# Is anyone besides me SAD about winter?



## Miss Vickie (Aug 22, 2007)

Yep, it's August, and summer is almost over here already. It's time to start thinking about how I'm going to cope with yet another Alaskan winter. Our nights are getting longer and while it's nice now, I know that in January I'm going to be miserable, wishing yet again that I'd left Alaska rather than suffer through an excruciatingly long, cold, dark winter.

For those of you who have SAD, what has worked for you? Have you tried the lights? Do they help? I'm trying to find something besides my usual carb-loaded frenzy.


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## Sandie_Zitkus (Aug 22, 2007)

Vickie - I'm right there with you. I hate winter I hate snow I hate being cold. That is why we moved to Texas. I'm not as depressed here because of the weather.




Miss Vickie said:


> Yep, it's August, and summer is almost over here already. It's time to start thinking about how I'm going to cope with yet another Alaskan winter. Our nights are getting longer and while it's nice now, I know that in January I'm going to be miserable, wishing yet again that I'd left Alaska rather than suffer through an excruciatingly long, cold, dark winter.
> 
> For those of you who have SAD, what has worked for you? Have you tried the lights? Do they help? I'm trying to find something besides my usual carb-loaded frenzy.


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## Zandoz (Aug 22, 2007)

Add me to the list of winter haters. I hate the cold. I hate having to shovel and scrape. I hate having to worry about wife and daughter's trips to and from work. I hate worrying about if they'll be able to get get in/out of the driveway, and being unable to do what I should be able to do to remedy that. I hate the dead looking trees and sky. I hate the holidays that only serve to increase stress,reinforce inadequacies, and bring out the worst in folks.  If I could I would hibernate from the weekend before Thanksgiving through the day after Easter,


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## activistfatgirl (Aug 22, 2007)

Big winter hater, and while not officially diagnosed, I've self-diagnosed myself with SAD.

I'm feeling you Vickie. I begin to panic in the fall (and consequently don't enjoy it even though it's a gorgeous season).

It's gray or white sky and overcast most of the winter in Michigan, and I often find myself very emotionally numb, low energy, isolated, big time depression (though still functional insofar as going to work).

I haven't been as proactive as I'd like. Traveling helps, but isn't always feasible. I usually go to Florida in January, and it helps!

I've been wanting to invest in the special lighting FOREVER but it's cost prohibitive. I think some supplements are helpful (I took a couple for mood enhancement last winter like B vitamins and something else, can't remember). Some say VItamin D is important. 

I don't know. My lifelong goal to deal with it is to move some place a bit milder. If not the actual warm parts of the country, at least the lower east coast.


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## HottiMegan (Aug 22, 2007)

I usually get the blues around jan and feb. It used to be October when i was in school. I'm hoping to help it by getting out in the park and hike all dryish days i can and bike. (i live in a climate that you can hike and bike all year but with a jacket in the winter)


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## mossystate (Aug 22, 2007)

I might be one of those people who really likes winter. I can get really tired of the grey, but, I also tire of constant sun. Perhaps extremes are what I don't like.

While Seattle has lots of grey during the winter months, we do not have to deal with all the snow issues. I think that would make the grey more difficult for me to be ok with. 

One of my sisters has some of the lighting you referred to, and she says it seems to help her..but..she is a bit flakey, so, I don't know if it is that she wants it to work ( which I suppose is ok, too ).

Funny, while I am typing this, I am looking out my living room windows and the sun is coming through..I have a couple of lovely trees that I can admire..and I am thinking I will pay closer attention this winter, to see if I really am ok with the grey..hmmm.

I suppose I am a Fall/Winter/Spring..woman.


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## jamie (Aug 22, 2007)

I think if I lived in the way up like you do Vickie, I might suffer from winter-SAD as well. I don't know what is wrong with me...but I swear..as soon as it hits 85, I am miserable for the next 3 to 4 months. Grumpy, I want to sleep, I feel like the whole world is pressing down on me.

