Dark academia aesthetic inspiration collage. Photo: billow / Wallpapers

So many people struggle with seasonal depression and mental health during the darker and gloomy months of the year. How can we help with this issue? Online presence might be the rescue, romanticizing the season.

The Scene

The rain is coming down at a comforting pace, you’re sitting in a cafe decorated in dark wood, red checkered curtains and dinner candles are lit. You’re drinking your favorite hot beverage and reading a book. Cardigan by Taylor Swift is playing from the speakers, you’re dressed in dark colors, an oversized sweater and a brown checkered pair of pants. At the back of the cafe there is an open fire crackling giving warmth to the otherwise dark room.

Gothic spiral staircase. Photo: Kutná Hora / Wikipedia

This is a description of what could be a photo or video posted on any social media during anything from September to March. The hashtag would say #DarkAcademia and when you click on it a ray of other posts similar to this one would show up. Posts of walks in the rain in Edinburgh, turtlenecks and skirts in dark colors with a coat over for outfit inspiration, vintage bookshops and coffee are often seen. This aesthetic is one way to romanticize the dark and gloomy months of the year.

Seasonal Depression

Romanticizing life has become a bigger trend over the last few years, especially for teens and young adults. For many it might even help mental health during the darker months. Mental health is a very broad and sensitive topic, and I can of course only speak from the perspective of my own experience when I say this, but romanticizing life and finding joy in the little things during the day has helped me personally in regulating seasonal depression to some extent.

Seasonal depression usually hits me as early as the very beginning of November, around the time daylight savings start. I love the fall, and have for the most years tried to hold on to the fresh air and beautiful colors painted by nature on trees, dreading the darkness of the November, December, January and February months.

In the last two years I have made a choice to try to romanticize every season to enjoy it to the fullest, and avoid seasonal depression for as long as possible. In doing so, I have discovered the aesthetics of the seasons, celebrating winter, spring, summer and fall. I must say I am more of a spring/summer person at heart, but I am learning to love the other seasons as well. Watching YouTube videos about romanticizing fall and winter helped kickstart this drive in me to take care of my mental health during the darker months and I found it very helpful to take breaks from a busy schedule of work and studies to light that candle, read more books, drink that hot chocolate, go for a walk, even dressing in dark academia styled clothing. Simply living in the moment. Will this cure my seasonal depression? Probably not; but does it help? For sure.

Aesthetics, a Way of Life

In the world of new media, a lot of people online create aesthetic appearances and base their personality around it or the other way around. Looking at a feed on Instagram to a person with a certain aesthetic is pleasing to the eye and influences us to want the same, aesthetic looking life. There are so many different types of aesthetics when it comes to online presence, some built on trends, others a certain lifestyle; Y2K, cottage core and grunge are some very popular aesthetic vibes you will easily come across on social media. Clothing, decor, food and music are often connected to the aesthetic vibe you might want to get into.

Thrifted dark academia decor. Photo: Sara Ramberg / Sadie Seasongoods

One of the most popular aesthetics to see in fall and winter is to no surprise dark academia. Dark academia is described as an internet aesthetic and subculture concerned with higher education, the arts, and literature or an idealised version of these. It is also one of the most popular online aesthetics in general. There is endless content made on the topic of this aesthetic to find and take inspiration from.

I’m not talking about recreating the photos (unless you want to of course), but more so what to look for. Old bookshops, libraries, fortresses of stone, taking a walk in the rain, color palettes and even romanticizing writing your last assignments for school before Christmas break or sitting your exam in a hall. It is the small, everyday things to look for like lighting a candle or drinking coffee.

It is easy to get caught up in the dark and gloomy parts of the season when the days get shorter and you might spend all the time the sun is up stuck inside at work or in a classroom, but changing perspective every once in a while helps. Making your aesthetic a way of life, when romanticizing the season.

Dark Academia - Romanticizing the Gloomy Months