Seasonal Blues

By Isabel Berckemeyer

As a person who thrives on sunny days and warm weather, it is safe to say that the winter months in the North East affect me greatly. This winter, I noticed a drastic change in my mood and energy levels. I am normally a bubbly person, but I recognized I was in an increasingly negative mood and mindset. To cope with these feelings, I decided to pay a visit to a naturopath and get some supplements to help with my case of seasonal blues. 

During my appointment, my doctor shared how she has seen an overwhelmingly large number of patients coming in with the same case of blues I had been feeling. It is because this has been a record-breaking gloomy winter, and with the lack of sun, many North Easterners are experiencing low levels of vitamin D. Immediately, she prescribed me Daily D – a supplement to provide my body with the vitamin D it would otherwise receive from the sun. Additionally, she had me try a new device called the “happy light.” This is a light you sit in front of twice a day for 15-30 minutes. The light does not have UV lights, but it’s an LED bright white light that improves your mood and energy and contributes to your overall happiness. After using the light for a week, I decided to buy my own. After using it each day for the past month, it has helped me tremendously with the gloomy days at Villanova.

Another practice I have developed is one called transcendental meditation. This is a form of meditation that leaves you feeling relaxed and calm for the rest of the day. It helps to combat different forms of depression, one being seasonal depression. This meditation entails twenty minutes of sitting comfortably with your eyes closed and concentrating on nothing by allowing your mind to wander. I have never been one to truly believe in meditation; however, starting my days with 20 minutes of silence has helped me with classes, friends, and my busy schedule.

Lastly, getting outside, even on gloomy and gray days, has been invaluable to my happiness. Instead of sitting in my room all day, I make an effort to get outside for some exercise or to call my home friends and breathe in the fresh air. 

These practices of taking vitamin D, light therapy, meditation, and getting outside have improved my well-being, and they are helping me through the winter months here in the North East.