When October hits, I am rejuventated, ready to go hiking, re-do the house, you name it. I love the long grey days and the clouds and the dampness. I love snow and ice and bare trees. I think I got a cog put in backwards or something.  

Good luck finding something that works for you, honey. I have a friend who is affected desperately by the winter months.


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## ashmamma84 (Aug 22, 2007)

I suffer from SAD -- Chicago winters are long and cold and miserable...I can tell a big difference in my mood/sleeping/eating patterns in the spring and summer...I'm just a better person to be around. Light does help, and to be honest, excercise because it helps get my endorphins pumping...Oh and I'm not sure if you are against meds, but your doc may want to prescribe an antidepressant if your symptoms get worse. 

Personally, I'm on lexapro and I feel the difference, in combination with eating better and excercising...


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## mossystate (Aug 22, 2007)

jamie said:


> When October hits, I am rejuventated, ready to go hiking, re-do the house, you name it. I love the long grey days and the clouds and the dampness. I love snow and ice and bare trees. I think I got a cog put in backwards or something.
> .



The other day, I was thinking about late September/October and I was excited. I think about how great the air smells..the edge of crispness. I do believe I have the same cog placement..heh.


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## Miss Vickie (Aug 22, 2007)

You guys are awesome. I'm glad to know I'm not alone. I'm just soooo not looking forward to this winter. It's gonna be a sumbitch, I just know it. The only thing that's at all hopeful is that we'll be moving within one or two year's time to someplace warmer -- Oregon, I'm hoping. I can handle Northwest winters; Seattle winters practically feel like summer here. But beyond the cold the darkness just seems to last forever. 

Jamie, you're a lot like Burtimus. He gets grumpy when it gets warm and sunny. He much prefers colder climes, and I have to listen to him complain about the heat (in ALASKA!!) all summer, much in the same way he has to listen to me complain about the cold all winter. Difference is, our winters are 9 months long!  Poor guy, I don't know how he'll survive in Oregon. 

Mossy, if you don't like extremes, then Seattle is the place for you. I actually miss Seattle winters, because everything greened up so beautifully and while the rain got a bit old, it's much easier to navigate than mountains of snow. At least you don't have to shovel it every day! 

The only good thing about wintertime is that as a night shift worker it doesn't matter whether it's dark or not; it's dark nearly ALL the TIME so my body can never really tell what's day or night anyway. Much harder to sleep during the day in the summer, given how bright it is. Plus I hate missing out on all that gorgeous sunshine!

I'm going to try and be proactive this year, maybe get myself some tans at my club, be sure and exercise every day, and think about those light boxes. But yeah, they're spendy little suckers, aren't they?


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## lemmink (Aug 22, 2007)

Pop vitamin D.


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## Risible (Aug 23, 2007)

What a dilemma, Vicky, to live in Alaska and have SAD! Moving to Oregon sounds like a good idea; hope your hubby adjusts okay! Oregon does have its seasons; my gramma lived in Oregon and I remember she had snow in the winter.

I'm with Jamie and Mossy; I prefer fall weather, when it cools down and segues into winter. Spring is exciting to my spirit; I can't explain it, its just something my body reacts to. But summer - summer's a bummer.


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## Aliena (Aug 25, 2007)

jamie said:


> I think if I lived in the way up like you do Vickie, I might suffer from winter-SAD as well. I don't know what is wrong with me...but I swear..as soon as it hits 85, I am miserable for the next 3 to 4 months. Grumpy, I want to sleep, I feel like the whole world is pressing down on me.
> 
> When October hits, I am rejuventated, ready to go hiking, re-do the house, you name it. I love the long grey days and the clouds and the dampness. I love snow and ice and bare trees. I think I got a cog put in backwards or something.
> 
> Good luck finding something that works for you, honey. I have a friend who is affected desperately by the winter months.



You took the words right out of my mouth. I am counting the days to October and cooler, greyer, and wetter days!

Miss Vickie, you do live way up yonder; I hope this winter isn't as trying on you as the last. Maybe it will be milder? We can always hope.


