Spring Fever is an infectious disease which symptoms include restlessness, inability to concentrate, and an itching for the longer days and warmer temperatures of spring and summer.

Similar to senioritis, a crippling highly contagious illness that affects almost all high school seniors sometime between homecoming and prom, spring fever is even more dangerous because no one is immune. Michigan weather makes Mercy girls even more susceptible to catching spring fever.

 In a state where sunny 50 degree February weekends are followed by a spontaneous blizzard and a double snow-day, it’s not surprising to be caught up in the fleeting warmer weather and left wishing for more. Unfortunately, there can be harmful side effects from the disease.

When the restlessness and inability to concentrate translates into suffering grades and insomnia, spring fever takes on a real scientific diagnosis: seasonal affective disorder. Many are familiar with seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, as a latent depression that is “activated” when the leaves begin to fall, days shorten, and cold weather comes in. Symptoms include a sluggish feeling, sleeping constantly, weight gain, social withdrawal and irritability.

A serious case of spring fever has almost opposite symptoms including increased energy, inability to sleep, hormone surges, increased activity, little attention paid to school or work and an itching for summer. This “virus” is most lethal between late February and May. While the last day of school provides a no-fail cure, there are other ways to shake this distracting malady. One remedy is to change your diet and exercise routine. Increase your consumption of the citrus and summer fruits that you may have been deprived of during the winter. Walk or jog during the afternoon to shake some of the restlessness associated with spring fever.

The fresh air and sunshine will help satisfy your desire for spring. Another cure is to clean. Clean everything. Spring cleaning is like getting your house, or even just your room, to come out of hibernation. R

eorganize your school bag, your closet, your purse. Rearrange your room, redecorate if possible. Even though it can’t make the warmer weather come faster it can help eliminate the urge for change that spring fever is responsible for. As long as you are keeping busy, spring fever will pass. If it doesn’t pass, at the very least the time will. And that will bring us all closer to the summer days we are all so desperately craving.