Winter has come and Christmas is on the horizon. The air is crisp and the need for a warm, comforting drink is growing. However, it is also final exam season, and students are struggling to cram daily life and hours of studying into the little number of days we have left of this semester. With this struggle for balance can come isolation. Canadian Red Cross published an article in 2020 stating that according to Canadian Mental Health Associations around 2-10% of Canadians are affected by seasonal depression. For students and young adults, this is important. We do not get to be outside much because of the drop in temperature, and we tend to stay home more to avoid the annoyance of plentiful Canadian snow. This decrease in happiness due to the weather can be extremely hard on students and cause a downfall in motivation.
So, with the effects that the weather has on one's mental health, it is important to know what you can do to help fight against it. First, make sure you are monitoring your changes in mental health, and if you feel it has changed drastically or is irregular, consult a doctor. Second, take up a new hobby or do one that you love. This can help you boost your mood and get you off your phone. Next, journalling or talking about your feelings can help so that you are not bottling them up. Last, go for walks. If you do not want to brave the thick snow and the intense winds, walk around your dorm/university or complex. Even a treadmill walk will be effective. Anything to get you up and moving will relieve stress and work to create a routine. More helpful tips can be found on the website, “Everyday Health.”
If you have these strong feelings because of the change in weather, do not worry, you are not alone. I was sitting in my bed wondering how I could write a poem the encapsulates how this isolation looks and feels. I thought about what it would look like from a unique perspective. What is something that we see every day? Our bedroom. The poem that I wrote is from the perspective of bedroom walls and how they feel watching a person go through such complicated emotions. A bedroom only has the perspective of what lies inside, so it tries to make sense of its feelings and tries to understand how the person living in the room might feel. The purpose of my poem is to show that having rough days is ok and no matter how alone you may feel, there is always someone there for you even if they are not physically there.
Bedroom Walls
By: Kylee Botten
I watch you, from sunrise to nightfall.
Occasionally, you are gone —
I imagine you without me,
a happier, hidden character.
Desperately hoping you stay away,
but you always come back.
You enter my space,
your breath expels from your chest,
like a raging storm’s gust —
clothes fall from your body in haste,
Thrown carelessly onto the floor.
I watch as you pull the thick covers
over your restless frame.
The outside world is foreign
to my perception, but I see it in you:
rivers often appear,
streaming down your roaring red cheeks.
Your quick breaths,
feel like taking in the sharp forest air.
The storm raging inside peeking out.
You lie for hours,
unaware of my presence.
My jealousy,
my wish that you leave
and love someone
as much as you love me.
But I am here,
even though you cannot hear me,
I stay.