Anyone else get these? I mean, I think almost everyone does to some extent, but to where it can become a larger depressive issue? I've been using a full spectrum light next to me as I'm having a cup of coffee and starting to get ready for my day. I'm doing a few other things to help my mood as well, and the weather has been decent by the afternoons most days, but I do think it's helping. Getting past the solstice and on to longer days is nice too.
I deliberately go to work early so I can leave when the sun is still out, I just hate leaving work in the dark. I don't get into moods with the weather, thankfully it doesn't affect me all that much but I much prefer our long summer days to the current alternative...
Yes, I try to do that too. My current desk is terrible in this regard. Way too close to neighbors, and with zero natural light. I try to take at least 1 walk when I'm there. As always, I look forward to the days when I can get a nice 90 minutes of riding in after work and still have enough daylight for a light dinner outside.
When I lived in the Pacific Northwest, I bought one of those lights that is supposed to enhance one's mood. After using it, I theorised that it was designed to give me glaucoma and cataracts so I wouldn't notice how dark it was My own experience aside, light therapy has some research behind it. Somewhere from 60 to 90 percent of people respond to it. It requires two hours per day. The studies are minimal regarding medication. Patients responded to sertraline (Zoloft), but we're not talking about really solid clinical evidence. Zoloft is cheap and relatively benign, but every medication carries a risk of side effects. Even here, the weather is usually great. But we've had terrible weather recently: some said the coldest temperatures in 20 years; others said the coldest in history. It drives me pretty crazy. It's interesting how some people are "wired" to ignore the weather, and I'm really sensitive to it. There were people in the Northwest who would talk about loving the rain. I still think they're crazy. I was even going stir-crazy this afternoon because it was dark, cloudy, and cold. In my case, I think it's the lack of social interaction. Since the weather is so dismal, people don't go out. There are fewer people in stores, cafés, gyms, etc. So the weather is isolating.
What I like about being in a country with a "real" winter is that it is possible to go out and enjoy it. I went skating a couple of weeks ago, cold as hell, but it just doesn't matter when you're getting a workout, and besides, the sun was shining (many new immigrants to this country don't understand why, when it is sunniest, it is also generally colder). Will probably go cross-country skiing this weekend, weather conditions permitting. Nothing compares gliding along some deep-woods trail with the sunlight peering through the empty branches...
I can be depressed regardless of the weather and amount of sunlight. Sometimes I even like the rain. This is one of the ways I'm different.
Not to be reductive but I have found that taking a Vitamin D supplement in the winter really helped me not swing as low during the winter--obviously actual sunlight would be better, but...
When I bitch, er, whine, er, comment about having some depression issue, people often make some comment about winter. I suppose winter does take a toll, particularly when there are really lousy weather spells. But winter is, I think, frankly the least of my problems. The holiday season is a far bigger problem. I also have had depression settle in late spring. ---------- Post added 27th Jan 2015 at 05:13 PM ---------- It might be worth checking commerical ties between makers of such lights and those who financially benefit from fixing glaucoma and cataracts. :lol: They may be. I can't say I love the rain, and I've lived here most of my life. On another forum, a member moved to eastern Washington, and IIRC he was tired of Seattle rain, and welcomed the different climate. (He was gay, and one wonders how he liked the LGBT acceptance climate there, though.) I especially have gotten tired of really heavy rain, although part of that is the place I live which has a thin roof. And the damp cold can feel more cutting than the much colder cold in the Midwest. I also feel like the rain is heavier and more hostile than it was when I was 10. Perhaps climate change. Perhaps aging. Perhaps just a different perception based on where I am in life, what I do outside, etc. But...at least you don't have to shovel rain. :lol: I think this can be a real issue. In a way, it can be a blessing for running errands fast. But when one is hoping to interact with others, it can be a curse.
I have as well. But, for me at least, I think these can be compounding factors. Already feeling low, then it's just a little easier to swing lower. The town where I went to college and lived for a number of years after is just awful with winter fog. I remember years ago just suddenly feeling great and I realized it had literally been over 2 weeks since the sun made any sort of appearance. I'll check into the vitamin D supplements too.
For me, the light IS the dark. I love it dark, overcast, extremely cloudy, and all of that. My favorite day is completely overcast, slight winds at about 5mph, and about 73 degrees F. I call it "Addams Family Weather". I love it. I am NOT a morning person, and I despise the light in the morning. I wish it stayed dark until after I got to work. I do, however, go home from work as its getting dark. I have black curtains in my apartment, that have a rubber lining on the other side of them to keep all the light out. I love it. All of my friends have to have every single light on in their homes, its like walking into a suntan booth for me. I have two lights on most of the time time......my computer monitor and a stand up lamp that faces the wall, with the light diffused that way. And yes, most people who are not winter fanatics, get some form of depression during the winter. Even though I prefer the dark, I like to be able to get outside and go for a walk or something, because I get cabin fever really easily. One thing I found that always helps me during the winter, is I "spring clean" my apartment. I mean I clean EVERYTHING! I even steam clean the carpets. I even move stuff around, so theres a different layout. Might take me a day to do everything, but it takes my mind off my cabin fever and I get things cleaned up, which always makes me happy.
I suppose there is something to be said for this. "Enjoy" might be a stronger word than some might employ. But there are activities that are possible where there is cold, snow, and ice. It's pretty hard going snowmobiling in Seattle most of the winter. :lol: But I know from experience that it's easier getting out just to take an extended walk where the winter is snow. Yes, it can be cold. Yes, there can be ice. But bundle up enough, and one is good to go. Meanwhile, here I find it can sometimes be hard to find a reasonable break in the rain at a good time. Also clothes are either quickly soaked, or else rain repellant, but become hot and sweaty. (Although I have to admit I've never looked into the matter enough to tell if there is something "better" than what has casually crossed my path.) These days, I find the best exercise during the really wet spells is lap swimming. At least, unlike rain, pools are heated. Plus there is always the hope of seeing cute guys wearing Speedos... ---------- Post added 27th Jan 2015 at 05:32 PM ---------- Gray skies for extended periods can be an issue here, too. I am acquainted with a couple who live in CO, but used to come up here on business in winter. They hated the winters here--particularly, I think, the damp cold. And the husband commented that Seattle was the only place he'd ever been where they'd use the term "sun breaks" in the weather forecast.
I get the winter blues every year. It actually was getting so bad that i wasnt working and wouldnt leave my house. My fiance finally said i needed help so i went to the doc and that really helped. A little medication and now i can cope with it good....except the cold....no one likes to be cold
ive found rain gear with ventilation to work well for physical activity. "Pit zips" can really help, although if it's really nasty and windy then they're just holes for rain to enter.
Winter for me is the worst. We go from winter to summer. Short spring. We don't really have spring. It starts in May...or so it seems. I wish I could hibernate.
I've gotten rather obsessed with keeping off the weight I lost a few years ago, and usually make a point of taking a long walk (about 3 miles) in the evening for exercise. I do it light or dark, even when the temp is in the teens, unless it's actually snowing or extremely icy. (Seems like it's actually worse when it's right around freezing, because there's a light film of water that makes the sidewalk extra slippery.) I was a major "winter blues" person, and it seems as though the activity does help. (The side effect of walking in the cold is that my face gets a little wind burned, and people are always asking if I went somewhere on vacation!)
