Supporting Your Student’s Mental Health During the Winter Months

College students are faced with many challenges as they navigate student life and expectations. Not only are they tasked with learning how to manage their time, but also how to manage their wellbeing. Balancing academic demands, social pressure and general distractions can be difficult to manage and can contribute to students’ mental health challenges. On top of that, the increased darkness of winter months can cause students to experience symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or the “winter blues”. While the “winter blues” are milder and tend to clear up on their own after a short amount of time, the symptoms of SAD are much like the symptoms of major depression.

Understanding Seasonal Affective Disorder and Winter Mental Health Challenges

How might a parent or loved one know if their college student is struggling with SAD? Symptoms to watch out for include:

Low energy, fatigue, or sluggishness
Changes in their sleep habits
Difficulty concentrating
Feelings of worthlessness and/or hopelessness
Changes in weight, appetite, or increased cravings for carbohydrates (sugary, comfort foods)
Loss of interest in activities that are normally enjoyable
Daily sadness, irritability
Social withdrawal
Thoughts of suicide

Certain risk factors may also increase susceptibility to SAD. It is more common among females, young adults, and those who have a prior history of depression or bipolar disorder, a family history of SAD, and live in northern latitudes. As EWU students, the darkness, and colder temperatures of the inland northwest can lead to students experiencing these symptoms while feeling isolated from peers and loved ones. Students with pre-existing mental health challenges such as anxiety or depression, may experience their symptoms as more severe during these cold and dark winter months.

How Parents and Families Can Support Their Students

Encourage open conversations about emotions and struggles. Validate their feelings and listen without judgment. Offer reassurance and remind them that they’re not alone.
Help establish healthy routines by encouraging consistent sleep patterns and good sleep hygiene, promote a balanced diet, and support regular physical activity, even if it’s indoors.
Encourage students to maximize their light exposure by opening their curtains, or utilizing light therapy by checking out one of our “happy lights” from Counseling and Wellness or the JFK Library.
Help your students stay engaged with friends and family. Suggest participation in extracurricular activities or hobbies they enjoy. Normalize reaching out for help from teachers, counselors, or mental health professionals.
Provide academic and emotional support for your student by encouraging them to engage in stress management techniques like mindfulness or meditation. Other stress management tools could include methods of breaking down academic and personal goals into manageable steps to help students visualize their progress towards larger goals.

When to Seek Professional Assistance

Students should seek professional assistance if symptoms persist for more than two weeks and interfere with daily life, or they are experiencing feelings of hopelessness or self-harm. Students can seek assistance from Counseling and Wellness Services or from a primary care physician. EWU Counseling and Wellness Services offer individual counseling, both in person and virtually. CWS is available for walk-in meetings for students in crisis, or can assist students with community referrals to external counseling providers.