It's SAD, adam. Over 20 million Americans suffer from some form of it during the winter season.
It's the time to really take care of yourself.
Mine used to get really bad this time of year. After years of dealing with it, therapy, vitamin regimin, etc I no longer dread the shorter days of winter.
I still prefer the sunshine and longer days over the short dark days of winter. Look for the pockets of redeemable beauty and joy in the nature around you during this time.
There's some really pretty scenes during winter. Like icicles hanging from tree branches and rooftops. A Cardinal or two perched in a barren tree in the dead of winter. They're really spectacular. Watching the birds flying in formation south. :)
I'm still not "cured" of S.A.D. I don't know there's a cure for it. It's just something that when you're aware of, you learn coping mechanisms to help you get through the shorter days of winter.
The months it seems to be at its worst are from Oct-Nov each fall, to around March-April the following spring.
Some people have a reverse type of S.A.D. from living in the Sunbelt. They get similar symptoms from too MUCH sunshine, instead of too little sunshine.
It does seem more concentrated in the Northern climate, according to doctors who treat it and those who study it. Lots of people move to the Sunbelt to escape the effects of S.A.D. Obviously not everyone can just pick up and move.
I use daylight light bulbs at home as much as possible. Vitamins help. Getting enough rest, etc.
As for doctor script, the best one known to treat it is Welbutrin (Bupropion is its generic form.) It doesn't make you sleepy, and it not only treats SAD, it is good for depression and for those who suffer from OCD.
People who take it just to treat SAD use it during the winter months, and then go off it during the rest of the year. It depends on the individual.
Lots of people deal with this. You are definately not alone.
Try and get as much daylight as you can. If there isn't any, artificial light can help. Even something as daft as a sunbed or tanning lamp. Just make sure to use sunscreen.
Furthermore: realise that your thoughts influence your feelings. You can actually control thoughts. You ARE not your thoughts.
you HAVE thoughts. You can choose to think differently.
Not easy, I'm not saying it's easy. But you can conciously change what you are thinking about.
When you're feeling low, make the decision to think about something fun. Anything that makes you feel good and puts a smile on your face.
A good book you've read, a movie you like, music that makes you happy, a happy memory, a person you are fond of or a combination of all those.
Vitamins can help, but you are the one who has to control the thoughts .. thus the emotions..
My son has SAD. I bought him a special lamp to help deal with that. Don't remember the name of it, but you probably can find a few different ones online. Or maybe a full-spectrum bulb for a lamp you already have.
A good friend has SAD (pretty severely). They have been using the lamps for a couple of years now and the difference is amazing. You can get them on Amazon; search for light therapy energy lamp, SAD lamp, and sunlight lamp. Salt crystal lamps are supposed to help, too.
My friend also takes extra vitamin D and fish oil supplements.If you can't get outside to walk, even for a few minutes, do yoga or get yourself to a gym for some mild strength training and cardio. Any kind of exercise will help, even if it's something like mall-walking.
Another thing to remember about SAD is that people are NOT NOCTURNAL creatures by nature.
With the invention of the light bulb and modern lights to live by, our waking hours are extended maybe tenfold over our ancestors were during the days when they used candlelight to see by in the evenings.
They planned their work around the days then. People today can work around the clock.
No, it isn't healthy for us. Not at all.
Flourescent lights are known to cause migraines in people who work under them. Long hours sitting in front of computer screens also aren't healthy for your eyes, or the brain.
The circadian rhythm may get thrown off this time of year when you spend a lot of time under artificial lights.
People who work night shifts aren't as healthy as people overall who work days. Studies have found this to be true.
I used to work evening shifts for twelve years, back-to-back with a day job. My work week was 60 hours long. That doesn't sound so bad except that I'd be up every morning by 7:00 and wouldn't get home until after midnight M-F, five days a week.
It nearly killed me working those long hours. Now I'm happy to say I don't have to anymore.
And I'm still alive to tell about it.
Working nights also is bad for weight gain. I only thought I had a weight problem before starting that night job. After twelve years, I recognized what weight gain I had during those years was directly related to working nights.
My health went into a downward spiral.
It's been four years since I was able to leave that night job. My health has been slowly recovering from my nightmarish schedule.
And yet I am thankful I was able to work both jobs. It helped sustain my children while they were growing up; kept a roof over our heads, food on the table, and clothing on our backs.
We'd have dinner together every day of the week. I'd see them off to school each morning.
So it wasn't all bad. I'm sure my children would have preferred more quality time with their mom, but I tried to make each moment count when we were together. They were always my #1 priority even during my hectic working days.
Like others have said, there are lights you can use to help. My friend got some for her daughter and they worked.
The year I walked all winter every day snow or not, my SAD wasn't there. I would walk 3 miles a day. It was a really bad year here for the inversion and we didn't see the sun for days and days. I'd come home with ice hanging from my hair from the inversion. But it worked.
Reverse SAD nearly kills me. I didn't know what it was until I looked it up. July and August. What I actually found out was that the swamp cooler seemed to be making it much worse. I got air conditioners that roll around and put 2 in my house. They vent out windows. It has made a world of difference.
See if you can get hold of some lights, but then that is another expense that you don't have money for. The dark days this year have been getting to me, but we haven't had too many. They usually don't bother me as much as they are this year.
