I can stand the cold and snow of winter. What drives me nuts is the lack of daylight. I already notice that daylight is slowly slipping away.
I found a Duration of Daylight chart for Minneapolis. On June 18th, there was a glorious 15 hours and 37 minutes of daylight. On December 19th, there is only 8 hours and 46 minutes of daylight.
While I have never been clinically diagnosed with SAD, I'm almost sure I have it too. I have much more problem with depression and just not feeling like doing anything in the winter. When I was living in the DC area and I would be feeling down, if I went out for a long walk on a sunny day, I always felt better. Whether that is predominantly the exercise or the sunlight, I don't know, but I did notice I felt better on sunny days than on overcast days.
When I was still working full time, I parked in an underground parking garage at work. When I would come out of the garage after work and it was already dark, I would immediately feel this heaviness...and I never felt like doing anything after work, even to run a quick errand. It all seemed like too much effort.
I don't remember what my first winter of retirement was like...I was so damn happy not to be working there or working full time anymore, I guess everything seemed lighter and brighter that winter.
As noted earlier, Missy is now at me to take our evening walk much earlier these days and I mourn those summer days of being out until 8 p.m. walking the dog and talking to neighbors as I passed them doing yardwork, etc.
Posts: 7864 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
We have a fluorescent light fixture in the kitchen that just burned out. I want to replace the bulbs with full spectrum lights. Also, I think those Ott Lights use full spectrum bulbs. And I think you can now get regular light bulbs in full spectrum.
When winter is at its worst, we only have approx 6 hrs of whatever passes for daylight around here. Sunny winter days are lovely, but scarce. That's the main reason I don't like winter: there's no light.
I have one of those sunlight lamps. It does help, even if I'm not sure I have SAD.
****************** “The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight because by then, your body and your fat are really good friends.”
I don't mind the colder weather, it's actually nice to have pockets to carry all my running stuff (instead of my fanny pack that I carry all summer). The only parts of winter that I do mind are snow and/or ice and that it gets dark faster.
On the other hand, if the weather would stay at a consistent 60-70 degrees all year around, I'd be perfectly happy.
Life is like a roller coaster, with lots of ups and downs, but the curves, spirals, loops and corkscrews are what make life interesting.
I don't like the winter time. Too dark and cold. When it is dark and I am cold, all I want to do is sleep. I tend to hibernate like a bear . I don't really like mid summer either. It is too hot. I still don't sweat and since that is the body's way of cooling off I get overheated very easily. I almost past out at our family birthday picnic this past June. I had to go sit in the car with the motor running and the a/c cranked up as high as it would go.
I like the spring and summer, neither too hot or too cold.
Our daylight saving time last till Nov. 1 this year. This is the first time it has gone that long and it started about a month early this year also.
PS: The only good thing about cold weather is NO SKEETERS (she adds after walking the dogs)This message has been edited. Last edited by: BrenauMom,
Sheltie, I'm feeling ya on that! (not literally, of course LOL)
Before I left for my weeklong trip to Ohio, Missy & I were leaving about 7-7:15 p.m. for our last walk of the day and were able to get a good walk in before dark.
I get back from vacation and Missy is yelling at me to walk at like 6:30 p.m. and I'm like "It's not time yet!!!" and then I turn to look out the window and realize...OMG, it IS time!
Of course, it doesn't help that we've been having gloomy cooler weather, as the light is already dim from the gloom so as it gets around 6 p.m., it seems close to dark, even if it isn't.
Posts: 7864 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
I like the cold weather, but the lack of daylight gets me down too. I find that the thing that helps most is opening all the curtains and spending a good portion of the day in a well lit room where I can see the outside.
Also cranking some good tunes never hurts either. (I also try to get to Florida for a few days in January or February. It helps to have parents down there who help fund the trip. )
When all else fails, I do like the cat, and find the sunniest spot on the floor and stretch out in it for a few minutes.
I noticed at Cost-co last year they had some sort of lamp that was supposed to help with seasonal affective disorder. I imagine it was a full spectrum light of some sort, but basically you were supposed to shine it in your face for a few minutes each day.
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