When I announced my decision to attend the University of Oregon in Eugene, I was bombarded with questions about the weather and sympathy for how pale I was about to become. Moving from Phoenix, a city with an average of 211 sunny days per year, to Eugene was slightly intimidating, to say the least. Nevertheless, I left my Sonoran Desert home where I could fry eggs on the sidewalk in the summer and quickly realized everyone should stop pitying me. Spring term is finally here and since I survived (and thrived) fall and winter term weather, I can basically conquer anything.
1. Attitude is Key.
I know it’s sad, but my favorite part about Oregon is how creepily excited everyone is when it’s sunny outside. Students eat outside and sit on the grass as if they’ve been locked up in a dungeon for months. There’s a sense of community and a “we’re all in this piss pot together” attitude that makes light of the fact that there is no sunlight. Like most things in life, if you expect to get seasonal depression during the winter, you probably will. Of course, it is often cloudy and does rain like the plague, but attitude is everything. In my case, it’s difficult to mope around about the overcast skies while stationed in such a beautiful place.
2. Never Trust the Forecast.
Few things in my life have let me down more than the Eugene weather forecast. Despite the countless channels and apps using up precious storage on my phone, the predictions are rarely accurate. It might be rainy one minute, and sunny the next. Flexibility is key to surviving here in the Eug, and I blame Weather Underground for my trust issues.
3. Stay Busy.
I cannot stress this tip enough. If you stare out the window complaining about the rain and overcast skies, it’s going to affect you. Grab a friend and go to the Rec, take a walk to Autzen, or hang out by the Willamette. Surrounding yourself with friends is a perfect distraction and will quickly make you forget how badly you want to lay out in the warm sun. If you are finding yourself with excess free time, join a club, play an intramural or just keep on netflixing, no judgment here.
4. Take Vitamin D Pills.
Vitamin D isn’t just a vitamin, it’s also a hormone your body makes using sunlight. Living in Eugene, there’s simply no way my vitamin D levels are anywhere near normal, so I take supplements to fill in the gap. My skin went from being exposed to dangerous amounts of UV rays daily to virtually none at all. Sure the effect of the vitamin D supplements might be psychological, but it works for me.
5. Get a Happy Light.
If you attend the University of Oregon, getting a happy light will probably be one of your best investments. Light therapy not only affects brain chemicals linked to mood, but has also been shown to have anti-depressant effects. I guess I was a little disappointed when I got an unexpected amazon package from my mom and it was a lamp (not food), but I love it. It’s so bright that it actually feels like the sun is shining in through the window and is a healthy alternative to natural sunlight (tanning beds = bad). Although transitioning from Phoenix to Eugene weather has been a struggle, a few less wrinkles will be worth it in the end.
