Overcoming "Winter Time Blues"

Cedura
Cedura Posts: 184 Member
in Motivation and Support
I suffer from Depression. Its always worse for me in the winter time because its dark more, cold, and just grey all the time. My doctor has recommended medication (high dose Effexor). I used to be on medication and gained weight like crazy when I was taking it. I refuse to take medication for my issues if they are going to make me eat everything in sight and gain 10lbs a month in the process.

I used to drink 140oz of soda a day. I then switched to diet everything. I noticed the sodium in soda was slowing down my weight loss. So I am only drinking water. I just feel drained and tired ALL the time. I have been told exercise creates endorphins that make people feel happy. But I only want to sleep all the time.

So- What are some things you all do to over come the "winter time blues"? What motivates you to get out of bed every day? How do you get your energy? Have you found tricks to overcome depression without the pills- like a "fake it til you make it" strategy?

Replies

  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    I just said this on another thread, but vitamin D might really help. I don't sell them or anything, lol. I am on an antidepressant and definitely always need that (it's just biochemical), but I got especially moody with the short days. My iron needing upping (I was literally anemic), and after that didn't fix the extra moodiness I tried the vitamin D. It helped a lot!

    I was feeling like I needed more light if that makes any sense at all (like it was just so dark). It's worth a shot if you take a reasonable amount just long enough to see if it helps, imho. Good luck!

    Also, different antidepressants cause different symptoms or none among individuals, so try a different one if you need to. I think antidepressants are lifesaver medicine (not for everyone, but for many). I take Lexapro and it doesn't affect my weight at all.
  • gelenerun
    gelenerun Posts: 12 Member
    I heard that Effexor kinds of gives you energy. You might want to try it. I have taken anti-depressants for situational depression and I did take Lexapro ( the medication mentioned in the last comment ) and it made me tired and I gained weight.....it was good for depression and anxiety.....thank goodness I did not take it long, because the side effects were not good for me.....try the effexor, you may find that it gives you a little boost :-)
  • pamperedhen
    pamperedhen Posts: 446 Member
    May I suggest you ask your physician to check your D3 levels? This really helped me because I was low. I take 2000 IU of D3. Because we are a society that usually does everything indoors, we do not get the benefits of the vitamin of D3 that the sun provides for us. My doctor also suggested to get 15 minutes of sunlight per day.

    I wish you all the best.:flowerforyou:
  • MeRoHa
    MeRoHa Posts: 95 Member
    I also consistently have blue time during winter. I started using light therapy to combat the seasonal affective disorder symptoms and it really does help. I try to make sure I use it in the early part of the day as it can cause sleep problems if I use it to late in the day. I found a reasonably priced one at Costco. They can also be ordered directly from Verilux, but tend to be a little more expensive through the mail. But I have found St. Johns Wort to be very helpful as a nutritional supplement. I can really tell when I forget to take it.
  • Cedura
    Cedura Posts: 184 Member
    I have noticed that the days I take my multivitamin are a little better. Maybe combining the light therapy with a vitamin will help. How long and often do you do light therapy?
  • tfleischer
    tfleischer Posts: 199 Member
    Exercise has been helping me with the blahs. Trying to stick to the schedule of waking up and going to meet my buddy at the gym has made my sleep at night better, more restful and full.
    Vitamin D is a good suggestion. If you can have the doctor test you for low D, you may find that a once a month vit D pill will help.
    You can also get it by spending time in the sun, even when it is cold. Take a walk outside. If you have a dog, walk her! Mine goes nuts when she sees me get the leash and that has a tendency to make me smile for much longer than the 30-45 minutes of the walk.
  • Cedura
    Cedura Posts: 184 Member
    Maybe I can finally teach my dog to walk on a leash. That is an excellent idea. Right now he just Po-gos around when we use it and it is very hard to walk him. 165lbs of po-going dog is an arm work out for sure though! haha
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    Exercise has been helping me with the blahs. Trying to stick to the schedule of waking up and going to meet my buddy at the gym has made my sleep at night better, more restful and full.
    Vitamin D is a good suggestion. If you can have the doctor test you for low D, you may find that a once a month vit D pill will help.
    You can also get it by spending time in the sun, even when it is cold. Take a walk outside. If you have a dog, walk her! Mine goes nuts when she sees me get the leash and that has a tendency to make me smile for much longer than the 30-45 minutes of the walk.

    You need to have about 60% of your skin exposed to reap the benefits of sun, if you're talking about Vitamin D production. Also, anyone who lives in the northern part of the US or farther north - the sun's angle on the horizon is not high enough from September through April to get any benefits from the sun.

    Tanning beds are a sub - but still...

    Vitamin D supplementation completely changed my life. No doctor ever told me my levels were low, but when I started taking 3000 iu a day, my depression symptoms vanished within weeks. I don't believe a once-a-month pill will do much, and you really can't get enough through food.

    .
  • yayamom3
    yayamom3 Posts: 939 Member
    I also bought a blue light from Costco several years ago. I sit on my bed and put my makeup on in the mornings, while it shines in my eyes. And I cannot say enough about what exercise does for me! I dragged my feet for a long time over joining a gym. It was one of the smartest things I ever did--especially now that it's winter.
  • stt43
    stt43 Posts: 487
    I'm on medication, I use an SAD lamp, I try to exercise every day, and I make sure I get all the micronutrients I need each day.

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