Advice, Campus Life, Lifestyle

Getting through the winter as a Floridian

Seasonal depression is real. The sun sets by 5 p.m. every day. The frigid temperatures are not going anywhere anytime soon and the days of sitting by the pool are too far away. 

Since I have lived in Florida for most of my life, my definition of winter included some pool time in our inground pool (which had a number of things to consider before it got installed) — just swapping out a swimsuit with a light sweatshirt and not going in the water — and my days were filled with sunshine and trips to the beach. There was no real winter at all.

Last year was my first real cold winter as an adult. I was living in a small attic room with no windows. Time was not real over in my Bay State dorm room. Was it 5 p.m. or 8 a.m.? It was always a gamble answering that question without a window, it was after this cold that I consider the attic insulation to be more warmer during winters.

But this year, I now have a window and my winter is already filled with more sunshine. I guess that means I’m moving up in the world. I moved off campus and I am even writing this article from my living room couch next to a window! 

seasonal depression is real
A hand pressed against a rainy window. A little light goes a long way, writes Grace Knoop about the reality of seasonal depression as she misses her sunny Florida winters. COURTESY OF KRISTINA TRIPKOVIC VIA UNSPLASH

Alongside the natural light I now get from outside, I also have my HappyLight to thank — my only source of light and peace last year in the windowless basement. My HappyLight, which I have already written a love letter to, is what gets me through the winter. It gives me that extra boost that I need when I get home. If it were up to me, I would be going straight to bed as soon as the sun sets. My energy is completely gone and I am ready to slip into my pajamas. 

Unfortunately though, life continues past 6 p.m. and it is usually not acceptable to be asleep by 7 p.m.. But my HappyLight is my sun during the winter. I turn it on, and I am finally able to knock some homework out while still having some energy because of the bright light that it gives me. 

And although I have acquired the luxury of natural light, I am still writing this while wearing two pairs of pants and two sweatshirts. Sadly, the cold is still very real. 

The day before I left for Boston, I was sitting outside in 65 degree weather and shivering. Then the next morning, I was in Boston with 15 degree weather  — still shivering, of course. But this time, it wasn’t as embarrassing with snow on the ground. 

This time last year, the cold temperature would have completely wrecked me. 15 degrees? As a Floridan, I would have been in tears walking around campus. But I’ve developed a newfound strategy for Boston winters, and it is all through layers of clothing. Layers have been my saving grace. 

My one philosophy for Boston winters is that comfort trumps fashion every time. I have accepted that I will never be the best dressed in the room, but I will be the warmest. If it is below 15  degrees, I will 100% be walking to class in sweatpants over my warmest pair of leggings. 

Then, as I walk home from class with my two pairs of pants on, I am slapped in the face with the fact that it is pitch black at 6 p.m.. So now I am shivering and walking home in the dark, which usually puts me in a pretty sour mood, but I take comfort in knowing that my situation could be much worse.

Seasonal depression is real. No matter how many more winters I will go through, I will always be missing my winters in Florida spent by the pool. But every winter, I learn what gets me through the frigid temperatures. Last year, it was the discovery of my HappyLight. This year, it is the importance of layers. Hopefully, by this time next year, I will have figured out another hack that helps me get by until summer comes round.

 

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