I do have a light i bought a few years ago but not sure if it does anything. If i can't find a really good solution this winter i really will have to move south to like arizona or new mexico or something.
Like cl2 said, walking everyday in the winter helps. I know that you might have some physical limitations, but a daily walk, even if it's short, can work wonders. I try to walk for an hour outside nearly every day in the winter regardless of the weather. I've done this for years and it helps me get through the gloomy days of winter.
Although it may not seem like it, there is beauty in every season. When you're walking outside, even on the coldest days, it gets your blood pumping and improves your mood. You're then able to see the beauty of the world around you.
I require large windows year round. My home is so designed. The shorter, colder days always resulted me in having poor grade on finals, etc. in January. Get me to Spring and I no longer am depressed and can ace exams. BTW LEDs are far better than the old florescent lighting.
I also hate the cold weather and suffer from sad myself. I found that after I go tanning every once in a while in the winter I feel quite a bit better. Since tanning isn't great for your skin I wouldn't go a lot but every once in a while its pretty nice. The warmth feels so good on your skin in the winter and I felt like it toned down my depression and anxiety and gave me a very calming feeling its so nice. If you do go wear sunscreen and if you have fair skin DONT stay in the whole time it will not be calming if you burn! You could ask if they have bronzing beds the place I go to has bronzing beds there a bit more expensive but I never burn in them the cheaper beds I burn to a crisp in if I go the full time and dont already have a tan. If you do use a cheaper bed just make sure to only go for a few minutes and work your way up so you don't get fried.
And also in reply to one of your other posts that is now closed yes! Logan is seriously hellishly boring! I want to move so bad! Although its not as bad as Preston Idaho or tremonton. Id go INSANE if I lived in either of those towns! Logan is like New York City compared to Tremonton SADLY this guy I knew from there once said "Tremonton has the highest teen pregnancy rate cause there ain't nuthin else to do out there!" LOL and I believe it!
Ugh you should see the Logan mall its like a piece of crap. This girl who was visiting from salt lake one time was looking for the mall she kept driving past it and was like um where the hell is it? Lol its like a ghost town on weekdays too. Although we DO have a Victoria's Secret now so it HAS improved a bit so long as the Mormons don't get it kicked out! It took them YEARS to finally get one here cause the Mormons kept protesting against it I was pissed! Id ya don't like it then why don't you just not go in there? Its not that hard! Gosh! And I'm sorry Pocatello is boring man we really need to move don't we?
Yes we do need to move but it is not that easy i tried once already its like the bermuda triangle here, but this darkness is driving me insane, i do not do well no matter what i do or try against it. I was not meant to live up here. I am an arizona boy i guess. But i need to take moving way farther south more seriously i think. Can't keep doing this.
Yes it isn't as easy as it should be unfortunately :( man I would absolutely LOVE to move to California! The beach, Disneyland, beautiful weather in the winter, palm trees you cant go wrong with that! And not so many Mormons is also a big plus! Too bad its so expensive! :( I wish we both had a hot tub that's like the only thing I like to do out in the snow is sit in the hot tub outside when its snowing other than that it sucks the air quality in Utah is absolutely horrible it hurts my lungs so bad! I also am not into skiing I went once and was on the little kid hill and was so bad at it I almost ran into all the little kids I never went again after that.
Do you live in the Salt Lake Valley? I've wondered how much the air inversion affects folks there. That would be a drawback for me.
California is very expensive to live. I used to live in the Sacramento area and Silicon Valley. As nice as the weather is in wintertime I have no desire to return. The cost would be formidable too.
Skiing was never on my bucket list. I'm the only sibling in my family not to go skiing. It was a decision I made early on, when one of my classmates came to grade school in a leg cast from his misadventure. Something about his trip and fall on the ski slope sealed it for me.
I live in the Salt Lake valley and the inversion can really suck. In the dead of winter when it's cold and smoggy, the air quality is terrible. Kids can't go out for recess and it's dangerous for elderly people, too. The past year or two I've noticed people wearing masks around like they do in China.
Joe the man ho & Brig the pig Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Yes it isn't as easy as it should be unfortunately > :( man I would absolutely LOVE to move to > California! The beach, Disneyland, beautiful > weather in the winter, palm trees you cant go > wrong with that! And not so many Mormons is also a > big plus! Too bad its so expensive! :( I wish we > both had a hot tub that's like the only thing I > like to do out in the snow is sit in the hot tub > outside when its snowing other than that it sucks > the air quality in Utah is absolutely horrible it > hurts my lungs so bad! I also am not into skiing I > went once and was on the little kid hill and was > so bad at it I almost ran into all the little kids > I never went again after that.
You ever go to lava hot springs when it snowed? I did that once and it was a trip for someone from arizona.
It is in the plan, my friends there want me back and it is where i belong and i should be done with all surgeries within 6 months i project. Never struggled like this down there just need to power through one more winter. I don't advise anyone from arizona to live in idaho.
I showed up to an appointment one hour early because of daylight savings haha it was embarrassing. I don't follow the changes very well because in arizona there was no daylight savings.
I don't like winter much either. It's so darn cold where I live, but strangely we haven't had snow yet (some is predicted in the forecast.) That's late in the season for us not to have snow already on the ground.
Last winter was an El Nino winter. Year before that was a La Nina winter.
Last winter was the mildest winter in our history. Year before was the worst on record. This year's supposed to be another mild one.