Mental health should always be talked about, especially as seasonal depression emerges. Seasonal depression is when people get moody, sad or fall into a  depressive state. Some students might go through this and some might not.

Some students that are going through seasonal depression always have a way to hide it better than others. Some might feel not encouraged enough, and they may just procrastinate through class and at home. A lot of students never speak upon it because some don’t believe it to be true. I know for a fact it’s true because I’ve always been through a phase of seasonal depression during the winter.

Students need to speak up more about how they’re feeling. Some kids won’t be mature about it, but I believe it’ll help some kids clear their heads throughout the day instead of holding down to pain and sadness. I’ve been there and as soon as I cleared my head I felt more relieved than ever. It’s healthy to let out anger instead of letting it pent up. 

Teachers should listen to students more because most of the time, students feel unheard and teachers seem unbothered by the fact students have bad days. I believe it’s a teacher’s and student’s choice to open up or listen. Most of the time counselors aren’t reliable for students and sometimes it’s a trusted adult like a teacher or ASC.

Seasonal depression can occur at different times for different people, with spring being a common season. I have track during the spring and it drains me a lot. I try to just push that feeling aside and ignore it, but it’s hard. Many people don’t understand that, unfortunately. Everyone always says you should do a sport you love, but when you have parents that are forcing you to play a sport, it’s hard to find motivation in actually doing the sport. A lot of people feel the seasonal depression during winter-fall time especially since school is getting more serious with grades and schoolwork.

I feel as though everyone gets seasonal depression. They may not notice, but it’s there. Some get it worse than others, and others don’t get it so bad, but it’s still effective. It puts a toll on your mental health, which makes this a very serious topic to talk about considering mental health is no joke. Some signs people experience are feeling less motivated, their emotions going downhill and not feeling like themselves.

That feeling is very odd and it just makes me feel uncomfortable. I’m sure others feel that way too. Walking around feeling unmotivated is the worst feeling, especially when you have teachers on your back repeating that you need to turn in your work on time. It is the same with jobs. Walking into work not feeling yourself is not only affecting you but it’s affecting the others you work with because not everyone knows how to deal with their emotions.

This is why it’s important that schools and jobs take notice of this and let people take off days when they need it. This really means a lot, and it shows that you actually understand. If someone notices that their friend or family isn’t themselves, they should try and at least check up on them. Remember, however, that it’s the person’s choice if they want to talk or not.