The clocks fall back, and suddenly the walk to your evening class happens in the dark. The energy that carried you through September starts to fade, and it is easy to be hard on yourself about it. But for some of us, this is not laziness. It is something real, and it has a name.
Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is a form of recurrent depression that arrives in fall or winter and lifts in spring. In a survey of 299 undergraduates in Lahore, Pakistan, about 13% screened positive for SAD and about 6% for milder symptoms, with winter SAD the most common type (Khalid et al., 2025).
Symptoms can include low energy, disrupted sleep, irritability and trouble concentrating, which can make November especially hard with finals approaching. The same study found that higher exam stress was linked to more severe seasonal symptoms.
So what helps? In a 2015 trial of 177 adults, psychologist Kelly Rohan and colleagues at the University of Vermont found that light therapy and a cognitive-behavioral therapy built for SAD worked about equally well over six weeks. The therapy relies partly on behavioral activation, which means scheduling activities you enjoy instead of waiting until you feel motivated (Rohan et al., 2015). Two winters later, depression had returned for 27% of the therapy group compared with 46% of the light therapy group (Rohan et al., 2016).
The evidence on everyday habits is still limited. A 2024 systematic review found only six trials of lifestyle changes such as exercise and time outdoors for SAD, and its authors said the evidence was too limited for firm conclusions (Rothenberg et al., 2024). Still, stepping outside and seeing people is free and gentle.
On a campus like Eastern, small steps are close at hand. Psychiatrist Samuel L. Pauker and writer Miriam Arond suggest scheduling time with friends even when staying in feels easier (Pauker & Arond, 2024). Maybe that means lunch with a friend, or finally going to that club meeting you keep skipping.
Lauren Martin, a licensed clinical psychologist and Eastern’s Executive Director for Health and Wellness, said students should pay attention to changes in their mood and behavior “rather than dismissing them as simply part of winter.” A few low-energy days don’t necessarily mean SAD, she noted, but persistent changes in mood, sleep, energy or motivation “deserve attention.”
To stay well, Martin encourages students to get outside for natural light, even when it’s cold, by walking between classes or studying near a window. She also recommends consistent sleep and wake times, regular meals and movement that “doesn’t have to mean going to the gym for an hour.” Staying connected matters too, she said, even when you don’t feel like being social.
The Center for Health and Wellness offers counseling, health services and wellness education, plus online tools such as WellTrack Boost and Togetherall, a peer-support community available around the clock. Students can email healthandwellness@eastern.edu or stop by counseling drop-in hours, and no diagnosis is needed. “We want students to know that they don’t need to wait until they’re in crisis to reach out,” Martin said.
If the heaviness lasts for weeks, affects your schoolwork or leaves you feeling hopeless, please do not go through it alone. Seasonal depression is common and treatable, and asking for help is nothing to be embarrassed about. If you are ever in immediate danger, call or text 988, or call Public Safety at 610-341-1737 for an on-campus emergency.
This winter, be gentle with yourself, look for the light where you can find it and bring someone along.
