The Snow Effect: Not Everyone Looks Forward to it Snowing…

Everyone can remember those mornings as a kid when you would wake up to the white fluffy snow on the street.  The next move was right downstairs to the television to see what the decision was for whether school was to be canceled or not.  These are all terrific memories we as ‘snow-hounds’ have.  We thrived outside and could not wait to hit the sledding hills in the neighborhood or the slopes as well.

If you think about snowfall and its effects, there becomes a deeper light on the sum of all the parts.  While we as skiers and snowboarders are generally thrilled with this weather pattern, there are times where we are not.  There are many people who, in general, cannot stand anything about it whatsoever.

When we wake up to snowfall, it could mean a myriad of thoughts.

“Yes, there’s no school today, no homework and I get to play outside”

“Yes, no work today, I am going to spend a day off with my kids”

“Oh no, how am I going to get into work today, this commute is going to be awful”

“Oh no, I cannot stand snow, it makes me feel depressed”

These are all thoughts that everyday people have with regards to the interesting type of weather we call snow.  The snow, whether we like it or not, brings about a sort of hardwired response, as does any type of weather.  Naturally, in the summer, we want to see the sun, not rain.  In fall, we expect to see foliage and a nice cool breeze.  Springtime means pretty flowers and birds chirping.

Many factors impact our reaction to snowfall as well.  Those who live in areas of the country where snow is rare will most likely be quite flustered but also intrigued as it doesn’t come often.  For people living in an area where snow is not a rarity, it may be more of an annoyance.  For the lucky folks who live near mountains, snow means the opportunity for great conditions to take advantage of.  Some people simply do not have a great relationship with winter or snow.

If something negative has happened during this time of the year, seeing snow and the feeling of bad weather around can open up a sore wound.  For these people, the continuous and never-ending feeling of snow can start to set in with SAD (seasonal affective disorder).  We hear the phrase “seasonal depression” and mainly for most of us winter crazed individuals, we do not have this issue, but for many, the post holiday’s winter dog days can drag on and on.