I agree Plant minder. Having my canine pal means I get out for a walk almost every day when we can both meet up with other dogs and dog walkers and have a chat. It certainly kept a group of us going through the Covid shutdown! I have just organised a Soup and Mincepie lunch which everyone enjoyed, the chance to get out of the house and meet up for a chat with like-minded others. A group of 15 of us are meeting on Friday for a New Year Lunch at a local hostelry, again, organised by me and we have a Pasty and Pud. lunch in the pipeline for Feb. Unfortunately, the weather has stopped any chance of us using our lawns, swimming lessons might be more appropriate! There is the occasional committee meeting, hospital apps., and shopping etc. I am going to the theatre on Monday evening, no idea who the main character is, a soul singer, according to my daughter. My grumble is I find it so exhausting just summoning up the energy to prepare for whichever activity I am planning to do. By the time I have got the dog ready, myself togged up in waterproofs etc, collected the necessary dry towels, blanket, water etc for the car, found my keys, locked up the house, loaded the car, and driven to the park, etc. I am almost ready to go back to bed! I hate the feeling of not wanting to get out of bed, I know I am not alone, my younger sister doesn't get up until mid-morning but I feel it is a bad habit to develop. I love gardening and cooking, crafting, art, and reading to name but a few of my interests. I also enjoy decorating around the house but have to accept my advancing years are making themselves felt, contributing to my lower levels of energy, which does not sit well with me. Very frustrating, the short dark days do not help. Is it my imagination or are the afternoons beginning to lengthen, ever so slightly? yeah!
The recent full days of sun have been welcome here JC and yes we're on the turn, the shortest day was a while ago so downhill to Spring now! The green shoots of the bulbs are showing already, not much can be more positive.
Looking at your habits I have to comment. Getting /forcing yourself out from the static warmth of the house into the cold and then back in again could do you the world of good, it is this primeval change which makes us feel human: Hot cold, hot cold, just do it. It's difficult to explain, but for me it works. It was difficult to force myself into it in the first place. Do it and report back please.
Randonmoose, Allotmentmentboy, and MikeOxgreen, Thank you for your replies. I have been using my light for a week now and we have had a couple of glorious days of sunshine so I am feeling less jaded. Your ideas make interesting reading as most of them I already do and have done since moving to Cornwall 20 years ago. My cottage faces South/southwest which makes a good start. Because I have no immediate neighbours I have no curtains in the bedrooms, large roof windows, and tiny south-facing windows so I can lay in bed and look at the stars. Having a dog to walk gets me out most days for an hour or so, except when it is blisteringly hot, or as recently, piles of snow. I topped up my suntan for a while yesterday, sitting on the rocks on my nearest beach. The daylight bulbs idea is interesting as I have some I used when I did a lot of crafting, I must dig them out and give them a try. I already supplement my Vit. D. intake, have done for years. I think it is very true that it helps to recognize in oneself what is going on and find ways to help yourself. Now I am in my eighties, with rheumatism throughout my joints, I find there are days when I feel I do not want to make the effort to bounce around as I did 30 years ago. So then I have a whinge! That cheers me up. Gardening has become more difficult as each year goes by but I suffer withdrawal symptoms if I do not get my hands dirty on a regular basis. Hence having a seed-sowing session during the week. I prowl around the garden spotting new signs of growth which gives me great satisfaction and I look forward to being able to sit outside for my tea and coffee breaks.
Joyce, that sounds like you are doing a lot of things to help so that is great. Hopefully the light will help as well. To some extent to me it feels like just needing to wait it out until spring, being understanding and accepting that I often feel like hibernating instead. I try to do some early morning getting sun into my eyes as that helps, even if it is through a window while eating breakfast. But when there is a week of grey weather I can still feel the drop in mood. Sunny days are fine, regardless of how cold.
As the growth starts and the green increases, it is light earlier in the mornings (I don't function until it is full daylight, just sit on sofa and am pretty boring company for my toddler) and the days get longer it will all start to feel easier. My SAD only kicks in about January now so it isn't long until it stops. It was hard when it was from about October. Sometimes it helps to accept that some of the winter time is just going to be days where wrapping up in a blanket at home is the only thing that appeals.
