Last post I discussed the topic of seasonal depression, and why people tend to experience this concept. This post I will be dedicating to ways that people can help alleviate the severity of seasonal depression, and offer alternative activities to make up for what you can’t do during the colder weather. 

 

One thing that I started doing this year was pick a show to watch with my friends. We chose to watch the bachelor because it is something that airs weekly and we would be more inclined to watch and therefore spend time with each other at least that one day of the week. You can also choose to watch something that has already been released such as a show on netflix, Hulu, etc. I personally prefer the show to be something actively airing so that it forces you to stick to it more and becomes part of your schedule. In the past though I have started shows on Netflix with my boyfriend and we say that we are only going to watch the show when we’re together, and it has been a really nice and simple way to devote time to spend together.

 

Another thing that I did this winter was charcuterie board nights. I had one night with a regular cheese and cracker board and another night with a hot chocolate theme board. This type of thing where you have a specific event to plan and establish a set date for is really beneficial. It not only makes it so that it is more likely to actually happen but it also gives you something to look forward to.

You can do the same thing with even something as simple as a “cookie night”. My friends and I (including Abby- hi Abby) established one day that we wanted to set aside a specific night to order insomnia cookies and hang out. This realistically was no different than any other night we could have hung out together, and we didn’t have to specifically make a plan a week in advance to do so, but it once again made it something exciting to look forward to and get you through the week. 

Lastly, being a student at Penn State, and having access to something as amazing as the IM building, there are countless opportunities for fun things to do without having warm weather and being able to go outside. My friends and I went multiple times to the IM building to play badMinton and pickleball. We don’t know how to play either of them well but we decided it would be a fun activity to try and learn along the way. We had so much fun! There were four of us so we would rotate who would be on teams each time and had nice friendly competitions and had a great time! I also have done the rock wall in the IM building which I would definitely recommend, and I joined an IM basketball team to have another fun way to get some exercise and socialization in.