With the season changing, our moods can follow

While the leaves change colors and fall softly to the dry, yellow grass, we will admire it and see the beauty of fall, but this indicator of the season can be threatening and ominous for certain people. You probably didn’t know, but over 10 million Americans suffer from seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, every year. 

This disorder causes depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues during this season. With the days getting darker faster, and the brisk air that rushes all day and all night, it can be easy for people to quickly lose happiness and hope for the future. 

Madeleine O’Keefe, science writer and communicator, states, “People who suffer from SAD may find that they have difficulty waking up in the morning, that they have less energy, that they have an increased appetite. It may be more difficult for them to concentrate. Maybe they have less motivation to do things.” Although it may not seem like it, many people suffer with this disorder, and it can become quite serious in some cases.

It can seriously affect one’s physical and mental health. While you watch the green grass transition to orange leaves, then pure white snow, make sure to think of loved ones to check up on. Luckily, therapy and many other forms of help have been made widely available in the last years. While it may seem simple, solutions such as UV lamps have been able to help people suffering with SAD be able to get the feeling of light and cast aside the gloominess and coldness of the world. Other solutions such as therapy, exercise and increased social activity have been proven to work. 

Although there is no cure for SAD, there are plenty of ways to help resist and combat the intense depression that people suffer with every year. Many people won’t show their pain, but it doesn’t mean it’s not there.