Sitting on the rocks on the beach sounds lovely! It is thick mist here today but there was some lovely sunshine before it rolled in so I am fine. Enjoy your seed sowing and your tea and coffee breaks outside!
I do wonder sometimes if those of us who are conscious we suffer from SAD punish ourselves unnecessarily. Feeling we should keep up with what we think is expected of us by the world at large. I live on my own, retired for many years, so there is absolutely no reason why I should get up each morning and leap about. Why not wrap myself in my duvet and spend more time in bed? I try not to because I feel guilty about wasting time and thinking it is wrong to be so lazy. You seem to have sussed out your rythm and worked out a way of coping with it which is really good. I think that is what we all have to do, then sit it out until the longer days and better weather arrives. We had the most wonderful sunset yesterday and the sunrise this morning was equally beautiful so I try to enjoy the enjoyable and ignore the miserable. I had a gentle furtle around my snowdrop bulbs yesterday and found small clumps of noses just pushing up through the soil so Spring is definitely on the way. They are planted in a very cold, damp North facing corner under an acer so they are always much later than everyone elses's and I always panic in case they have disappeared. It is very reassuring to discover them each year. Keep up the good work, it is not long until Spring.
Posts
The green shoots of the bulbs are showing already, not much can be more positive.
Looking at your habits I have to comment. Getting /forcing yourself out from the static warmth of the house into the cold and then back in again could do you the world of good, it is this primeval change which makes us feel human: Hot cold, hot cold, just do it.
It's difficult to explain, but for me it works. It was difficult to force myself into it in the first place. Do it and report back please.
Thank you for your replies.
I have been using my light for a week now and we have had a couple of glorious days of sunshine so I am feeling less jaded.
Your ideas make interesting reading as most of them I already do and have done since moving to Cornwall 20 years ago. My cottage faces South/southwest which makes a good start. Because I have no immediate neighbours I have no curtains in the bedrooms, large roof windows, and tiny south-facing windows so I can lay in bed and look at the stars.
Having a dog to walk gets me out most days for an hour or so, except when it is blisteringly hot, or as recently, piles of snow. I topped up my suntan for a while yesterday, sitting on the rocks on my nearest beach.
The daylight bulbs idea is interesting as I have some I used when I did a lot of crafting, I must dig them out and give them a try.
I already supplement my Vit. D. intake, have done for years.
I think it is very true that it helps to recognize in oneself what is going on and find ways to help yourself. Now I am in my eighties, with rheumatism throughout my joints, I find there are days when I feel I do not want to make the effort to bounce around as I did 30 years ago.
So then I have a whinge! That cheers me up.
Gardening has become more difficult as each year goes by but I suffer withdrawal symptoms if I do not get my hands dirty on a regular basis. Hence having a seed-sowing session during the week. I prowl around the garden spotting new signs of growth which gives me great satisfaction and I look forward to being able to sit outside for my tea and coffee breaks.
As the growth starts and the green increases, it is light earlier in the mornings (I don't function until it is full daylight, just sit on sofa and am pretty boring company for my toddler) and the days get longer it will all start to feel easier. My SAD only kicks in about January now so it isn't long until it stops. It was hard when it was from about October. Sometimes it helps to accept that some of the winter time is just going to be days where wrapping up in a blanket at home is the only thing that appeals.
Sitting on the rocks on the beach sounds lovely! It is thick mist here today but there was some lovely sunshine before it rolled in so I am fine. Enjoy your seed sowing and your tea and coffee breaks outside!
I live on my own, retired for many years, so there is absolutely no reason why I should get up each morning and leap about. Why not wrap myself in my duvet and spend more time in bed?
I try not to because I feel guilty about wasting time and thinking it is wrong to be so lazy.
You seem to have sussed out your rythm and worked out a way of coping with it which is really good. I think that is what we all have to do, then sit it out until the longer days and better weather arrives.
We had the most wonderful sunset yesterday and the sunrise this morning was equally beautiful so I try to enjoy the enjoyable and ignore the miserable.
I had a gentle furtle around my snowdrop bulbs yesterday and found small clumps of noses just pushing up through the soil so Spring is definitely on the way. They are planted in a very cold, damp North facing corner under an acer so they are always much later than everyone elses's and I always panic in case they have disappeared. It is very reassuring to discover them each year.
Keep up the good work, it is not long until Spring.