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## CuslonGodibb (Aug 26, 2007)

Hey, folks - - -

I didn't know there actually is a term - SAD - for this "condition"! "Sad" is just the right word, too! 

Let me put it this way: I would happily skip the winter if it was possible. Except for Christmas, maybe - - - It's the darkness I don't like.

I think I'm more affected by this now than I was when I was younger. The darker it gets, the more "down" I feel. No big problem, but it sure affects me. I'm curious about light therapy, but I've never actually tried it. Should I...?

/ CuslonGodibb


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## kr7 (Aug 26, 2007)

I think I might be one of those lucky people who like all the seasons. LOL! I love the whole circle-of-life/continuum idea thing. For me it's all just natural progression, and I find that I always rejoice in the hallmarks of whatever season it happens to be, and look forward to what's next. Having said that, I might not be so thrilled with winter if I had to deal with the Alaskan version, or if I had to live in the city. The country certainly lends beauty to all its seasons. LOL!

Just try to think positive thoughts. If you can, try to find some seasonal activity that you can enjoy. That tends to make the darkest of months much sweeter. Even certain foods, if enjoyed only within a particular season, can make that season special. For instance: I eat pumpkin pie only once or twice per year, in the late fall. Love it, but it makes the food, and the month so special to only have it then. :eat2: 

Chris


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## Pookie (Aug 26, 2007)

I love the winter time, but I have a new job I started in the Spring this year and it involves early mornings and I cannot get up in the dark, hate it, really struggle waking. I am wanting to get one of those natural dawn lights to help me wake up slowly, they are just darn expensive.


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## NancyGirl74 (Aug 26, 2007)

I used to loooove winter. I love the look of the snow, the chilly nights under warm covers, cozy evenings at home, the holidays. On the flip-side, I used to hate summer. The heat, the stickiness, bathing suit season. Now I'm older and I've switched. I still enjoy cozy nights and the holidays in winter but now I dread the coming of January 1st and all the long dull days after it. I find my mood gets darker and I struggle to be upbeat. I also find that I start dreading the coming of winter sooner and sooner. We had a few cold days last week and it really bummed me out. I find this very annoying. I don't want to spend all of fall (my favorite season) brooding about winter. I don't know if this is typical winter blahs or SAD but I know I have to work to keep my mood up now that summer is coming to a close.


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## Friday (Aug 26, 2007)

I'm with Mossy and company. I like winter here in the PNW. I like being blown into a warm, bright house full of lovely smells like fresh bread and homemade soup simmering on the back burner. I sleep so much better in the winter when I can throw extra blankies on the bed and curl up in the warmth like a hibernating animal.

The husband however is definitely a Seasonal Affectation Disorder sufferer. It helps when he gets out during daylight hours for long walks in the local park and last year without telling him I bought a couple of those 'natural sunlight' bulbs and put one in the lamp next to where he sits in the living room. They are a bit spendy ($24.95 + S&H for two), but they really seem to have made a difference. He wasn't nearly as cranky by the end of February as he usually is.


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## CuteyChubb (Aug 26, 2007)

Miss Vickie,

I can only imagine it would be depressing and gloomy to live in constant darkness throughout the winter as well as total bright in the summer. How long have you been living there?

Here in Houston, I race from my home to my car in the morning to keep that just showered feeling, I don't go out for lunch and have to deal with the hot, steamy traffic jam on the way home. On the weekends, I go out after dark even to grocery shop. The heat and I are not friends. 

I love the fall and the cooler weather. Love it. We don't really have winter here. Just once in a while it gets cold enough to bundle up. I've often wanted to move to a 4 season state. 

You have the darkness though and I can see where that would make it much more unpleasant. Just remember, you're in a high demand occupation and could move wherever you wanted. Not to Houston, or Burtimus would go nuts. 

Best wishes.


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## Tina (Aug 26, 2007)

Friday, that picture you paint is lovely. If winter were to be full of that, I wouldn't mind it as much. I don't do well when the sun is gone for too long, so moving from the central coast of CA to Montreal is going to be interesting. I'm going to have to do something so I don't go bonkers.


