GUIDE ON HOW TO BEAT SEASONAL DEPRESSION

We have all been there, right? Days are shorter, school is starting, nobody wants to go outside because of the wind... And then you catch yourself not going outside for days or even worse not coming out of bed and binging shows for hours, slowly digging yourself into the “comfortable” pits of your room and what now?

Well, my dear you are not alone. Grab yourself a cup of tea or hot cocoa and let me welcome you to guide on how to beat seasonal depression!

Let’s say workouts outside are off the table. Trying to run during windy weather or stormy mornings is simply impossible and your bones are starting to hurt from lying on the couch. You catch yourself being discouraged whenever you see some hot influencer on Tiktok doing her workouts in Miami wishing that was you. What can you do? Sure, trying to follow some workout on Youtube can be effective, but it is a bit boring, right? Let me propose the idea of having a competition with your friends, or even better having a bet with them. A bet? Let’s say the loser gets to cook a 3 course meal for you two, or a whole friend group. And a competition? Basically, anything you can think of. Maybe doing planks and seeing who will last longer or maybe learning a “Just Dance” choreography and seeing who does it better at the end of the week.

So, the workouts are done and now you are hungry for something sweet. The rain is pouring so going to the store is a no go. You do not pride yourself on being a good cook and have no idea what to eat. Well, you can try killing two birds with one stone and trying out some quick and easy meals. Maybe apple pies? Or just a simple pudding? You can start by mastering the art of making salted caramel, or even better you can try making out some shapes and figures from it or just putting it in your coffee in the morning. I can bet you scroll through a dozen recipes on Tiktok on a daily basis so how about attempting some of them. And if it doesn’t work out? Well just try again! For this to work out I simply suggest going to the store and buying some flour, sugar and eggs. Those are really the basics to everything. Try adding some vanilla, baking powder and butter and BAM, now you have cookies.

Okay now you have done all that in two hours and have the rest of the day to do important stuff, but just can’t get yourself to start working on it. Try rewarding yourself. Every time you can’t get yourself to do something for school, set up a reward system. What works for me is basically saying to myself after working 30 minutes of homework I get 1 hour of doing something I genuinely enjoy.

So, first of all, what is something you enjoy? Sure, watching shows or getting yourself a nicotine reward but let me propose trying something new. How about you try some new hobbies you may enjoy. Maybe drawing? Maybe knitting? Doing a puzzle? Or even making candles. There are a million things you don’t even think of that you can simply DIY. Try making your friends or your mom some cute gifts. How about making ribbon flowers? Make this winter your DIY era and see how keeping your hands busy can help with your inside battles.

And in the end don’t forget that we all go through this. Don’t get mad at your friends if they don’t reply to your messages for days and just call them. Put on some warm clothes and invite them for a walk and a bit of gossip. Try to capture all the sunny days and try to keep your days from being wasted by having a simple routine. And if nothing works out? Put on some interesting podcast and start by cleaning up. Clean house really does mean a clean mind, and at the end of the day you will be able to look around yourself and see that you have made some progress.

GOOD LUCK!

your fellow seasonal depressee,

Marta Szabo