After three weeks of break during the holidays, students come back to school in January to cold weather, less light and the pressure to keep up New Year's resolutions.
It is during this time that people are more likely to become depressed, said Ellen Lucas, associate director and outreach-consultation psychologist at the Counseling Center.
Sophomore education major Miranda Snider's husband, Walter Guillen, is from El Salvador. He was here for two winters and had a hard time getting used to the weather, Snider said.
"He was kind of down in the dumps," she said. "He's like, ‘When's spring coming? When's it going to be warm again? When's the sun going to come out again?' So it does affect you."
Snider described Guillen during the winter months as not being himself, pessimistic and grumpy. To help him through it, though, Snider said she tried to keep him busy and active to get his mind off of it.
Although Guillen's depression was not severe enough to seek professional help, Lucas said she sees students at the Counseling Center who are "very clinically depressed," who are not going to class because they are not sleeping at night and are either losing their appetite or eating out of loneliness or stress.
"With depression, you kind of feel like there's this black cloud over your head," Lucas said. "And it's really hard to see past anything or see that anything matters or that even you matter. And you start having irrational thoughts and you can't think clearly or make good decisions."
Having depression affects how students perform academically, Lucas said. It becomes hard for them to focus and concentrate. She added that one common frustration is reading something and then not remembering what was read.
"With depression, it becomes that lack of motivation, that lack of energy, that lack of will to really care about anything or do anything," Lucas said.
Freshman Kenny O'Brien said he has noticed a lot of students whose studies have been affected because of the weather.
"When it's cold, nobody wants to go to class," the social studies education major said. "[They would rather] stay in their rooms and kind of stay to themselves."
O'Brien said he thinks going to the Student Recreation and Wellness Center and staying active will help.
Lucas said the clinical definition of depression is a pattern of symptoms that has occurred for more than two weeks. But she added that it is better to catch it sooner than later.
"I think what we tend to do is sort of not pay attention to how we're feeling or put it off or say I'll feel better," Lucas said. "Things can unravel pretty quickly ... and then it's very hard to catch back up in class and to plug back in to your friends."
For students who may feel depressed, Lucas suggested visiting the Counseling Center. They offer a free relaxation room that does not require reservations Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. In the room, there is a relaxation and massage chair, a fountain and relaxing CDs that students can play.
The room also has a light therapy box for students to use. Light therapy boxes vary in size and give off artificial light.
The boxes are commonly used to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder, a form of depression that has a range of symptoms but usually starts in October or November and lasts until March or April. Lucas said SAD is less common than depression in general.
Research shows that looking at a light therapy box for 30 to 60 minutes every day can lift depression, especially in milder forms, Lucas said. She added that the students who have used the box in the center love it and continue to come back.
In addition to lack of light, New Year's resolutions are another factor that leads to depression because they are "a set up for feeling bad about yourself or to fail," Lucas said.
"They're things that you've wanted to do all year long and there's reasons that you haven't been able to do it before," Lucas said. "And now, just because it's Jan. 1 doesn't necessarily mean you're going to be able to do it."
Self-destructive activities, like drinking, spending money and gaming can also add to the problem, Lucas said. She said these are often what people with depression turn to, but participating in activities like exercising and eating well will help significantly. Simple tasks, like going out with friends and going to class, are also necessary to improve.
"I think the hardest part of fighting depression is that you have to do things that you don't feel like doing," Lucas said. "But those are the exact things you have to be doing to pull yourself out of this dark cloud, this black hole."
Freshman Lindsay Scott said she has noticed students of all ages slacking on schoolwork during second semester, and she thinks that winter plays a part in that.
"Focus on the positive," the apparel design major said. "Yeah, it's cold and windy outside but at least it's pretty. Just try to see the silver lining."
When trying to help someone who is dealing with depression, Lucas suggested pointing out specific behaviors. She said to be concerned for the person, not critical, and to make suggestions of ways to get help.
"I would say it's never too soon to start taking control of your life and doing something proactive rather than reactive," she said. "It makes sense to me to address a problem sooner than later because usually, the longer it goes, the worse it gets. And the shorter time that you let lapse, the more quickly you can resolve that issue and get a better quality of life."
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