As Justine has already pointed out, Yale isn’t exactly the most uplifting place right now. It’s cold. There’s no sunlight. The sky is shitting down this weird mix of rain/sleet/snow that makes even crossing the street a dangerous feat of athletic prowess. Well, bad news. If you aren’t depressed because of the weather, you are still probably depressed.

A recent study of the American Psychological Association has found that severe mental illness is more common than ever among college students, with “most young people seeking treatment for depression and anxiety.” The number of students on psychiatric medicines has increased over 10% in the last 10 years. Another study showed that approximately one out of every four or five students who visits a university health center for a cold or sore throat turns out to be “depressed.” (It is, indeed, much more common to leave DUH with a Xanex prescription than with a Z-pack, but this probably says more about DUH than its patients).

What shall we do? I’m not a licensed psychopharmacologist, so I unfortunately can’t prescribe you drugs. But here are some of my favorite ways to fight the sadness:

1. Exercise – I know. You don’t want to. But, it works. If you go to Bikram, you can pretend you’re on a tropical vacation. Sex counts too.

2. Eating out – It’s difficult to be sad when you’re stuffing your face with a croque monsieur from Union League or poutine from Caseus. Eat your feeling without shame and then repeat suggestion #1.

3. Embrace the enemy – Go outside and play in the snow–it makes the weather less daunting and incorporates exercise.

4. Watching Real Housewives of Beverly Hills – Enough said.

5. Invest in a Happy Light - Everyone makes fun of me for this, but I swear by it. It’s especially good for those of us who come from places where the sun shines a normal amount of time each day.