seasonal depression

Madaly320

Does anyone suffer from this? Is it a real thing? I have lived in New England my whole life (about to turn 37). Winter never bothered me as much as it has this year. Last January is when I started MFP and going to the gym. I lost 20 pounds by June. I have since gained it back. I got really busy in the summer with work and my kids and many excuses later, It's all back, plus a couple lbs.

I got really motivated, started the gym again and tracking food and then just stopped. I feel very...gloomy. I feel sad, depressed, not willing to do much of anything. I just want to sit on the couch and mope. There is nothing wrong in my life. Life is pretty good. We all have some financial issues, myself included, but they are not so terrible as to cause me to become depressed, but that is how I feel. Could it be the season affecting me? I am in such a funk. I don't know how to come out of it.

Today, I was so annoyed by myself, that I forced myself to get dressed and go to Target. I didn't need anything, and I couldn't afford to spend much, but I made myself drive there, walk around and buy something small. I actually felt better about myself and started thinking about going to the gym tomorrow, maybe doing some food shopping, etc. I got home...depressed again.

I want to get out of this funk. Anyone relate? Have advice? Thanks!

seren1ty74

TOTALLY. i live in CT and grew up in NY. It is soooo hard to get going in the winter, and this year during my weight loss journey it's been even worse. all i want to do it sit and eat. And when I do that, i beat myself up about everything i have ever done… so I'm not even comforted by the crap i eat. When i can walk or hike outside, without frigid cold and ice, the mood subsides pretty quickly.trying to stay consistent with exercise, but the food part is just shot for me - it always has been a comfort thing. SIGH

quraesmom

I have been there. I was feeling the same way. I can say Starting in November I too was in that funk and it comes and goes and Some days are better than others. I am a Single mom who gets very busy at times and can't keep up with my own thoughts sometimes because there is about 1 million thoughts to keep up with... I started "Dieting" in January. I thought that would help me feel a little better...I was wrong so I just stopped. I felt fat and just to big to really do anything. I started to think of the worse. What if I just can't loose it. I don't have time to work out like I want...But then Something hit me. I was just being lazy in a sense. I have a gym,,,,at my job...my workout clothes are at work with the gym.. LOL I really had no excuse. So I finally put it to use and I feel great. its only been about a week but I have been in there for the last week and I feel great. I find that working out with upbeat music really helps me focus on something else for at least 30 min and by the end of that time I am usually feeling ok. The day seems to go by better and I haven't been as grouchy...Find something you like to do in the gym...Me, I like to Run so I focus my breathing and my goal of running without stopping for longer periods of time. I hope you find what works for you.

RhysJ13

*dusts off psychology degree*

Yes SAD (seasonal effective disorder) is a very real thing; it's thought to be caused by the shorter days and the cold weather keeping people inside. Studies have shown light treatments to be effective; those alarm clocks that simulate a sunrise when it's time to wake up; some companies even have really bright rooms for employees to sit in to raise their mood.

It has basically the same symptoms as any minor depression, but just try and remember that exercise is literally medicine, and is the most effective (and cheapest!) treatment for minor depression. Gradually you will start to feel better as the days get longer, more sunshine/outdoor hours etc, but try to exercise as much as you can, even if it is much less than you normally do.

=]

MinMin97

I think it is a real thing. It hit me during an especially cloudy winter. Now I make sure I take vit D (about 6,000 IU almost daily), get plenty of exercise and rest, and take some herbal help if I feel the need. I never want to experience the strange and anxious feelings ever again. It can take months to truly heal hormone levels, so it's good to deal with it promptly. I never use drugs, only herbal options.

Woodspoon

Moods are affected by so many different things that it's impossible to pin it to any one thing.
Food can be quite a big factor though, more than you realise at the time.

Personally, if I'm having a few motivation issues or feeling a bit bummed out or blue, I actually push myself to go and do something I really really hate, because it just makes the rest of the day seem so much better.
If I can do something I really hate then I can do anything and I don't accept any excuses from myself for not doing it.
Yeah I know it sounds a little odd, but that's just what works for me.

tribe216

Yes, it is a real thing. This is been a particularly brutal winter (especially here in Cleveland), and it's taken a little pep from my step too. I know sunlight is supposed to help, so maybe get outside and take a walk during the day. If it's just too cold, I've heard tanning beds can give you the same kind of effect. Exercising is also often suggested to combat depression. Some oranges and things high in vitamin C may perk you up too.

If you feel like that for more than a few weeks, you may want to pay a visit to your doctor and get some bloodwork done to have your iron and thyroid levels checked out. I have hypothyroidism and I know when my thyroid hormone is not at the right levels, I will suffer from anxiety, depression and in general a lack of motivation and energy. Low iron can also make you feel the same too.

beckizzle

Really affects me in winter - (hence the 6 week holiday to Australia)

i found Rhodiola really good, it's an adaptogenic herb, helps the body deal with the effects of stress too.

http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-rhodiola.html

katealbright

Yessss I am the most seasonal person... to the point where even watching a slightly Christmas-themed movie on Dec 26th makes me severely sad lol.

Luckily now I live in LA and it is almost always sunny out, but I still have problems when, for example, the sun goes down at 4:45 or it randomly rains.

My solution is turning on all the lights and cooking/eating foods that feel "bright" -- like oranges, which remind me of being a kid back home in FL. Also I have to get out of the house... so a lot of times I go to the store for a long walk/browse without a plan to buy anything. It's bright in stores so I forget it's gloomy out and getting a little bit of exercise boosts my mood.

