As soon as daylight saving hits and the sun begins to set at 5:30 p.m., my seasonal depression also starts to hit. Despite the 21 years I’ve spent in Minnesota winter, I’ve never quite adapted to the darkness that comes with it. I walk into band rehearsal at 4:30 p.m. to the sun still shining and walk back out to complete darkness, feeling like I’ve entered a time warp.

It’s hard to find motivation when the days are short and cold. The lack of sunlight lowers serotonin levels and throws off our internal clocks. To help ease the transition, some people take vitamin D pills and use light therapy lamps, which mimic the effects of sunlight that our body lacks.

For me, embracing the darkness in winter is more helpful than running away from it. Although light therapy lamps are extremely helpful for many people, I’ve found that I can never quite trick myself into believing that it’s summer. My advice is to romanticize the darkness. If I don’t get my work done during the day and am struggling to find motivation at night, I place myself in a space that separates me from the reality of coldness and bleakness.

I hole up in my room, turn out all the lights except for one warm, dim lamp, light a fake candle, and pretend I am doing witchcraft instead of work. I love sitting in the reference room after dark and putting on a classical music playlist. The dim lights and quiet atmosphere make me feel like I am studying at a prestigious university somewhere overseas. I try my best not to remember that I’ll have to walk back to my dorm in the cold afterwards.

The most important thing that keeps me going in winter is making sure that I stay connected with other people. It becomes easier to isolate yourself in the winter months when it is cold, dark, and desolate. The greatest source of warmth and light in winter is other people.