the balls than when there's you heard about 6 more weeks of Winter because a rat sees it's shadow and suddenly it's blasted in your face all over that you have 6 more weeks of this bullshit.
For Northerners, where winter and fall can feel like they last forever, it's a challenge that can really test your mental.
So if you're feeling the effects of seasonal depression, know that you're not alone. It's a tough road to travel, but there are people out there who understand. If all else fails, there's always Netflix? Right
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