LAnne16

Yeah I had a counselor suggest that I had SAD but I was never officially diagnosed. He did suggest I get a lamp that simulated UV light but it was mad expensive.

This year, aside from being friggen dark and cold, has actually been a bit better for me and I think it has to do with 1. allowing myself to be around people 2. exercising regularly.

I really think it's made a difference.

gunnboat

Seasonal afective disorder exists, in the UK you can have a light box on teh national health system

Excercise and sunshine help. I bought some good weatherprroofs and walked on teh beach whenever i could. I find audio books good to listen to if walking alone, takes my mind off teh hoplessness and brooding.

Previous years i have been able to take a months leave from work and have shipped out to far east or new zealand for cycling and hiking. - and getting readuy for that trip has kept me out exercising through October-January- its in incentive not to overeat at Christas if you have to be in lycra on a bike in February.
This year no such plans and it lead to complete collapse.

However- a small rescue package- - hiking in Tenerife, and my little sister has come along to cheer me up and shes supervising all visits to teh hotel buffett- we are on salad, salad and salad- feeding our mitochondria as teh lady in the TED lecture says-- yellow red and green vegetables whenever possible. I know im so lucky to be able to fly south, but recognise excercise as key

atsteele

Yep. I'm fighting off the effects of SAD (self diagnosed) myself!! I try to get outside for my daily dose of sunlight/daylight but it's really tough this time of year! I also find myself getting less sleep because I have more trouble making myself get to bed on time. So it's a downward spiral with less and less sleep and feeling more and more tired/"mopey". I've been saying for years that I really need to get one of the full spectrum light therapy lamps but have yet to do so.

chani8

I sit in a room that gets direct sunlight, open the sliding glass door there, blast the heater, and absorb the rays.

bethiewilliams

I heard on the radio that this year has been particularly bad. USA experiencing bad weather and uk - well we have only had about 2 dry days since mid December!! 30 inches of rain since 23 dec.

I couldn't work out why all I wanted was biccies and bread - I never eat either! The doctor on the radio said that lack of sun and the constant rain was affecting hormones and leading to increase in carb desire.. That explained it. I leave home, drive to work, not able to go out at lunch due to weather and come home in the dark and not seeing a glimmer of daylight - and I work in a golf club!

I am now going to leave work at 4.30 when dry and go to the range and hit some balls and hope that gives me a boost. Just wish this rain would go away! Last year we had snow until April then the hottest summer for years, this year rain, rain and more rain! Bring on the summer!

SAD does exist and as previously said, try and get out as much as possible and do something positive until the weather improves :happy:

greetstrz

I believe it's a very real thing too. What helps me to get out of the funk, is to go outside. It sounds counter intuitive, because outside equals gray, cold and rain. But you still get the daylight, some weak sunshine beams and fresh air and it really does me a world of good afterwards. I usually run outside, rain or no rain, cause that's my thing. But taking a walk, even in the pouring rain, does the same trick. This is what helps me anyway. Hope you feel better soon!

arrseegee

Yes. I sit in front of a special bright lamp for 30 mins a day and no longer get such bad symptoms in winter.

fuji1010

No question about it yes!! This year in the Northeast it has been really hard. I'm hibernating, I was swimming every night and when the Cold Blast came the last thing I wanted to do was get wet! The treadmill and bike roller might as well be a torture devise. I can't wait till spring.

Joe

starbucksbuzz

Yep. It's real, it sucks. I started tanning a bit this year and that has helped. I might get skin cancer but hey at least I'll be happy

crimsonandclovers

yep, i get it big time. cold weather, shorter days, it all drives me insane. really brings me down! i hate leaving the house, i get in foul moods and just comfort eat. can't wait for Spring/Summer!

polo571

I live in Mn and the winter has been brutal. I find you need to embrace winter and get out and do things in the snow and cold. Snowshoeing is great. Getting out and drilling holes in the ice and fishing and moving all day is great too. The body has to burn to keep warm when its cold. Its best to make best of a situation and make it a positive or you will go mad as you get older.

amblight

I was diagnosed with it when I was quite young, like, a child. I had a light box for while which helped a bit, but I don't have it anymore.

It's not every year that it gets really really bad, but when it does, I have to say, I am indeed very bad off. I suffer a lot. But I try to be prepared for it, and take measures to ensure it doesn't get too bad - last winter was extremely bad for me, because I lived alone, so I isolated myself which made it worse. Therefore, I've promised myself to never live alone again, it's just no good when you get like that. So now I have a roommate whom I get along with very well, so that helped me through the winter. I make sure to have a healthy structure to my day, let light in, keep the flat clean, sit up at the table and eat instead of muching on things, get dressed etc. I know all these things sound so simple, but I know how incredible hard they can be if you are at your worst, but with these things, it really is a downwards spiral (no energy = not doing things = less energy), unless you manage to turn it around (doing things=more energy=do more things)

TarynAngeline

Yes yes yes yes yes! I was just trying to explain this to my boyfriend yesterday. He's fine with winter and doesn't understand why I haven't been myself. But absolutely. I think because it's getting worse because it's February and it feels like it's been winter forever. As I get older I've decided it's important for me to book myself a vacation at least once every winter to escape this cold Canadian winters at least once a year. Hold on, Spring is almost here!

wrenegade64

I am right there with you. Snow and ice all over the place here in Kansas, roads suck driving to BOTH of my jobs, a handful of issues at home and at work....I FEEL YOUR PAIN. Keep your eye on the prize and keep pushing. Remember why you are on the journey towards better health. U GOT THIS!!!

Madaly320

Thank you everyone for responding. Just reading your advice and own experiences really helps!