TheRealFiness said:

i've had problems through winter for years, ever since i was in high school, even before i knew "seasonal affective disorder" had a name, and it's something i still deal with to this day.

it's not a media-created fad with a crazy name. it's something that exists, and if you don't suffer from it, perhaps it's hard to take it seriously. and that's frustrating for people like me, who feel a definite change and keep getting told "it's all in your mind" or "it's just the winter blahs, get over it."

you know what, i would freakin' LOVE to get over it. but guess what? it's not as easy as "turn that frown upside down".

there's no "easy fix" for SAD - i've been trying to find it for over 17 years now, and it doesn't exist. maintenance drugs are too extreme, and i really only need help throughout autumn and winter. sun lights aren't effective enough - they're helpful but you can't really take them to work with you and you can't really create a successful substitute for the sun, let's be real.

the only real "solution" i've come across over the years is just to enjoy the spring and summer as much as i possibly can - it's when i wake up and come to life and enjoy every moment - and prepare for what's inevitably going to happen with my body and mind when the days get darker and shorter. i focus more on being extroverted and active in spring and summer, and i focus more on being more of a homebody during the winter - i cook more, i read more, i do stuff for my home, stuff like that...

i think the most important thing for people who suffer from SAD is to keep the mind occupied, and not to fight the "blahs" too much. find things that will keep you preoccupied and not focused on the SAD. get some video games for the winter, or get a book of crossword puzzles, or finally decide to read that long series of mystery novels you said you were always gonna read...stuff like that. i always look for "projects" that will keep my hands and mind busy during the darker months, and it seems to get me through with a minimum of internal drama.

but for those who don't have SAD and don't understand it, it's important to take seriously those who do suffer from it. it's not fun and it takes a lot of patience and understanding to grasp what's going on with us when summer ends and the days get darker and colder. it's not a "trend" and it's not a "gimmick". it's real.

believe me, i don't get depressed in the winter because i think it's hip.

Hey, Anxiety can I ask do you just wake up one day and feel different. This is really the first year I have ever felt so shit, I am having difficulty working it out. I blamed the fact that summer was so short this year.

I use to dread Winter, stuck indoors, cold, dreary...

Then one day I decided to become one with the Winter.. I went outside,
and made snow angels... True story.

sag10 said:

i kinda get what you mean. don't get me wrong, i love winter. i love the blanket of snow over everything, i look forward to christmas lights and new year's eve is one of my most favoritest holidays of the year. it's just one of the most difficult times of the year for me to cope with the elements - not on a conscious level, but just based on what's going on with all the funky chemicals sloshing around inside me. i think i've made peace with that quirk over the years, but it doesn't make it any less existent, ya know?

Anxiety said:

I understand..

POSTDOMINANT said:

it's funny - i've had a couple of winters that were really great...i don't think the changing of the seasons is going to necessarily be a death sentence for your good mood every year, though i do think that there are some changes that will be constant for you every year...like, for example, with me, every winter my appetite goes through the roof. every winter i find myself staying up later at night and sleeping in later in the morning. and in summer, i'm ridiculously low maintenance - i don't eat much, i don't sleep much, i'm outta bed first thing in the morning and i'm running around all over the place all day.

do i just "wake up one day and feel different"? hmmm. kinda. it takes me a few days to realize what's going on, i think. i'll realize that my outlook is a bit different, or that day-to-day life seems a bit tweaked, and then it'll occur to me, "ahhh, the days are getting shorter". it's always a little difficult at the beginning - it's like when you first get a cold or the flu and you start to realize you have the symptoms - but usually, for me, by the time the holidays roll around, i can pretty much have adjusted to it.

do you think something is different in your environment this year? i don't know that a short summer would have anything to do with it, but you never know...

Anxiety said:

I can echo everything Anxiety has said.

I was diagnosed with it when I was 18. I've never really tried treatment, cause well, I don't like doctors and really hated seeing that shrink. And at the time was in college and on my own and never wanted to pay for all that, and I've just never gone back. It comes back every year, though some winters are better than others. Just this last Monday I ended up calling in sick to work cause I just couldn't make myself get outta bed. It doesn't usually quite hit me like a ton o bricks, but I can definitely tell when it's here, and when it's coming, like the cold or flu analogy. I really, really drag in the deep of winter in minnesota when you don't see sunlight for days on end. Not that Minnesota is Alaska, but there comes a time when it's dark when I leave for work and dark when I get home and all I wanna do is curl up in bed and sleep till I haveta get up for work the next morning. And then some weeks it's not nearly as bad as al that.

I have it too...some years are worse than others...heck...some days are worse than others...but, keeping yourself busy and active have SO much to do with how you're going to feel.

I'm dreading the days when it gets dark at 4:30pm here in Michigan...right now it's staying light out until about 7pm.

Maybe we could start an Org SADS support group

applekisses said:

yes! even if it's something simple and silly like keeping some knitting at the couch when you watch tv, or going out once a week to sit at Borders/Barnes & Nobles and read coffee and read magazines, or SOMEthing. like i said, i usually stock up on games i can play over the winter...last year i became obsessed with all the Sims games...in previous years i got into crossword puzzles, scrabble, all kinds of stuff like that - i find if i can keep my brain engaged, i can do allright with the S.A.D.

That's how it is for me too! You have to be able to keep yourself busy so your body isn't telling you it's just time to go to bed. Video or computer games are awesome for this kind of thing. Especially if you live by yourself. Just watching a movie or something usually doesn't help me. I have to be DOING something.

i know exactly what you mean. when the days get really short, i get really freaked out, like i have tons of things to do and i have such little time to do them because it's going to be dark any minute. rationally, i know better, but i still get stressed out. and it's nearly impossible for me to wake up while it's still dark in the morning. ugh...

When it gets REALLY bad I start getting a little panicky...I think it's the stress thing you're talking about...trying to get everything done and get back home before dark. Maybe actually being out and doing things after dark does help. Like even just, like you said, having coffee at a bookstore or going to the mall or something.





I think it would be a great idea! Maybe it could be its own temporary forum or something. It could help a lot of us