The winter looms...

LegacyUser

hi, im going un reg for this one.

i suppose im looking for advice on what to do ....

so the last two years i have spent the winter in ireland, i have experienced
some dreadful seasonal affective disoredr.

like really bad, cant get out of bed, exhausted for two days from a couple of hours
converstaion, panicking in supermarkets,
needing to be alone mostly and sleep about 18 hours a day.

this disappeared around february both times, last year i got some antidepressants also.

im wondering , will it definitely come back this year?
I feel fine at the moment, but thats what scares me -
last year i expected it and really thought i would be able to
fight it off by being strong, positive and getting plenty of daylight.
by halloween i was in bits.

The tricky thing here is
I only recently started a new job which i love, but would hate to leave (especially since
they asked me if i had any travel plans in the next year, I said no)

i have been saving and by november, will have hopefully enough to get me to where i spent winters before.


so what do i do?
hang on and see what happens? and what if it gets me and
by then its too late, my mind will already be turned to mush and probably wont be able
to go to work anyway.

my parents will be so disappointed if i leave my job - i spent so much time
and effort job hunting earlier this summer, and they really helped me out with money
and everything.
I would feel so guilty, especially if i have trouble finding work when i return again, and once again they will have to help me out.



the thought of winter chills me to the bone, there is no way I can go through what I
have been throught the previous winters.

if anyone has any advice or ideas....? i would love to hear!!

Nevyn

Have you tried using a light box?

LegacyUser

Firstly, I suffer from it also although not to the same extent as yourself.

I bought a light box a few years ago but never found it did me much good - although you might find it works for you.

What did help though was getting out during the day as much as possible when the sun was out/ when there was blue sky.

Also, if you can take up an outdoor activity that really helps - you look forward to doing it at weekends, you are keeping fit, you are stimulating your body and your mind. Exercise has gotten me through the last few winters.

Take supplements - Vit D -in fact start those as soon as.

And hang out with outdoorsy people - they help you to be outdoors.

I found, having taken up an outdoor sport a few years back, that it made little difference to me that it was getting dark early. I'd get out in the sun during the day at lunchtime and then at the weekends I'd be busy for hours. Sounds simplistic I know but it worked for me.

What I did last year really helped - I took my holidays across Christmas - 4 weeks in the sun. That got me through to close to Christmas and then when I got back it was almost spring. That period in the heat and sun really made a difference.

You could see about taking your two/three week holiday plus 2 weeks of unpaid leave... explain the situation and see if it can be worked around.

With regards to the cold - invest in proper clothing - I found that once my feet were cold, I'd be miserable and couldn't do a tap. I got proper thermal socks and also walking boots/boots which insulated my feet. Then layer up.

As for other people, it's impossible for people who don't suffer from S.A.D. to appreciate how bad it is. I said to a friend once that I'd happily skip those 3 months of my life every year just to get past it. In fact, what you are doing is similar to what was normal centuries ago - you want to hibernate.

I am trying to orchestrate it that my work allows me away most years / every other year.

And if the cold is effecting you badly - just whack on the heat. It's a very Irish thing "put on another jumper" and waiting til late to turn on the heat. If it makes things more bearable, put up with the extra expense for a couple of months.

Best of luck.

crabfeet

You can get full spectrum flourescent bulbs. Put them in all of the rooms you use.

i-digress

I suffer from the same thing. I would go and get a light box, and go and speak to a doctor who can give you advice. Check out websites such as aware for advice too.

It's an awful thing, but try not to worry about it because that will make it worse. Easier said than done, I know :rolleyes: