Words: Rosie Lawrence (she/her)
CW: depression
For me, the turning back of the clocks marks the start of the winter. I look forward to the laughs of Halloween and the festivities of Christmas as much as the next person, yet I can’t help but mourn light evenings and the ability to have a drink outside without losing feeling in my fingers. As this change occurs, it isn’t uncommon to notice a change in your mood and energy levels. This is known as “seasonal affective disorder”.
Waking up in the dark to clouds of your own breath in the air makes peeling back the covers that bit harder, and once we finally see daylight, the sky is a somewhat depressing grey. At 4 o’clock, as the light starts to disappear and the day feels like it is drawing to a close, the urge to leave the library, rush home, and put on a dressing gown grows. After succumbing to this and cosying up in your flat, the time comes to head to the gym or catch up with friends. Yet the struggle to muster up the motivation to head out and brave the cold occurs once again. All the while, midterms are due, and everyone seems to be falling victim to the same sniffly cold. This all begs the question – how can we combat these feelings? It is time to live seasonally. But what’s the right way of doing this?
It seems the “fall aesthetic” has become quite the phenomenon for romanticising our way out of seasonal affective disorder. Ever since the heyday of Zoella, autumn has come to be marked by overly sweet pumpkin spice lattes, seasonally coloured knitwear, and frolicking in the fallen leaves of Kelvingrove. During the autumn, I am particularly partial to a Rory Gilmore-esque study session, whereby I drink an excess of coffee in a charming café with my book in hand. I am very much guilty of jumping on the bandwagon of the autumnal aesthetic, but I can’t help but feel it is a surface level way of temporarily subsiding this sense of seasonal melancholy.
For example – look at pumpkin picking. It may seem like a wholesome day out, but these pumpkin patches are in fact a field in which pumpkins have been placed amongst to create the illusion that we are picking a fresh, locally sourced produce. Naturally, most of these pumpkins are then taken home to have their insides banished to the bin, a candle placed inside of them for a mere 24 hours, and then disposed of. It seems rather ironic, then, that eating seasonal, organic fruit and vegetables is championed during autumn, while this ritual of food waste takes place every year. The RHS points out that all parts of the pumpkin plant are in fact edible. Maybe it’s time we saw autumn as less of an opportunity for a photo op, and more of a chance to reconnect with the world around us in simple and local ways.
A more biological approach to understanding and combating seasonal affective disorder points to our reduction in exposure to sunlight. Sunlight regulates our internal body clock, more scientifically known as our circadian rhythm. This means our mood, energy levels, and sleep patterns are thrown off when the clocks go back. As hard as it feels, finding a new routine in the face of this can help bring some order to this change. Less sunlight means less vitamin D, which is needed for serotonin, the very hormone which makes us happy. In the face of this, we can turn to exercise, our very-own guaranteed factory of serotonin. Getting outside and touching some leaves feels obvious, but it is an undeniable way to get some vitamin D and lift our spirits. My flatmates and I have recently been enjoying escaping the West End bubble and going for walks in the local green spaces and countryside. Queen’s Park or Pollock Country Park are just a short bus ride away. Further afield, Luss is a mere 45-minute bus ride from Great Western Road, offering a cold water dip and the Hot Tottie Sauna (which costs just £15 for an hour’s session, might I add). In conjunction with this, the NHS recommends taking vitamin D tablets throughout the winter months.
There is still something to be said for the local seasonal events on offer during autumn. The tendency to stay in and find ourselves doom scrolling during the winter can be incredibly isolating and lonely, and so the need to spend time with friends becomes all the more important. Being with the ones you love can pull you out of your depressive spell and induce the serotonin of which these dark, cold nights deprive you of. Why not gather a group of pals and see a film at the GFT, peruse the charity shops for some cosy knitwear, or enjoy one of the Glasgow apple-pressing groups’ free drop-ins? As much as living seasonally can connote a rather cheesy “fall aesthetic”, it can also mean boosting your serotonin levels, getting outside, and enjoying the seasonal events on offer in your local area with your buddies.
