Is anyone else struggling with winter blahs and feeling it getting to you?

[SKL]

Well yay, we got that snow we were pining after.  😛  Let's see how long it sticks.

[Lady Marmalade]

9 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

Same here in WI.  I don't remember it ever being this bad.  I haven't seen the sun in so long.  There were a few hours of peeks of sun last Sunday for a few hours and we were at an outdoor birthday party.  It felt wonderful.  I noticed that the because it is so dreary here this year nothing is working for me.  Usually it is a day or two here and there. I turn on all the lights inside and I can manage.  But this year the constant of the darkness that isn't working.  I still have Christmas lights up.  Looking into the Happy Light now.  How is it different than just turning all your lights on inside?

For Reals.  And I remember that spot of sunshine last week! I was working on a sewing project and DH was taking down the outside decor.  I thought to myself that once I was done with the costume I was working on I was going for a walk in the backyard to get some sun, and by the time I was finished the sun was gone and we haven't seen it since. 

I'm used to watching the sunrise from my drive-thru window, and it's just been a gloomy warm up to the sky for weeks. 

[ScoutTN]

Sitting by my Happy Light. This thread reminded me to find it and put it where it’s convenient!
 

I usually do okay until mid-January, then struggle til the time change. Thankful to live where the winter is short! I could NOT live where there is polar night, like the video upthread. I do like her string lights all over the house, though! And her purposeful choices to be as healthy as she can in the circumstances. 
 

We have had some sunny days recently, but lots of gray, rainy ones too. No snow. We do usually get at least one snow per winter, even here in TN. 

[ScoutTN]

15 hours ago, Pam in CT said:

re leaning in to the SAD

Oh, heavens yes.  Maybe once a week from Nov-March I take a good long soak in the tub at 10 at night, candles flickering, instrumental jazz, smelly salts, the whole thing.  I NEVER do this when the days are long, but it's a winter pleasure.

 

My worst time of day is between 4-7.  In the summer, I am ACTIVE all these hours; in the winter my energy level just plummets as the sun goes down and I just want to collapse under a blanket. I don't even want to EAT dinner, let alone make it.

 

I've given up blaming myself for the sharp divergence between Summer Pam vs Winter Pam; and while I do the lamp and the D and the walks and etc so as to manage Winter Pam, I've given up trying truly to change Winter Pam. 

I do less. I have fewer social engagements, I make fewer commitments on my boards and civic organizations, I do not organize excursions to theater or museums in NY, I do not start ambitious home improvement projects.  Until I get my mojo back. 

[I do now know, and trust, that I WILL get my mojo back when the light returns. Until I figured that bit out I had some very bleak times.]

This is so good. 
 

I do some similar things. I definitely save big projects for a better season. I am far less likely to plan evening meetings or outings. If it’s dark and cold, I just want to be home in comfy clothes, eating soup. 
 

But I am still an extrovert and need a good bit of people-time and activity. Thankfully, church and kids’ activities provide that so I don’t have to make it happen. I do plan things with friends, but always for daytime, usually mornings. 

[Acadie]

23 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

I JUST watched this yesterday.

 

Love this--I thought my climate required a lot of winter gear but at least I don't need a polar bear gun!

No really, these are great tips and sometimes when I'm struggling it does help to see how someone handles even more challenging circumstances. Candles, string lights, vitamin D, getting outside, prioritizing exercise and good nutrition--all simple but impactful. 

We left the Christmas candles in our living room windows when we took down the tree, and put the colorful string lights in the basement. The Advent wreath & candles on the table needed to go because the fresh greens were all dead, but I'm breaking out the candlesticks for dinner tonight, and going cross country skiing today (snow, finally!). 

Also love the idea of cocooning, hibernating, reading more, exploring what it means for me to live in season. Just saw my library hold on a relevant book came in--Wintering by Katherine May. Several friends have recommended it and the writing looks gorgeous. 

[Guest]

14 hours ago, Lucy the Valiant said:

Our library has one that patrons can check out! Maybe yours does, too? Ours is in the "Library of Things" section.

Oh! I should find out!

[Faith-manor]

Today, I am really having a hard time motivating myself. I took Lewis out for a quick walk, and his entire attitude was, "Why are you making me do this? And why is my bathroom facility so grey, grim, cold, and pointless?" I had no good answer soft him so I just patted his head and said, "Suck it up, buttercup!" I mean, what else is there?

I need to tear apart a row of quilt blocks because I set a one way fabric in upside down so on top of my Michigan greige life, I am annoyed by that. So I am ignoring this. Mark is at his mom's, and said he grabbed our mail on the way, and had my Mother Earth News magazine which would have pictures of green things in it so I am a little miffed that I have to wait until he is done with work to get it.

