Phoebe Qiu

Blue Monday has come and gone, yet with it your sadness did not dissipate. You find yourself in a state of panic. The weather looks grim, you have three essays due this week, your latest grocery haul is diminishing before your eyes, your degree is giving you an existential crisis, and — just as you are beginning to feel like a protagonist in a Jean Rhys novel — it finally dawns on you what has  happened.  

You’ve fallen into another year of seasonal depression.  

I think for many people, feeling unhappy results in feelings of shame, self-contempt, or guilt. You see people around you who you deem to be happier, and you reach the conclusion that there must be something lacking in you – that you might be what Hermann Hesse called a ‘lone wolf’, wallowing alone in your own misery and self-pity. But that is simply not true. Sadness of any kind is a universal experience, one that we all inevitably go through at various stages in our lives. It is only when you are going through the most traumatic breakup that you resonate whole-heartedly with Taylor Swift’s songs; it is when you are at your most melancholy that the words of Elizabeth Browning’s sadder sonnets become your friends; and it is when you feel most downcast that you learn to tolerate and understand the pain of those around us.  

Instead of considering seasonal depression as a humiliating experience, we should accept it as an aspect of human life and one in which we could learn more about both ourselves and others. Though frightening and isolating, the majority of people will experience mental health issues at some point in their life. Sorrow has been documented throughout history in many artworks and literary texts: Frida Kahlo’s The Wounded Deer showcases the artist’s physical and emotional pain; Sylvia Plath’s ‘The Arrival of the Bee Box’  depicts the attempt to control a chaotic mind; Mary Cassatt’s obsession of painting scenes of mothers with their children stemmed from the loss of her sister. It can be overwhelming and pushes us all to our limits, but it forces us to explore the vast regions within our mind frames.

So how does one combat seasonal depression?  

To begin with, you must realise that depression is a temporary state of mind and one that you do have control over. Although you can’t rid yourself of the  sadness with a snap of your fingers, there are things you can do to make yourself  feel better. Here is a list: 

1) Increase your dopamine levels — scientifically, dopamine is proven to play a crucial role in how you feel. You can increase your dopamine levels by maintaining a healthy diet, exercising (even by taking lovely walks up and down the River Cam!) and making sure you have a consistent sleep schedule.  

2) Connect with others — whether that may be by asking a friend out on a coffee date, joining a new society, or befriending someone new, any form of contact with other people helps to ground us by making us feel like we belong to a community. Sometimes some social experiences can go terribly (we’ve all had those face-palming moments), but there will always be someone out there you can relate to.  

3) Find time for the things you love — no matter how hectic your timetable  appears to be, you need to make space for your own hobbies. This provides stress relief and happiness, allowing you to complete your tasks and pursue your goals with more gusto!  

4) Have some ‘me’ time — although it is helpful to have a regimented schedule, having some time to yourself to relax is important too. It is absolutely okay to have a solo movie night or to treat yourself. As Oscar Wilde once said,  ‘To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance’! 

The path from depression of any kind is not a straightforward one. Sometimes the changes you make are so small that they feel barely perceptible in the moment. However, there is always a light  at the end of the tunnel.  

Do not hesitate to reach out for support if you want to speak to someone outside your daily life. The university offers free counselling services to all its students, and Samaritans are available at 116 123 and Cambridge Nightline at 01223 744444. 

Image credit: Frida Kahlo, The Wounded Deer, 1946. Public domain, accessed 4 Feb 2025; at https://www.fridakahlo.org/the-wounded-deer.jsp