With the cold weather and shorter days rolling in, some students start to struggle with seasonal depression. Seasonal depression or seasonal affective disorder is a recurring episode of depression that usually occurs at the same time every year. For most people, it is triggered by the change in sunlight which leads to lower vitamin D levels, which can cause a decrease in serotonin.

With the weather becoming cloudy and cold and days becoming shorter, students often start to struggle with motivation in school which can lead to decreasing grades and stress.

“It’s hard to find motivation to do certain things. So sometimes it becomes easier to skip assignments or not put in the same amount of effort into classes,” Brooke Ferguson (11), a student at MSHS said.

The winter months come with midterms, important projects, and finals for most students across the nation. This contributes to a lot of pressure held upon students which can add to their struggling mental health.

Morrigan Schulz, a senior at MSHS, says that she most often struggles with seasonal depression around the holidays. “It’s always really tense around my family, so I don’t really love the holidays that much,” Shulz said.

“When stuff starts to pick up, because we’re getting closer to the end of the year, you have to start preparing for the big finals, especially as seniors. I just don’t have the motivation and I get really stressed,” Schulz said.

Lana Kahtava says that the isolation during the winter months contributes to her struggle with seasonal depression a lot. “It’s the lack of socialization I get, and I don’t get a lot of time to see my friends,” Kahtava said.

Kahtava believes that taking time to engage in hobbies you enjoy can help manage your emotions. “I love reading and journaling, that just kind of centers me back to reality,” she said.

The main issue for students who struggle with seasonal depression is a decrease in motivation. Kahtava believes that creating new habits and trying to get things done everyday can motivate her. “I make checklists, and that really helps with getting everything done and getting into that routine really helps,” Kahtava said.

Seasonal depression is very hard on many students, but Schulz believes that perseverance can help. “Life is gonna keep on going. The moon will go down and the sun will rise again,” Schulz said, “so get up and push through.”