As daylight grows shorter and the semester enters its most demanding stretch, Las Positas students face more than just academic burnout and tightening deadlines. The shift to colder, darker months amplifies stress at a time when students are already stretched thin. Many struggle with the onset of seasonal affective disorder and winter-related depressive symptoms that quietly begin shaping their lives.
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a form of depression triggered by reduced exposure to natural daylight, most commonly in fall and winter. It often brings a persistent low mood, increased fatigue and difficulty concentrating, making daily tasks harder. Yet the campus offers little acknowledgment of how the darker months intensify mental health challenges, leaving students to navigate burnout, low mood and decreasing motivation with minimal support.
If the college wants to support students — especially as counseling services become harder to access when demand spikes — they must recognize seasonal depression as a predictable and recurring obstacle. The Wellness Center could develop targeted resources or workshops with intentional support and expand counseling access when it’s needed most. Creating these workshops and expanding winter counseling hours could help students weather the months that consistently hit the coldest and hardest.
Many students report feeling more depressed and burnt out during the winter season. The shift in daylight alone is enough to affect productivity. For students juggling classes, jobs and personal responsibilities, less sun often means less energy.
Light plays a bigger role in mood than students realize. Behavioral Health Coordinator Sheena Turner August said the transition can be challenging for students.
“If you are already struggling with depression, sadness, your emotions and we know things like light and the amount of sunlight that you’re able to get in a day or just the opportunity to go out or you see it through a window, even just light coming in can impact mood,” August said.
SYMPTOMS OF seasonal affective disorder follow a yearly pattern, they appear during the start of the colder months and ease up when the season nears its end. (Illustration by Angelina An/ The Express)
Many students are unable to make the connection and recognize the core issue behind being unproductive or falling behind. In reality, these symptoms track closely with seasonal depression.
As Turner explains “ Often students aren’t going, ‘I might be feeling more sad because there’s less light.’ That’s not the first connection people make.”
Without that awareness, students push through the semester believing it’s just personal burnout, instead of recognizing a predictable seasonal pattern. This seasonal dip doesn’t just happen in an instant, it hits right when the semester peaks.
Late fall brings midterms, major papers, group projects and the slow climb toward finals. Even students who graze past September often hit a wall by November. The climate changes, the days shrink, the workload starts piling and the space for mental health disappears. For many, it becomes the hardest stretch of the entire academic year.
Which is exactly why Las Positas should treat the colder months with more care. Simple changes could minimize the impact. Warmer and brighter lighting on campus, especially during the later classes. Winter-focused mental health outreach and extended counseling hours are all things that can be implemented to soften the blow of the winter. Turner said the Student Health and Wellness center is always open to adding more workshops or information students would benefit from including SAD-specific programs, but students often don’t know those options exist.
Relying solely on students to identify the core of the issue isn’t enough. Seasonal depression is predictable. It happens every year, on the same schedule, under the same conditions.
Child Psychology major Haidi Lim said that the school offers many behavioral workshops that are helpful during this time of year.
“For me personally, the days getting shorter means that it feels like we don’t have that much time to do things, which means that we can feel more tired because the day is shorter…I would always encourage people’s well being before anything else as that is important, and I’ve been to some behavioral workshops and I believe it’s helpful for people to go to these,” Lim said.
The college should get ahead of it, helping students so they can hit the ground running when the stormy winter days hit. The school can provide handouts, Canvas-ready resources, or pre-finals workshops if instructors and departments collaborate. That’s a starting point.
“Seasonal depression is an issue that is very commonly faced, so we should provide support to the ones who need it the most,” Lim said.
Acknowledging seasonal depression doesn’t mean treating students as fragile. It means recognizing the real consequences of shorter days and the shifting rhythm of campus life. The weather will always change. Daylight always shortens during fall. However, the college’s response doesn’t have to remain the same. LPC has the tools to make the darker months feel less isolating and overwhelming. What’s missing is the commitment to use them before students hit their breaking point and the sun sets before 5 p.m.
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TOP PHOTO: Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression linked to seasonal changes, especially when the months get colder. The lack of sun affects many people’s moods and it’s important to acknowledge in order to properly regulate it. (Illustration by Angelina An/ The Express)
Angelina An is the Managing Editor of The Express. Follow her on X @angiebee_919
