Lived Experience Forum

[Former-Member]

WINTER BLUES 😞 

Does anyone else start getting really down in May? As long as I can remember - may is a difficult month for me, long before the Major Depression label. It spirals into slothful living and sleeping the winter away. Even though I love autumn weather, on the inside I just want to go to sleep and bide my time 'till spring comes - when I know i get a burst of energy back. Lots of people suffer SAD, and for some its serious. Its a well documented condition, and in my case compounds existing depression & anxiety, the tipping point. I noticed here on the forums last year that a lot of us struggled to get through winter, even here in mild Australian weather. What,  if any are your winter blues symptoms in the winter? 

[soul]

I feel my mood suffers when it is rainy weather and I can't take my dog for her usual walks. I find a walk at both the start and end of the day works well for me. Actually my first walk consists of stopping and starting as she does her sniffing and greeeting of other dogs (this can be good for socialisation though for he both of us). I take her home after half an hour then set off for a brisker one with my earphones in listening to some music.

This was the sky yesterday - so blue. It was amazing.

[Lunar]

Hello @Former-Member

I definitely get affected by the weather, especially in winter with the days are grey, cold and overcast but if it is sunny I am instantly happy 🙂 

In melbourne the winter seems to be getting shorter thanks to global warming, and not as cold which is nice haha, I have no idea how people cope in Europe when it is grey for many many months, that would be so hard for me! I also find that when it is cooler I want to eat more and sleep more, it gets harder to wake up in the morning but I guess that is normal as animals do that in the colder months to preserve energy so they stay warm.

That blue sky ia absolutely beautiful @soul !

[Former-Member]

Beautiful blue sky @soul, thank you, Walking, fresh air, sunshine and our fur babies sure can give us a lift - you inspire me to get off my butt today.
❤👣❤
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Hi @Lunar, I oft wander how England souls stay functional in their climate. Might account for all the 'Pomey' jokes I've heard along the way. Melbourne weather sure gets a bad wrap. Didnt realised its worse now because of GWarming 😞 Hope you can take holidays closer to the equator sometimes. Thanks for replying - makes me feel special when a Moderator engages in normal chat. Oh, love your new avatar ✔ ❤❤❤

Wonder if those old IRR lamps can help SAD symptoms? Might fish around op shops for one. I have these yellow glasses (for night driving) that i put on sometimes that make everything brighter in the day, especially green - lifts my mood, a bit. ☀

[Former-Member]

SYMPTOMS OF SAD (Mayo Clinic)
In most cases, seasonal affective disorder symptoms appear during late fall or early winter and go away during the sunnier days of spring and summer.

SYMPTOMS
- Irritability
- Tiredness or low energy
- Problems getting along with people
- Hypersensitivity to rejection
- Heavy, "leaden" feeling in arms or legs
- Oversleeping
- Appetite changes, especially a craving for foods high in carbohydrates
- Weight gain

[Owlunar]

Hi @Former-Member

I get SAD - I think I already told you this

I call the gloomy days in May the"unwinter" because it is not winter but the days are often gloomy - and my unit is perfect in every way but it gets cold in here in the winter

I have started leaving the heater on low nearly all the time - it stops operating if the temperature is warmer and starts again by itself if it gets colder - and it's a reverse cycle A/C and up high so it's safe

I feel relieved when we get to the real winter and it's only 3 weeks to go until the winter solstice - I notice the evenings stretching out a bit very soon - but I do drag along until the middle of winter when I have the anniversary of my son's death and I start to feel better then -

But like many other people - this time of year can be a drag - but when I consider all the other things about my home I do not feel like moving - one thing about my home is that it is very quiet here - I am rarely annoyed by other people's noise - I don't think I would like to live where other people regularly shared there noise - after all - it would still be winter

Dec

[soul]

Good things about winter is that my birthday falls then, you get to wear soft fluffy clothes and have soup and casseroles.

[Owlunar]

Hi @soul

My birthday is in winter too - and I am about to get out and buy some new clothes - I find it hard to get movitivated some days - but we have sun today and I might just get out later

Tomorrow I am having brunch with my grand-daughter - who is a fine young woman - and my daugher and son-in-law are overseas atm - and I am going to discuss a cruise with my gd - I think she likes the idea - geez - I would have loved it if someone had offered me an all-expenses-paid cruise when I was young

Where would we go - aw - maybe across the ditch to New Zealand - it's a long way from home for me - I don't even have a pass-port..................................... yet

Dec

[soul]

@Owlunar - if your grand daughter doesn't want to go, I'm free.

[Former-Member]

Hi @Owlunar, nice to hear from you. My memory isn't good but I am interested. It helps to know were not alone in our sadness (SAD) or winter blues. And you with such a dark anniversary in the middle 😞 I find the 'lead-up' the hardest. Sometimes it takes all my strength not to do something stupid. I'm glad you have RC AirCon (jealous) and like your flat. I think you said recently you get the sun on your bed where you read sometimes (heaven).

My front veranda faces North, gets sun all day, I sometimes sit out there on the recliner and soak it up. And i have a bar heater and one of those electric blanket throw rugs - so warm. I discovered lately that the car in the sun is a great place to 'get warm' :)/
SAD for me is not so much about feeling cold or less sun, its deeper than that, comes from within. Maybe feeling flat is a touch of ptsd from past bad experiences in May that the change in weather reminds my heart of, and reruns in my visual memory, who really knows? 'this what it is - we'll survive 🙂 done it before, hey 💜🌻