I am about to go do my kayak training exercises. Those do tend to perk me up. Maybe my attitude will improve after that.

[KungFuPanda]

1 minute ago, Faith-manor said:

Today, I am really having a hard time motivating myself. I took Lewis out for a quick walk, and his entire attitude was, "Why are you making me do this? And why is my bathroom facility so grey, grim, cold, and pointless?" I had no good answer soft him so I just patted his head and said, "Suck it up, buttercup!" I mean, what else is there?

I need to tear apart a row of quilt blocks because I set a one way fabric in upside down so on top of my Michigan greige life, I am annoyed by that. So I am ignoring this. Mark is at his mom's, and said he grabbed our mail on the way, and had my Mother Earth News magazine which would have pictures of green things in it so I am a little miffed that I have to wait until he is done with work to get it.

I am about to go do my kayak training exercises. Those do tend to perk me up. Maybe my attitude will improve after that.

I’m sitting at my kitchen counter with my face in my phone trying to summon the energy to go downstairs and exercise. I’ll FEEL better after movement and a shower, but I just don’t WANNA. 

[regentrude]

3 hours ago, ScoutTN said:

I usually do okay until mid-January, then struggle til the time change.

I always feel that I am just recovering when, bam!, it is dark again when I get up. I hate the time change. Light in the morning makes much more of a difference to me than light in the evening. 

[Faith-manor]

I had class this morning too. Note to self. No more stinking engineering and physics classes during the winter term. Ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh. I am an excellent student, but the struggle to concentrate and make the big effort is very real this winter.

[ScoutTN]

54 minutes ago, regentrude said:

I always feel that I am just recovering when, bam!, it is dark again when I get up. I hate the time change. Light in the morning makes much more of a difference to me than light in the evening. 

I dislike the morning dark too, but the late afternoon and early evening are my slump time, so the time change is a help. 

[mommyoffive]

Sun!!!  The sun is out!!

[ChickaDeeDeeDee]

I've had life-long struggles with the winter blahs / SAD.  A few things that have worked for me: 

When I've needed to get up early in the winter I've found that having lights controlled by a timer to turn on a few minutes before I need to get up helped. 

I currently have ceiling mounted plant lights (Soltech brand) over some plants throughout the house.  Being around the plants and lights helps me. 

For a couple years we had white walls and I loved how they looked much of the year but in the winter they just reflect so much grey light from outside that I would just feel like the grey was closing in on me too much. I'd turn on all the lights in all the downstairs and leave them on all the time to deal with it.  We repainted with warm colors this year and I no longer have the same problem.

[wintermom]

On 1/22/2023 at 11:32 AM, KungFuPanda said:

I JUST watched this yesterday.

 

Thanks for sharing this! I happen to do all 5 things she suggested, which is probably why I'm doing well this winter inspite of our poor weather conditions (alternating snow and rain). I've been out walking the dogs daily, which is great. The new thing this year was dh and I joining an indoor tennis club, and we play 2 - 4 times/week. It has been amazing! 

[cintinative]

On 1/21/2023 at 10:46 PM, Quill said:

I haven’t actually bought one yet either. My main concern was that I would get it but it would just end up as one more piece of junk sitting around here and/or it was just take up space on my desk and that would annoy me more than help. 

I feel called out by this. LOL. My Happy light has been in its box mostly since getting it, because I can't find a place to put it that makes me, well,  . . . happy. 

Edited January 23, 2023 by cintinative

[Indigo Blue]

My cat’s sun spot has been non existent until today. I saw it, and I yelled her name and shouted “Look! Sun! You have sun!” She knows the word sun, so she came running in to look at the floor where her sun usually is. She did this hilarious 360 degree thing with her head like she was scanning the entire sun area for sun and doing a “sun analysis “. 😂 Then she sat in the sun for 15 minutes and got herself some authentic “happy light”. She was sooo very happy to see her sunlight return to her sun spot. It’s been hiding since last fall. She’s so cute. 

[Indigo Blue]

4 minutes ago, cintinative said:

I feel called out by this. LOL. My Happy light has been in its box mostly since getting it, because I can't find a place to put it that makes me, well,  . . . happy. 

😮😮😮😮Nooooooo!!!!!!!🫢🫢🫢🫢🫢🫢

 

😁

[Ottakee]

Our 14 day forecast shows no sun at all. I love West Michigan but the Lake makes it a very cloudy place in the winter.   Inland even 20-30 miles can get sun while us shoreline people get clouds.

i have my happy light on my desk at work.