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## Aliena (Aug 26, 2007)

Friday said:


> I'm with Mossy and company. I like winter here in the PNW. I like being blown into a warm, bright house full of lovely smells like fresh bread and homemade soup simmering on the back burner. I sleep so much better in the winter when I can throw extra blankies on the bed and curl up in the warmth like a hibernating animal.





This vision made me want to make a big pot of stew, wish I had a fire place, make cheesy bread, and cuddle with my man. It was an awesome feeling reading this; I LOVE fall/winter!


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## Aurora1 (Aug 26, 2007)

I am totally with you on seasonal depression Vickie!! I start feeling down come September and I almost forget that I get this way at the end of every summer. I don't know if I'm feeling nostalgic for going back to school time and missing all my old friends or what. It took me like years and years in a row of feeling the same way every September to realize that I think it is seasonal depression. I mean I know the seasons don't change where I am nearly as drastic as by you but sometimes I wish I lived in a permanently warm climate like further South.


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## Friday (Aug 27, 2007)

Tina, lemmink is right about taking vitamin D. They think that part of SAD is that with less sun exposure we become deficient in D since not only is there less sun but most of us tend to stay inside when it's cold even if it is sunny. I've read that spending as much time as possible in the sun, even if it's sitting in the window, can help a lot that's why I bought the sunlight bulbs for D.

I look forward to fall A. I don't like cooking much when it's hot and miss my favorite creative outlet.


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## Tina (Aug 28, 2007)

Well, then I should be set, as I get a good amount of D from both my calcium and fish oil supplements. Hope it helps. One thing I really DO look forward to, weather-wise is the Fall. We don't see much fall color here, and I'm looking forward to a spectacular show this Fall.


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## Esme (Aug 28, 2007)

My doctor put me on a B complex vitamin because of the blood clots and other blood issues I have. One thing I've noticed is the B complex seems to have improved my mood. I'm hoping that it will help with my SAD too. Has anyone tried this?

I get D in my multi-vitamin that I take daily too. I hope that helps this winter. The bulbs didn't do much for me.


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## mimosa (Aug 28, 2007)

I am with you! I moved to Colorado almost a year ago. The snow comes in October and doesn't stop until maybe June. We had a few blizzards last winter. It was crazy. 
I am thinking of getting away somewhere at least once this year. Maybe Texas for the Holidays. Hardly any snow there. Wishing you happier days.






Miss Vickie said:


> Yep, it's August, and summer is almost over here already. It's time to start thinking about how I'm going to cope with yet another Alaskan winter. Our nights are getting longer and while it's nice now, I know that in January I'm going to be miserable, wishing yet again that I'd left Alaska rather than suffer through an excruciatingly long, cold, dark winter.
> 
> For those of you who have SAD, what has worked for you? Have you tried the lights? Do they help? I'm trying to find something besides my usual carb-loaded frenzy.


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## kr7 (Aug 28, 2007)

Esme said:


> My doctor put me on a B complex vitamin because of the blood clots and other blood issues I have. One thing I've noticed is the B complex seems to have improved my mood. I'm hoping that it will help with my SAD too. Has anyone tried this?
> 
> I get D in my multi-vitamin that I take daily too. I hope that helps this winter. The bulbs didn't do much for me.



Hmm....I haven't heard anything about the relationship between vitamin B and mood, but it's supposed to be great for skin problems.  

Chris


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## chickadee (Aug 28, 2007)

If you are good at building things, you can build your own light box.

I had problems with winters in the past. One of the things that helped me the most was forcing myself to go outside in the winter for walks. I think that the sunlight that I got was enough to counteract the winter blues. Also consider adding in some fish oil- the omega 3 and 6 seem to help me. 

Also if you can exercise, even for a little bit, every day, it helps to even out the moods. Good luck- you are a brave soul to live in Alaska!


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## steely (Sep 5, 2007)

I love winter but here in NC,it's just not what it used to be.We hardly ever get snow just ice storms once in awhile.Of course below 0 temps and snow from September to June in the dark doesn't sound all that appealing.Best of luck this winter!


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