Burning out in the cold: not a chance!
This is fall season, it is official! Seasonal depression, mood swings, and mental breakdowns on the verge of the coldest season of the year can cause a big worry in our minds. Some of us love the cold, some of us love the heat. No matter what weather has your back, your mental health sometimes may be affected by what’s around your body and in front of your eyes.
Fall is a transitional moment, that set of weeks where the vivid green flora embraces its brown shades. At least, this happens in the northern hemisphere. In other parts of the world, this is spring and a new season is born with different colors and hues.
Each individual finds coping mechanisms to get through seasonal depression. But what is seasonal depression, where does it occur, and how can it be prevented?
Seasonal depression (known also as seasonal affective disorder - SAD) is a form of recurrent depression that manifests during cold and cloudier months. It is both a mental and physical condition.
Women are much more eager to suffer from it. In order to be diagnosed with SAD, you must have had this recurrent pattern for at least three consecutive years. Fortunately, there are cures and medicines with which you can deal with this form of depression.
In this piece, I am sharing a set of tips that have worked on my personal case. As a woman of color with a Meditteranean and tropical heritage in my blood, seasonal depression has had a big impact on my body and mental health. This is my fifth year living in New York and this piece has the intent to speak to future (creative) immigrants who will reside in this area of the world.
Being creative is already hard, imagine being an immigrant. All the paperwork you must constantly follow, all the language and cultural barriers you must be mindful of. It can be a lot. Your routines will definitely change and sometimes New York’s weather pushes you to switch your lifestyle. Going out becomes difficult (with COVID rules), doing summer activities is impossible (it is very cold), and a lot of locals get excited for a season that might not speak to you that much (Halloween and Thanksgiving are cool, but sometimes you don’t know people yet with whom celebrate these festivities or maybe you don’t have a strong attachment to it).
When I was in college, fall was always a weird time for me. Although there is no fall season with bright colors and scented perfumes like the ones in New England, autumn was never as exciting as other seasons like spring or summer. When you’re an international student you usually come back to school with a load of beautiful memories from your home country and getting back to your host country can be hard sometimes, far away from family and childhood friends. You must wait another year and another season to see the people you love. Your diet changes, your schedules change, the people around you act differently. Sometimes you can feel out of place and if you escape to the world or coping mechanism is going out for a bike ride, a walk-in front of the sea, or boat rides, New York isn’t that kind of place, neither the majority of the people around you. Nobody’s fault, it is simply the way how things go.
However, after five years I found out ways and mantras to live by in order to prevent an episode of seasonal depression.
Mini-trips: taking short trips with friends is the way to go. This getaway can restore your mind and make you discover new places. Try to make the best out of your time in cold places by visiting new places: there are so many in the New York area (New Jersey, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Pennsylvania, etc.)
Clubs and weekly meetings with your organizations: COVID-19 ruined this tip a bit, but now that things are slowly getting back to normal, this can still work. Attending regular meetings with your club or your creative hub of connections (networking events, fashion shows, artistic showcases) is key to keeping your mind busy.
Meeting up with friends: I know, we’re adults, but let’s make time for each other. Actively make time to see your friends or even expand new relationships (an acquaintance you met within your group of friends? a new coworker? a potential romantic partner?) We all don’t have time, but we can all make the time (if we want to)
Dieting: and no, that doesn’t mean to starve yourself. On the contrary, it means to choose carefully what goes inside your body. Eat real food with real colors. Decorate your plates with bright natural food. Sometimes when you enjoy a meal you appreciate both the taste and the looks. throughout the day and the week this can be a ritual to be persued.
I am no therapist nor professional. This comes from my personal experience and it is an ongoing journey (getting better and better). If you want to dive into this topic, look up a SAD website and consult a professional to talk to.
