Jump to content

SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) talk


Aspiring Writer

Recommended Posts

So, fun fact for anyone who doesn't know, SAD is a real thing where during certain seasons, winter specifically, where you start to get more depressed because of several factors. Through certain events, I found out about this and realized that I am very much affected, as, in the past few years, I have been pretty depressed during these months, getting really cynical and lazy. I just stop caring about anything as everything seems inconsequential, which makes me just binge stuff and not really do much, which ends up making me feel like I'm wasting my life, which makes me even more depressed and less productive, and it's just an unending spiral. I first assumed this was because I was just facing major setbacks in my writing, as that was normally what set it off, but I have setbacks in other times of the year and am fine, so I realized that it's specifically in this time of year I am vulnerable to getting depressed. Now that I'm aware of it, I have taken measures to make sure I don't start down that slippery slope, making sure I always have something to do, as being productive is honestly the best way for me to feel better. (And the fact I'm about to get RoW helps.)

This year, COVID-19 has screwed many people and now that it's winter, I thought perhaps I would make a thread for people with similar stories to share and get advice on how to handle the winter of this already depressing year. I've shared my story; don't feel afraid to share yours.

Spoiler

4nmkv3.jpg

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Spoiler
7 hours ago, Aspiring Writer said:

So, fun fact for anyone who doesn't know, SAD is a real thing where during certain seasons, winter specifically, where you start to get more depressed because of several factors. Through certain events, I found out about this and realized that I am very much affected, as, in the past few years, I have been pretty depressed during these months, getting really cynical and lazy. I just stop caring about anything as everything seems inconsequential, which makes me just binge stuff and not really do much, which ends up making me feel like I'm wasting my life, which makes me even more depressed and less productive, and it's just an unending spiral. I first assumed this was because I was just facing major setbacks in my writing, as that was normally what set it off, but I have setbacks in other times of the year and am fine, so I realized that it's specifically in this time of year I am vulnerable to getting depressed. Now that I'm aware of it, I have taken measures to make sure I don't start down that slippery slope, making sure I always have something to do, as being productive is honestly the best way for me to feel better. (And the fact I'm about to get RoW helps.)

This year, COVID-19 has screwed many people and now that it's winter, I thought perhaps I would make a thread for people with similar stories to share and get advice on how to handle the winter of this already depressing year. I've shared my story; don't feel afraid to share yours.

  Reveal hidden contents

4nmkv3.jpg

 

Well, that's really sad to hear. :( I hope it gets better. Personnally, winter is my favorite season,  but that's probaly becuse I live in Vermont.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi @Aspiring Writer I haven’t come to this part of the forum much in the past and thought I’d check it out today. I appreciate that you made this topic. While this is not something I struggle with personally, my husband seems to quite a bit. I’m sorry you have to go through it. Something we have been trying in the past is to make sure he makes time for a hobby he loves. The past two winters he did musical theater with a local community theater and that seemed to make a huge difference. It gave him something to look forward to, plus got him physically active instead of shut in our house all the time. This year is obviously different. His theater group had to stop their last show mid run back in March and hasn’t felt comfortable doing anything since. (For which I am actually grateful that they are being responsible.) Anyway, now we are re-figuring out what will help him. He is now doing virtual voice lessons with one of his theater friends and I try my best to give him time to practice every day after work instead of immediately jumping to “welcome home, help me with dinner and the kids.” He has also been trying to go out for walks more and we decided to try to get out of the house more often in simple ways. The last thing we are trying is vitamin D. I’ve heard that that can be very helpful for people suffering from SAD. There are vitamins or I’ve also heard there are special lights you can get too. Wishing you the best this winter! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Philomath said:

Hi @Aspiring Writer I haven’t come to this part of the forum much in the past and thought I’d check it out today. I appreciate that you made this topic. While this is not something I struggle with personally, my husband seems to quite a bit. I’m sorry you have to go through it. Something we have been trying in the past is to make sure he makes time for a hobby he loves. The past two winters he did musical theater with a local community theater and that seemed to make a huge difference. It gave him something to look forward to, plus got him physically active instead of shut in our house all the time. This year is obviously different. His theater group had to stop their last show mid run back in March and hasn’t felt comfortable doing anything since. (For which I am actually grateful that they are being responsible.) Anyway, now we are re-figuring out what will help him. He is now doing virtual voice lessons with one of his theater friends and I try my best to give him time to practice every day after work instead of immediately jumping to “welcome home, help me with dinner and the kids.” He has also been trying to go out for walks more and we decided to try to get out of the house more often in simple ways. The last thing we are trying is vitamin D. I’ve heard that that can be very helpful for people suffering from SAD. There are vitamins or I’ve also heard there are special lights you can get too. Wishing you the best this winter! 

Thank you for sharing your story (I thought this thread would be dead before it began) Thank you for your concern, and sorry to here about the struggle your husband has to go through because of quarantine. You made good suggestions, and I personally agree that making sure he is doing something that he likes will help keep him from getting depressed. He's lucky to have someone like you to be concerned about him and take care of him. I'm sure there are people who don't have that luxury. Send him my regards, and I wish you the best of luck getting through this winter. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...