Collegiate Times

What is all this nonsense about the Bleaskburg Blues?

Let?s face it: it rains in Blacksburg and the temperature has dropped. Big deal.

Recently, I have both read and heard a series of complaints about the nasty weather.

It?s almost as if people weren?t expecting it to turn cold for the winter.

Not only are people complaining about the weather, some are going to the extent of attributing their bad mood to the cold and rain. Blacksburg weather may be frustrating and unpredictable, but it is not a symptom of depression.

The rain might make us sleepy, the decreasing temperature might make us uncomfortably cold and the wind might make our eyes water. But the ?Bleaksburg Blues? is only a matter of Mother Nature.

However, the weather-based blues can affect our mental health only if we convince ourselves it can. The solution is simple: don?t blame Mother Nature for your drama and be optimistic.

My objective for this column is to give you a lesson in Optimism 101.

Rather than walking around campus complaining about getting mud on your leather boots and losing the curls in your hair, take it in stride and realize it could be worse.

There are people who could tell you, ?If I could walk, I wouldn?t complain about walking through the rainy weather,? and ?At least you have a coat to wear.?

So next time you waste your breath to whine about the Bleaksburg Blues, remember that a little bad weather is nothing in the grand scheme of life. Is it that inconvenient to turn up your heater and throw on a raincoat?

So what if things aren?t going your way? You have to look at the bright side of things or the pessimism will devour you.

Take our tragic football situation ? so our football team has suffered three consecutive losses. It hasn?t happened since 1992 and we were plagued by injuries and mishaps.

Rather than dwelling on the fact that our ranking sledded down the BCS, look forward to basketball season. Our men?s team has seven highly anticipated recruits and has already won their exhibition game.

To be honest, I think our stress and sadness has nothing to do with the weather, we just need a break. It?s amazing how not having a Fall Break can put a damper on the semester.

Lucky for us that vacation has officially begun ? happy Thanksgiving.

A version of this article appeared in the Jan 2 issue of the Collegiate Times.