Beat The Winter Blues

With the first Kenyon snow and Daylight Savings Time upon us, it only seems appropriate to talk about keeping up your spirits throughout the dreary, Ohio winters. Sure, the snow is beautiful now, glinting from the rooftops of Sam Mather and Ascension as you walk to class; embracing the cold earth like an icy blanket. Who could ever tire of a snowy Kenyon?

 

 

You will. I promise, you will. Come February—or even worse, March—your rising stress levels and endless work will combine with the ever-gray skies and muddy piles of snow and salt that build up along the sidewalks and Middle Path to ruin your shoes and your spirits. Whether or not you have Seasonal Affective Disorder, you should be aware of how the changing weather and seasons can affect your mood. 

 

So what can you do to conquer the gloom? HCK is here to give you some advice on how to stay positive and energetic from the first snowfall to the last (will it be in April this year, or May?)

 

Along with keeping your bones and immune system strong, Vitamin D can boost your mood by increasing serotonin levels in the brain. It’s literally the happy vitamin! The easiest, natural way to reap the benefits of vitamin D is through sun exposure, but if you depend on the sun for your vitamin D, you may find yourself experiencing a deficiency as the days get shorter and much colder throughout the Kenyon winter. Do yourself a favor, pick up a vitamin D supplement at Walmart, Kroger, CVS, or wherever you do your bi-weekly procrastination shopping. (Alternatively, you can hop in line for a Peirce omelet, as egg yolks and whole milk are great sources of vitamin D).

 

Though it’s tempting to resign yourself to sleepiness whenever it gets dark, it’s important to fight this instinct and keep to a regular sleep cycle. Most doctors advise waking up at the same time every day, rather than waiting for the daylight to get out of bed. Why? Tampering with your body’s internal clock can mess with yourhormone levels, causing headaches, irritability, and lethargy throughout the day. We at HCK realize it may be hard to wake up at 9 am on a Saturday after an Old Kenyon party or a night at the Cove, but try to at least keep your wake-up times within a two hour range between weekdays and the weekend. 

 

 

Elle Woods said it best: “Exercise gives you endorphins; endorphins make you happy!” Fitting a little exercise into your weekly routine—whether that means a forty minute workout at the KAC or choosing to walk from your dorm to class instead of drive—can release endorphins to boost your mood while reducing chemicals in your immune system that can actually worsen depression. Further, taking time our of your day to put studying and writing aside to indulge in some mindless physical activity can be an important release. And, if nothing else, power walking to class will get your blood going and help keep you a little warmer. 

 

Routine can be good and give your life at Kenyon a sense of stability and structure, but it can also bring you down in the winter months, when each day blends into the next and the endless string of papers, tests, and presentations can begin to drag down your optimism. So, bake cookies in your dorm kitchen; take an impromptu trip into Mt. Vernon; do something socially awkward in the library; go sledding down the KAC hill. Do anything to break from routine and introduce a little fun into your day.