As the weather starts to become colder and the days turn shorter, there is an absence of sunshine, especially with daylight saving time occurring. While most everyone looks forward to the extra hour of sleep that comes with daylight saving, which happened on Nov. 7, I personally think that the negative of the shortened days outweighs the excitement of a later start.   

Daylight saving time was originally thought of in 1895 by George Hudson, an entomologist from New Zealand, who argued a shift in time would give him more sunlight to go bug hunting after hours. Seven years later, the idea was resurrected by William Willett, who wanted to prevent England from wasting daylight. However, this was never a reality until World War I, when countries were looking for a way to save energy. 

Seeing as we have other ways to preserve energy, daylight saving is a heavy weight that should be shed. 

Leaving my house everyday at precisely 7:08, I have to get up well before the sun rises. Waking up to darkness is almost impossible as I begrudgingly drag myself out of bed. By the time I get home after cross country practice or any of the clubs I’m in, it is already dark outside, which makes having to do homework even worse, as I have no motivation.

This sudden change in mood happens every year when the days start to get shorter and night seems to last an eternity. I’m not alone in this, as there are millions of people who feel the same way. It is characterized by “Seasonal Affective Disorder,” where you get more fatigued and worn out when there is less sunlight, which leads to seasonal depression that typically goes away during the spring. It may sound like a silly excuse to use to get out of things, but looking out the window and it being pitch black, when it used to be sunny and warm, causes a sense of hopelessness that makes me think the days solely revolve around school.

With school lasting from 7:45 to 3:05 and sunset starting to get earlier every day, I am inside most of the time when the sun is actually out. That being said, I’m not even able to experience the sunlight, because most of the places I sit in class are facing away from the window. The lack of sunlight doesn’t seem like it should be that big of a deal as we have electrical lights, but the feeling of looking out the window and staring into a dark abyss is not comforting. 

Most days I don’t even get home until at least after 5:30, sometimes even 7, and the thought of having to sit down and do my homework for a minimum of two hours seems impossible when I am worn out from a day that seems to never end, as I wake up and go to bed when it’s dark out.

The negative results of Seasonal Affective Disorder outweigh the positives of saving energy through daylight savings. As the cycle of repetitious days starts again, it is important to remember that this is temporary and to find the little everyday things I appreciate.