Here's When You Can Expect Days To FINALLY Start Getting Longer This Month

Despite the fact that the winter is starting to feel like it'll never end and that as a result we'll be stuck in this dim, cold, icy bubble forever... winter 2018 is actually wrapping up. I know, right? Brighter days are just around the corner! And with brighter days comes the clocks moving forward for Daylight Saving Time. Apart from what time you need to set your clocks forward, I'm sure what you really want to know is when it starts getting lighter after Daylight Saving Time. Because the real difference between winter and spring, aside from freezing and thawing, is getting more hours in the day. Sure, we lose a little sleep, but it's a sign winter blues are clearing up for blue skies!

Did you ever notice that when the evenings are lighter, moods are instantly lifted? When you look out the window at 5 p.m. and it's dark already, it's hard not to be bummed out. It feels like your day came and went, and there was never any time to even adjust to it. You woke up, you went to work, and you went home to sleep. You might even feel like soul is craving sunlight, and that's because quite literally it is: Sunlight helps you cue your brain to release serotonin, so when you're not getting enough exposure to the sun, you're literally not feeling your best.

On the other hand, there's nothing like leaving the office when it's still light out. It makes you feel like your day isn't over, in a good way. It gives you a sense of possibility and optimism — because your day doesn't have to end when you leave the office!

During the spring and summer, it's almost as if we all have an extra little portion of the day because the sun is still out when we all leave the office. That extra little chunk of light at the end of the day is like having a one-and-a-half bedroom apartment, in a sense: Sure, you'd be fine with just a one-bedroom, but that extra little space opens up a world of possibilities. There are all sorts of fun things you can get yourself into: You could stop to visit a friend on the way home from the office. You could walk the long way home. You could play a sport. Or, you could watch the sunset and wind down from the day — but gradually, so the difference between night and day isn't so jarring.

So how long exactly do we have to wait for Daylight Saving Time to brighten everyone's days (literally) and give us all some more time before the sun sets? The official day to turn the clocks back is Sun., Mar. 11 at 2:00 a.m. — at that point, we will all set the clock forward one hour (unless you're in Hawaii or Arizona, where Daylight Saving Time is not observed). In other words, your clock will go from 1:59 a.m. to to 3:00 a.m., and, later that day, the sun will set an hour later than it did on Mar. 10. Rejoice! Mon., Mar. 12, is about to be the least Mondayish Monday that a Monday can be, because it's going to be enriched with sweet bright spring sweetness.

So if you're wondering how long until it's going to start feeling like spring, the answer is Mar. 11. Yes, the days will start getting lighter pretty immediately, and the vibe outside will become spring-like. Depending on where you live, each day will be lighter longer, until we reach peak lightness, on the longest day of the year, Jun. 21.