By Jay Bridgeman
The Midwest has experienced the coldest winter in two decades. Temperatures dropping lower than negative 20 degrees has affected people living in the Midwest. With already 17 fatalities reported and thousands of people without power, the polar vortex is having a significant impact on every day life.
However, the weather can have a bigger impact on mental health more than anything. Seasonal affective disorder, a common mental health disorder affects more than 3 million people a year.
The disorder includes the same symptoms as depression, and usually last over the winter and fall months. The symptoms of seasonal affective disorder include fatigue, depression, hopelessness and social withdrawal.
Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, can have a functional toll on college students causing them to lose interest in daily activities and lack of motivation. This can have an impact over students health and academics.
The UNO counseling center is familiar with seasonal affective disorder. Listed on the UNO counseling center website, there are multiple tips and suggestions to help fight and prevent SAD from occurring.
These tips include: light therapy, exercise, creating daily routine, finding a hobby and talk therapy. If more help is needed, the UNO counseling center suggest making an appointment so help can be provided as soon as possible.
