Seasonal depression is defined as a mood disorder associated with season changes. It is commonly seen as depression arising during the winter months and it happens due to a disturbance in the circadian system in the body. Seasonal depression affects an estimated 10 million Americans, and it is more common in women than it is in men, according to Madeleine O’Keefe, a graduate student at Boston University. Now that we officially have six more weeks of winter, it is important to keep track of your mental health and figure out tips to remain in good spirits during these troubling times.  

One suggestion is to get more sun. One of the leading causes of Seasonal Depression disorder is simply due to lack of sun. Someone with Seasonal Depression disorder might feel perfectly fine in spring and summer, and then experience a severe downturn in mood when fall hits. Because of this, Seasonal Depression disorder is prevalent in parts of the world with little daylight and/or extended overcast periods, according to the World Database of Happiness. It is important that when there is sun out, you bask in it by doing some outdoor activity.  

Another tip is to remember that becoming better is a long road. Some people think that depression can be cured right away and get disappointed when their symptoms do not go away. It is important to stay focused and be proud when each symptom slowly does go away. If you are dealing with depression, you should slowly work on fixing some of the problems in your life, even if it takes a while. Many times, a problematic situation in your life is the reason for depression in the first place. However, even if the issues did not cause depression in your personal life, a more leisurely life would make it simpler to deal with depression.  

It is also important to surround yourself with people who care about you. If you are surrounding yourself with toxic people who do not care about you or your feelings, it is easy to feed into that mindset that you are not worthy of being happy. Being with family, friends, or even pets can actively make you feel better throughout the entire day. Surrounding yourself with positive influences is the best way to overcome depression.  

Finally, identifying the reason you are depressed could very much help you figure out what you need to do to get better. Depression can stem from a myriad of sources. It should be carefully analyzed by a professional. The most common causes of depression are circumstantial and clinical. Circumstantial depression is caused by tricky situations in a person’s life, clinical depression is caused by a chemical imbalance.  

While winter can be a challenging time for our mental health, staying together and being there for the ones you love is extremely important. Make sure that you are there for them and ask if they need help instead of making assumptions. If you are experiencing any form of depression, seasonal or not, ask someone for help and work on making a change so that you can be the best version of yourself.