Column by DelaneyShea

As snow will eventually fall and “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” will play on loop on every radio station in a square mile radius, some students may find themselves dealing with winter burnout or seasonal depression. 

Partially due to being overworked by school, the lack of sunlight, short days and incessant Christmas jingles played around every corner, mental health becomes a prevalent matter of discussion for some, including high school students, during the inevitable fall and winter seasons. But in the months when the light is slowly eclipsed from our lives, sunshine prevails through cracks in the blinds, lightening the load of all who struggle. 

Well, if there’s less light in fall and winter, how does sunlight manage to pierce through the void? It’s all thanks to two Canadians — author Rachel Reid and film director Jacob Tierney — and the swarm of people who spread their awareness message through the social media app, TikTok.

The viral TikTok phenomenon, known as “You Deserve Sunshine,” found its origins in the TV adaptation of the series, “Game Changer” by Rachel Reid, and the accompanying song, “I’ll Believe in Anything” by Wolf Parade. The series follows multiple main characters across different books, with Scott Hunter — one of the main characters — taking TikTok by storm. In a scene where Hunter grapples with his own self discovery and how to reconcile with the discrimination in his world, he has a heart-to-heart with a friend, Elena, who tells him that he deserves sunshine. 

Before Reid’s book series popularized into the global best seller TV series it is now, fans interpreted this to mean that even when life is dark and uncertain, sunlight can still pierce through — furthermore explaining that you owe it to yourself to let the light in. With actors François Arnaud, Hudson Williams, and Connor Storrie leading the way, the hit Crave TV adaptation  released its penultimate episode in December. It contained a scene in which Arnaud’s character, NHL hockey player Scott Hunter, reveals himself on live television after winning the Stanley Cup. Wolf Parade’s “I’ll Believe in Anything” plays over the emotional revelation, leading to the overtaking of the song into a movement. 

With “I’ll Believe in Anything” as the theme song and TikTok communities creating nostalgic awareness videos, the phrase “You Deserve Sunshine” came to be a unifying phrase for people struggling with mental health issues, identity confusion or self-worth. The movement itself stretches to many different communities.

Senior Lilly Italia spoke about her connection to the song before its unexpected virality. “I’ve been listening to ‘I’ll Believe in Anything’ and Wolf Parade in general since I was very young,” she said. “My dad and I have always been super into music, so I have a special connection with the song.” A writer herself, Italia emphasized the impact and poetry of the song beyond the viral chorus.

The beginning of the song starts with a two-time repetition of  “Give me your eyes / I need sunshine,” which is interpreted by many as the singer asking someone for help with his mental state, asking them to bring him into the light with their perspective. The reason this song became such a pinnacle of the “You Deserve Sunshine” trend mainly falls on this line, but it’s also supported by the verses. “We’ve both been very brave / We walk around with bowed legs,” begins the first verse of the song and sets the theme of the song: pride in who you are and what you’ve lived through.

Wolf Parade insinuates in the song that the singer is already in the sunlight, giving him the confidence to sing about it. It details how he got to be in the light, why he needs help from the mysterious other person, and how he understands that having sunlight in his life means he must open the shades in other people’s life.

When asked her opinion on the trend, Italia said, “The trend in and of itself is a life saver. It’s a way to let people know they are not alone despite the worst parts of their life dragging them intothe darkness.” 

With the way the trend developed, many posts under this song, with the intention of uplifting people, have the number to the suicide hotline (988) in the comments or in the description.

You deserve to love your life. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to have people by your side who recognize your innate, unique worth. 

Darkness comes and goes, even when itfeels like the darkness takes you captive. Have the courage to open the shade and be blinded by the sunlight.