(Kermit the Frog here, to talk about crippling loneliness and how to cope.)

Depression is a significant part of most people’s life. Way back when man first walked the Earth, people were sad for no reason. Sometimes, it can be caused by the death of a family member or friend, when someone is lonely or when someone is in debt and needs money. Whether someone went through it as a kid or is going through it now, people will get sad (and probably will get sad again), but there are ways to help deal with it and learn to live with it.

Seasonal Depression is a little different from average depression, but it still makes people sad. Seasonal depression is caused by limited sunlight, meaning people don’t get enough vitamin D. Vitamin D, aka “The Sunshine Vitamin.” Vitamin D helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body. The extreme lack of vitamin D can cause rickets in children and bone pains such as osteomalacia in adults.

An excellent way to start coping with seasonal depression is to start talking to someone. It can be anyone, a family member, friend, or even a stranger that will listen to you.

If talking is not your thing, try going for a walk around, looking outside, and taking deep breaths. If you feel like you need to let off some steam, go outside when it’s raining (but make sure you dress properly), go jump in a couple of puddles, or do what Don Lockwood does and sing in the rain if you feel like it. Finally, if all that doesn’t work, try to do something you originally thought was dumb/stupid, like gardening, hiking, running, or bicycling.

However, some people don’t like the outdoors that much, and I understand and respect that. Even if those people are indoor people, there is stuff they can do to get out of their funk. They can read a book, draw, or even try random food they have lying around. If they don’t like those things, they can try rewatching movies/shows they like.

Sometimes watching other people makes a person feel like they aren’t creative. There is a solution to this. Occasionally, someone will create something they want to share with people, but they don’t know who to show it to. If that is the case, try setting up a social media account. It doesn’t have to be a specific one. It could be any social media the person wants. After they create the account, they should try telling people about its existence. On their account, it can be poems, drawings, stories, how their day was, or even how they’re doing.  If the person doesn’t like social media, then they don’t have to share anything. Instead, they can keep the thing they made to themselves.

Sometimes, the upset people cannot see the people who are there for them and could do terrible things to themselves and/or others. So if they try to push themselves to do any of these things, it could help them try to be happier and possibly postpone or even stop them from doing anything irrational. While these things aren’t guaranteed to work, they might help someone who is going through a tough time. People don’t have to be sad if they have people who like to see them doing good and moving around.