The only thing that you can count on about Ohio weather is that inevitably it’s going to change. That change means fall will fade away and the winter months will be cold. The winter months can be a trying time for many students. The short, chilly days followed by long, dark nights can seriously affect a person’s disposition. This could lead to staying indoors and a case of cabin fever. Yet the winter months don’t have to be difficult if you prepare for the winter and keep yourself occupied with various activities on and around campus to break the monotony and the blues.

“Coming from a warmer climate, the first time it dropped under 50 [degrees Fahrenheit] it was cold,” said Luis Sanchez, a junior majoring in sociology and criminology. He hails from southern California and has made it through two winters so far. “I was expecting a lot of snow and we really didn’t have too much... it wasn’t the winter wonderland. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, contrary to my fears,” Sanchez said.

“The winter months don’t have to be difficult if you prepare for the winter and keep yourself occupied with various activities on and around campus to break the monotony and the blues.”

“I was expecting the worst,” said Julian Valencia, a sophomore majoring in international studies and Spanish. He thought an Ohio winter was going to be harsher than what it was. “It was a light winter — cold, with lots of wind,” Valencia said. To keep the winter blahs away, he suggests keeping physically busy. “Find some activity or sport that will keep you active. There are so many sports clubs at the Recreation and Physical Activity Center (known as the RPAC). They take beginners in things like swimming and martial arts,” Valencia said.

For those interested in keeping active, the RPAC has a wide variety of things to do. It houses 25,000 square feet of fitness space including: two gyms with eight multipurpose wood courts, 10 racquetball courts, a four-lane indoor jogging track, aerobic/multipurpose rooms, a sports shop, locker rooms, and a multitude of workout equipment such as treadmills, stationary bikes, flat benches and cardio equipment. Also, there are many sports clubs to get involved in during the winter quarter. They include: basketball, ice hockey, indoor soccer, wallyball, wrestling, racquetball, badminton, and table tennis tournaments. There are assorted dance clubs and martial arts clubs as well. Log on to the Ohio State Recreational Sports website at http://www.recsports.osu.edu/clubs.asp or call the office at (614) 688-3879 for more information.

The Adventure Recreation Center (ARC) is another place to go during the winter months. It is located on West Campus and houses two rubber turf fields and four basketball courts that can be converted into five volleyball courts. Four batting cages can be lowered from the ceiling as well. They also have selected cardio and free weight equipment to practice specialized training for adventure sports. Also, an interesting attraction in the ARC is the indoor climbing wall with a bouldering cave. Between the two sport centers, there are a lot of options to keep you healthy and your spirits high.

There are many other events to see and do around Columbus to keep those winter doldrums away. According to the Explore Columbus website, http://www.explorecolumbus.osu.edu, you can buy tickets to OSU men’s hockey, women’s basketball and women’s volleyball for $5. Also, Carlos Mencia is coming to the Palace Theatre, and tickets are discounted for OSU students. Besides Explore Columbus, the Ohio Union has an excellent website to discover new events and happenings all quarter long. Log onto http://www.ouab.osu.edu for details on all of their sponsored events.

If you like foreign films, the Wexner Center is putting on an Argentine film series that will highlight four different directors every Friday throughout the month of January. Student discounts are also offered for the films. Along with the cinema series, there will be three new exhibits with varying themes showcased. The Wexner Center will also hold a clay exhibit where you can “make your mark, and shape a work of art on display.” All exhibits are free.

Having fun in the wintertime doesn’t mean always having to stay indoors. There are four different ski resorts for the adventurous. Ohio may not have some of the snow trails that Aspen or Lake Tahoe has, but there are plenty of trails at the local resorts for all to enjoy some winter snow. If you’re just beginning to ski or snowboard, this may be a great place to get started. Some also offer snow tubing as incentive to get people down the hills.

Ohio winters can be long and harsh, but they don’t have to be unpleasant. There are plenty of activities happening that can help you enjoy the season, and all it takes is a little searching to discover what suits you. Luis Sanchez sums it up best when he said, “However bad weather can get, it plays a minor role compared to the overall experience of being here.”



More than Just the Winter Blues? The Reality of Seasonal Affective Disorder

Almost all of us have felt a little melancholy or down at some point of winter. While minor feelings of gloominess generally do not have a big impact on your life and will go away, other individuals have more serious negative reactions to winter that might require taking some action. Some people may withdraw from their friends, spend more time than normal in bed and their eating habits change. Symptoms of depression surface in the winter months and have been documented in the medical field. This affliction is called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and affects around 11 million people a year.

According to the National Mental Health Association’s website at http://www.nmha.org, SAD is a mood disorder that is associated with episodes of depression that stem from seasonal variations of light. The body’s internal clock is affected with the change of sunlight pattern in the winter. Longer nights mean our body produces more melatonin, which is a sleep-related hormone secreted by the pineal gland in the brain, and has been linked to SAD which might cause symptoms of depression.

Some of the symptoms associated with SAD are the following: regularly occurring signs of depression (excessive eating and sleeping) during the fall and winter months, full remission from depression in the summer months, and a craving for sugary and/or starchy foods. This affliction is likely to have occurred in the past two years with no non-seasonal depression episodes.

For those who believe they might have SAD, there is help. A common treatment for SAD is phototherapy, which is a bright light therapy using white fluorescent lights, metal reflectors and a shield with a plastic screen. While there have not been any research findings to link this therapy to an antidepressant effect, it has been shown to decrease the production of melatonin and many people have responded positively to the treatments. With all cases, it is important to consult a doctor or mental health professional for diagnosis, questions and concerns.