General
Seasonal Affective Disorder
August 29, 2023
in General
I live somewhere that gets all 4 seasons and I definitely experience shifts in my mental health when it gets really gray and cold outside.
Do you experience this? What are some things that you do to get through the darker months?
For me, going to yoga classes, light therapy, time outside no matter what, spending time with loved ones, taking it slow, appreciating the deeper meaning of the cycles and the meaning of Winter, and making warming foods really help me to find balance within during these times.
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I live in San Diego. I really can't complain too much. But we will still get gloomy, rainy weather.
I tend to do a lot of reading and meditation during the gloomy months. I love making comforting soups and vegetarian chili. And sometimes I find just walking in the rain can be refreshing at times.
I definitely agree with getting outside no matter what.
I find myself being really lazy when it’s gloomy and rainy. Cold days don’t bother me as much but I seem to have to make myself get up and do something on those rainy days Thank goodness I have my dog that keeps me on my toes going for a walk and playing ball no matter what the weather is like.
Transplant Patient
I live in a place where we have dark and cold 9ish months out of the year, so seasonal affective disorder is so real! I feel lucky to live in a culture where we really embrace the cold (as a Canadian there is no such thing as too cold, just not enough layers!) and I actually find myself looking forward to winter and some of the things I've built into my routine to combat SAD.
Being in Canada, outdoor and winter activities are a huge part of our culture, and I find participating in these activities like hockey, skiing, dog sledding... even as a spectator really adds to that community connection feeling that can feel absent in the middle of winter. There's also a real culture of hygge here, and I'm very intentional about bringing in those cozy elements, slowing down, finding beauty...
Maintaining a routine helps a ton, and I'm the crazy person that loves a good cold plunge, which is far easier to do in the winter and I find really helps fuel my love for the season.
I enjoy the cold especially when the sun is shining☀️🌞🕶️ feeling it on my face I am all bundled up like u Deb taking my rescue pup whom has brought me so much love happiness🐾going on walks. On the cold rainy gloomy days I can feel a little sad/bored. The last 3years I have had major surgeries so it was easy b/c I was recuperating from them. I try to find things that need to be addressed indoors. Fall is right around the corner yay🍁🍂.
I love ALL OF THESE!! I definitely learned to appreciate the winter more when I worked as a chair lift operator at Alpine Meadows in Lake Tahoe. Up before the sunrise, shoveling, creating ramps, and just overall seeing the joy on the mountain. It shifted the perspective of winter for me. Sometimes we would even be in our snow gear with tshirts on because the sun was still shining on us and we were working up a sweat. I love what ali said, no such thing as too cold, just not enough layers!!!
🥶❄️🥶 so very true, I’m for sure ready for cooler weather the summer was miserable
This summer was not fun ! Terrible air quality and very very little rain or water in the air where I live so we were considered to be in a drought which is SUPER uncommon for us in Maryland