The way my sister sees it, humans are pretty similar to plants.
A few years ago, when she was working in an elementary school science class, the lead teacher asked whether humans need sunlight. Amid a chorus of 10-year-olds piping “Nooooo,” my sister was confident: “Yes.”
Humans do not need sunlight because they do not photosynthesize. But my sister’s statement had some truth.
Five percent of Americans fall into a monthslong depression when natural sunlight changes, typically in the winter when it rises late and sets early. It’s a recurring condition called Seasonal Affective Disorder, which can induce depressive symptoms like anxiety, low motivation in activities that people previously enjoyed and changes in appetite, sleep and energy, said Feinberg School of Medicine Associate Professor Dr. Dorothy Sit, who studies treatments for mood disorders.
“It’s a long time to have to suffer throughout an entire season of feeling this way, this miserable, not themselves,” Sit said.
While SAD is a clinical condition, it’s common to feel lethargic in the winter even without a formal diagnosis. Despite being a Massachusetts native, I dreaded facing the Chicago winter in college. I asked a former Northwestern student from my high school what she did for fun in the cold months. Her answer: “I pretty much just stay inside.”
And after leaving class in the dark, eating dinner at 5 p.m. and sliding into housepants, it’s relatable.
To be clear, I don’t have SAD. Experts say to speak with a clinician if you think you might.
I’m writing this because I spent the last three winters wondering why the merriment of darkness seems to stop after Jan. 1 and why the resurgence of joy is so pronounced on the rare days that the sun peeks out, trees start to bud and baby bunnies nestle in fluffy huddles. Now, in my last winter on campus, I decided to find out what’s causing these vibe shifts and how to overcome the winter blues.
Tip 1: Basking in bright light
Left past the SPAC Protein Bar, right down a hallway, through the Wellness Suite and in a corner surrounded by three chairs and a beanbag sits a box emitting bright light — seven to ten thousand lux, or 20 to 30 times room lighting.
I took one of those seats on an overcast Wednesday morning to test bright light therapy, the first-line solution for SAD.
“When we don’t have this regular brightness in the morning and gentle dimness in the evening, we may find ourselves lacking the signal that is necessary to keep us in a consistent rhythm,” Sit said.
A 30-minute blast of light each morning is supposed to provide energy throughout the day and realign your body with the 24-hour cycle. A light machine costs as little as $20 on Amazon, or it’s free at SPAC. It’s available when the wellness suite is open: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. (The website says to schedule a visit, but my email got the response to come “whenever is best.”)
On my visit, as I squinted at the glowing box, I thought of the waiver I signed that I didn’t read. Sit said three to five consecutive days of light therapy can significantly improve someone’s energy, but I was pretty sure eye damage could happen sooner.
I was searching the transcript of my chat with Sit for confirmation that light boxes are ultraviolet-safe when Weinberg second-year Muskaan Schievink plopped on the gray beanbag near me. She said she’s tried to come a few times each week after her psychology professor recommended light therapy.
Shrugging, Schievink said she thinks it has improved her focus on schoolwork.
Light therapy is most effective in combination with good sleep hygiene, which Sit said includes avoiding blue light before bed and resting in a dark, cool environment on a consistent schedule. She said to consult a clinician before starting light therapy because it can over-energize some people, particularly those with bipolar disorder.
But is a sleep schedule a social construct to produce a worker society?
“Why not say screw it, it’s already dark out, I can just stay up whenever?” I asked Feinberg School of Medicine Research Assistant Professor Dr. Jonah Meyerhoff, who has studied psychological treatment for affective disorders.
“I don’t know exactly,” he said. (Aha!) But, he added, over time, this behavior can cause irritability and difficulty regulating emotions.
I left the session feeling alert and pleasant. Whether it was a placebo or a result of light therapy, I will be returning.
Tip 2: Shift how you think about the cold
If the Frostbite Shuttle is running, I am not.
Knowing frostbite can set in after just 10 minutes in sub-zero temperatures, I’m not risking a chapped blue nose for a jaunt around the Lakefill. But those danger-zone days are rarer than you’d expect, given how often I use the weather to rationalize the more comfortable — but less pleasant — option of running in place two feet from a bumpy white wall as students pace behind me like predators rearing to pounce on an open treadmill.
Meyerhoff said it’s common for people to avoid activities in the winter because they think the dark and cold make them impossible. In some cases, like on Frostbite Shuttle days, there’s a legitimate reason to stay inside. But he suggests these situations may be rarer than you think, and that they can have adverse psychological effects.
“Negative beliefs about winter and changes in certain activity patterns can make somebody more vulnerable to winter seasonal affective disorder,” Meyerhoff said.
He helped develop cognitive behavioral therapy for SAD, in which therapists help patients reframe their negative beliefs about winter by asking why they think they can’t do something and whether there’s a possibility that they can. They then set a plan to try it.
“You don’t need to be building a snowman or anything,” Meyerhoff said.
“One of the mechanisms is being able to get out and do these things, shift somebody’s belief structures about what I’m able to do during the winter,” he said. “But also, what we might call pleasant activity or things that help you build a sense of accomplishment are also generally a really helpful tool for depression management.”
He said cognitive behavioral therapy can cause long-term changes, while light therapy lasts only for the period you do it.
A few days after my talk with Meyerhoff, I layered an extra shirt under my zip-up and grabbed fleece-lined leggings, gloves and a headband to brave the February chill. The cold and freedom were invigorating. I reflected in horror at the dull indoor runs that could have been like this, had I allowed myself to think differently about the weather.
I even hiked up my sleeves to reveal a sliver of wrist.
Tip 3: Give in to cravings, to a degree
For me, it was chocolate.
A few weeks ago, I needed it like oxygen. I hovered outside University Hall for 10 minutes, feeling beaten down and incapable of sitting through a lecture, before skipping class for the first time this quarter.
A handful of chocolate chips was a cruel tease. Only chocolate, real chocolate, could soothe my despair.
Might the weather be to blame for my hankering? Sit said food cravings are a common sign of winter SAD — though most commonly for carbs.
“I don’t know if there’s much harm to giving into the craving once in a while, or sort of making healthy selections if they do have cravings,” Sit said.
She said making this a pattern might lead people to feel worse, in which case they should speak with a nutritionist about how to maintain a balanced diet.
That night, I tugged on Ugg boots and walked to Foster Deli with my roommate. Amid the biting cold of winter quarter, a pint of chocolate fudge brownie Ben and Jerry’s ice cream momentarily replicated the happy spontaneity that spring promises. But that frosty carton held more than brownie bits: the lesson that winter doesn’t have to be a slog, and with a light box, mindset shift and emotional awareness, I can practice cultivating sunny energy regardless of the season.
