The winter season is a chance to enjoy activities in the snow, like skiing and snowboarding. But the change in weather and shorter days can make some feel a little depressed. This puts a damper on attitudes and makes everything seem dead and dull.
Even so, there are ways to overcome the feeling of laziness, and to lift our spirits, bring joy to our lives and smiles to our faces. Campus counselor Susan Biskup offers some helpful tips for doing exactly that.
“I always tell people, make your environment sunny and bright. Open the blinds, sit close to the windows in the library and café,” Biskup says. “Make an effort to get out as much as possible during the day and be in the natural light. Take a long walk, eat lunch at a park, exercise regularly.”
Biskup says exercising to the point of breaking a sweat is important if one is feeling anxious or depressed.
She says one way to avoid depressing feelings is light therapy, also called phototherapy. This is done by sitting a few feet away from a specialized light therapy box where one can be exposed to bright light. The light is supposed to mimic real light and create a change in brain chemicals that affect mood.
Cognitive behavioral therapy involves talking about the effects of seasonal depression to a counselor in order to boost moods and change thoughts. This new behavior will in turn reflect better thoughts.
Regular therapy is considered a useful approach. Furthermore, if symptoms are severe antidepressants or supplements recommended by a doctor are beneficial.
Finally, Biskup recommends music therapy as a potential solution. However, some types of music are more helpful than others.
“Listen to music and instruments that are uplifting and soothing,” Biskup says. “Listening to hard, loud music will only bring you down.”
There are also mind and body therapies such as meditation, yoga, guided imagery and massage therapy that serve as great ways to get one’s mind off sad feelings that may emerge during the winter season.
The winter season is a chance to start fresh and play in the snow. But the change in weather and shorter days can make some feel a little depressed. This puts a damper on attitudes and makes everything seem dead and dull.
Even so, there have got to be ways to overcome the feeling of laziness and not wanting to do any ways, to lift our spirits, bring joy to our lives and smiles to our faces. Campus Counselor Susan Biskup offers some helpful tips for doing exactly that.
“I always tell people, make your environment sunny and bright. Open the blinds, sit close to the windows in the library and café,” Biskup said. “Make an effort to get out as much as possible during the day and be in the natural light. Take a long walk, eat lunch at a park, exercise regularly.”
Biskup says exercising to the point of breaking a sweat is important if one is feeling anxious or depressed.
She says one way to avoid feelings that bring people down is light therapy, also called phototherapy.
This is done by sitting a few feet away from a specialized light therapy box where one can be exposed to bright light. The light is supposed to mimic real light and create a change in brain chemicals that affect mood.
Cognitive behavioral therapy involves talking about the effects of seasonal depression to a counsel in order to boost moods and learning to change thoughts. This new behavior will in turn reflect better thoughts.
Regular therapy is also a good method. Furthermore, if symptoms are severe antidepressants or supplements recommended by a doctor are beneficial. Finally, Biskup recommends music therapy.
“Listen to music and instruments that are uplifting and soothing,” Biskup says. “Listening to hard, loud music will only bring you down.”
