One thing that helped me was taking walks at dawn and dusk. It helped me to embrace the darkness. You can't have beautiful sunrises and sunsets without it.
-- Edited by StPeteDean on Monday 7th of January 2013 12:11:54 PM
I live in Wisconsin, and we just turned the corner - gaining 30 seconds of daylight per day. It is still dark at breakfast and supper though.
I haven't been diagnosed with it, but I feel like I have a lot of the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder. (SAD)
Usually to combat this in the past, I would try things like exercise - light candles - close the shades (trying to trick myself into thinking it wasn't dark out I guess lol), buy fresh flowers & house plants, drink more tea and water, eat more fresh food, go tanning... but it wasn't enough... so I would drink a lot more too.
Now I still do all that stuff - but when it's not enough, I don't have the option to drink, and that was surely making it worse anyway!
I spoke to my sponsor about it, and she said she goes on a low dose of anti-depressant for the winter.
I spoke to a holistic doctor in town, and she thought I could try this mix of stuff in addition to a very good multi with high vit. D and high mix of B vitamins:
I have been taking the 'Joy', 'Memory', 'liver & kidney' (because of all my past drinking) and the 'flexibility' because I have chronic degenerative back pain and mild bursitis/arthritis.
It's been a month, and in the last week or so, I have noticed that my moods are better (haven't gone through a good pms week yet, but we shall see here soon enough). The one astounding thing that is crazy is that my arthritis is GONE! It was very mild in my fingers, and scared the 'sh** out of me as I have lots of time and money invested in those piano players!
The back pain is the same, but that is serious stuff that is going to require surgery.
Just thought I would share what's working for me.
__________________
Thanks for everything. Peace and Love on your journey.
Me to Tasha! I'm highly effected by the weather. My Sponsor is also. Imagine that! It's something I'm working on accepting. By accepting it, it takes the power away from it. I don't have to fight it as hard as I use too. It's also comforting knowing that it's temporary. Like all things in life. The days will get longer and nicer. It does make me appreciate the really nice days much more. So there is some benefit/positives to it. If they were all long and nice that would become the norm and I'd want more.
In December I moved aboard for good and as a write this I am sitting in Mana Marina on a windy but sunny summers day. There is a lot to be said for exercise and healthy eating Im' sure, but I have spent most of my life avoiding both lol. I once heard about a trial involving fish oil (omega 3) and its effect on sufferers of depression. Apparently, after two weeks on a regular dose of fish oil, 80% of the subjects reported improvement similar in nature to that experienced through SSRI medications. I guess nutrition can have a big effect on how we feel.
I love Dean's idea too. I'm going to give that a shot. I am on a low dose antidepressant and have been for years due to clinical depression but sometimes it works well, sometimes it doesn't.
Winter is no problem if you have the right kind of clothes. I worked outside constructing hi-rise buildings for 14 winters in Washington DC. Might not be quite as cold as WI, but when you get 200-300 feet up in the air, the wind is blowing 30-40 mph constantly in the winter. Turns 10 degrees into 20 below. I went to work at 5am, 4 hours before the sun came up and left at 6 a little after the sun went down.
Christine, you just ain't right in the head ... ... ...
Okay, it'll be a cold day in 'you know where' when 38 degrees is considered 'balmy' in my book ... I'm freezing my tush off at 45 degrees ...
Makes me want to join Dean ... you know, pack up my shorts 'n tees and move ... they put a jacket on down there at 68 degrees ... 'That's what I'm talk'n 'bout' ... ... ...
__________________
'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
Yes, I would love to move. I've spoke to my husband many many times about it, but he wont budge. I have worked really hard on accepting it... almost there... you don't help lol!!!!!
I will not be getting up at 6am and getting snow suites on my 2 kids and going for a walk in addition to the mad crazy morning rush to get to school on time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL Sometime around 2020 I could probably begin to reconsider it... hehe
__________________
Thanks for everything. Peace and Love on your journey.
Now I did - love her - love that song too! My professors HATED that I love/loved blues music more than the classical stuff I was 'suppose' to love in college. The stuff I was suppose to have influence me. One even threatened to come and clean out my dorm room of all my "trash" music.
It has taken me many years to get that opera type singing 'out', and get back to singing like this. Really, just being okay with not doing it perfect, and then finding out it's perfect to be not perfect when singing from your soul like Susan above does so well.
It's been a fun ride, and I love it when things go full circle too.
In the last few months, my music has been better than EVER! More creative than ever. More real. More soulful. I'm not kidding it's like I have a new brain with all the stuff I know still in it, but now it all makes sense suddenly! No kidding! Remember when I was sooooooo worried I'd never be able to enjoy music or be creative without a few shots and glasses of wine in me Dean???
Wow. So wrong to be worried about that.
__________________
Thanks for everything. Peace and Love on your journey.
It's not the tundra up here! It's a balmy 38 degrees right now!