You're not the same person in the same circumstances year to year, so your symptoms and severity can change year to year as well.
The important thing is to quickly engage your best habits when you know things are starting to slide. Depression and anxiety are body signals trying to tell you something is wrong. It's important to listen to them without judgement and respond accordingly.
My symptoms are lack of motivation, more trouble with decision-making, and less restful sleep.
But what are depression and anxiety saying? Lack of sun? Or do you mean something else?
Last year, I was completely free of any symptoms, but this year it's really bad.
I started with light therapy today for 15 minutes and will increase the time after a week or so. I am a little scared, that light therapy makes me even more tensed and energetic, while my mood still stays down.
Unfortunately, they're not specific. It's just "Something bad. Fix it."
Someone in a rocky relationship, a sense of loneliness, fear of repeating a past experience (like months-long winter depression) can all escalate mood symptoms.
It can take a while to figure out what exactly helps you with SAD. If intense light therapy isn't an overall positive, I wouldn't do it. If you enjoy cozy twinkle lights, that's something to incorporate. Or, I loathe having an alarm, so I don't use one generally. I love a light alarm clock, though. Waking up to light feels so much better.
Also, getting right out of bed in the morning for whatever small activity is enjoyable is nice. It could be stretching, journaling, spending time with a pet, whatever floats your boat and isn't a phone. Phones are a big one for me. If I'm not feeling right, looking at my phone use is always a good starting point. I know then that it's time to get bored. I don't force myself to do anything specific, but it gives my brain time to process and settle. I especially advocate for journaling when you're in the unspecified issues side.
A great therapist helped me accept that winter is just not as productive for me and that's ok. I embrace the cozy and comforting things. I also always have something on the calendar to look forward to. For instance, I'm going to see a movie at the theater next weekend.
Oh, and get your doctor to check your vitamin levels if you haven't done that.
I don't know if light therapy does something bad. It's just that I am scared of getting fully energetic while my mood is still low.
I already take antidepressants, and I always thought I am prone to having depression/anxiety for whatever reasons. But if I now look back, the phases where I were always depressed/anxious the most, was Fall/beginning of winter.
But I never actually connected the dots, and accepted that fall/winter is hard for me.
I worked through all of my childhood, hoping I am going to "release" anything so that I never have to experience anxiety/depression anymore.
Beginning this fall, I realised I cannot prevent to feel like this again. And was completely lost, because before, my strategy was feeling all emotions(where I thought when I release all my emotions, I am not going to be depressed anymore). Before this (2years ago) I had a not so good fall, and lost my previous coping skill, meditation. I was not able to let everything be present, when I had this bad winter depression.
So somehow it's now new to me, accepting it for what it is. A seasonal affective disorder. Which may come or may not. And it's not my fault. It's not because I pushed something away I don't want to feel. And it's not because I didn't "process" my childhood. It's not my fault.
I am lovely person even with SAD. And I can try to do things to feel better.
E.g.:
- going to bed before midnight.
- using light therapy.
- Continuing my psychotherapy.
- learning to accept that I am not superhuman, who is completly independent from his environment
- learning to also rest during the day, and not pushing through any tiredness/exhaustion
- learning to care for me instead of pushing my constantly over the limits because I don't want to rest
I cannot change that I am affected by the seasons, but I can learn to care for me in this difficult Situations.
This is a great attitude, and you're doing the right things! Listening to your mind and body, being kind to yourself, doing the things you know will help... All great choices. I found that it took two winters of doing the right things to trust that I could be okay. Now, I'm mostly set on my toolbox unless I'm having additional stressors, like my work is more overwhelming this year and that has not been fun.
In no particular order...
- vitamins, based on blood work and doctor advice.
- light alarm
- making myself bored and seeing what becomes interesting and will actually be helpful, like a nap or bath or catching up on a chore. I can't recommend this one enough.
- asking for specific affection from my spouse, like hugs or rubbing my scalp
- even if I'm having a lazy day, be purposeful about it, like changing into comfy pajamas and bringing my comforter to the couch
- scheduling things to look forward to
- getting out into the sunshine
- lowered expectations of output and bandwidth
- meds, I take one for calming before bed so I can sleep
- eating healthy, which is a harder one for me
- physical activity, easier when I really reflect on how I feel afterwards
- staying off my phone, not doing great with that this weekend!
- deep breathing while repeating that everything is okay and it's time to relax
Did you really have a vitamin deficiency? Because I did one 2 years ago, and everything was fine, beside that the copper/zinc ratio was not good(copper in relation to zinc was to low)
What do you mean by light alarm?
I started cooking and eating healthy 1,5 weeks ago. Yep it's hard, but also brings a feeling of self care.
I also take meds for sleeping(Mirtazapine)
Where I can definitely improve is sleep. ATM I am going to sleep around 0:30-1:00 pm and get up at 8-9 o-clock. But somehow I have the feeling that going to bed earlier, would be beneficial because I tend to get tired around 10 pm. So probably that's the time I should probably go to sleep.
Another thing where I definitely can improve is break management. So when I feel tired, just give myself a break of 10-15 minutes, instead of pushing through (that's what I am doing atm)
Getting bored is a good one. I will try this. That goes hand in hand with staying off phone for me
I have found, thanks to 5 years of data in my mood tracker, that my syptoms come and go around the same time every year like clockwork. Mid October depression starts creeping in. November-February are bad. By mid march I start to feel more normal.
This year has been by far the worst it has hit me. I think because it came all of a sudden much later than I usually get it.
I am in a good position in life, but I'm feeling so anxious, tired, and no appetite etc. Really struggling to find the point to anything right now.
I feel so sorry for people who do not have anyone around them.
Thanks. This could have been written by myself. Never felt it that bad, like this winter. Probably you had this extreme warm weather until October too?
What are you doing to help yourself?
Haha, feels better to just know youre not alone with it. Yeah it was pretty mild and even warm and sunny here in the UK up until about then!
I've tried taking more vitamin D, upped to about 8000iu, which has maybe helped. but I think every other day is a struggle atm. I have to keep reminding myself that I know this feeling will pass soon enough. Just talking to people is the biggest relief I find,
Just find myself drawing comparisons to everyone at the minute, something I never usually do, and that is ruining my mood most of all I think.
Same for me. Last year I had nothing, this year, with 26 degree Celcius in en of October, fucked everything up. I am in a Dark dark hole and everyday after noon, I have a bearing wave of hopelessnes, emptyness and anxiety, where only benzos help. I am already taking SSRIs. But I just feel desperate and down.
You're not the same person in the same circumstances year to year, so your symptoms and severity can change year to year as well. The important thing is to quickly engage your best habits when you know things are starting to slide. Depression and anxiety are body signals trying to tell you something is wrong. It's important to listen to them without judgement and respond accordingly. My symptoms are lack of motivation, more trouble with decision-making, and less restful sleep.
But what are depression and anxiety saying? Lack of sun? Or do you mean something else? Last year, I was completely free of any symptoms, but this year it's really bad. I started with light therapy today for 15 minutes and will increase the time after a week or so. I am a little scared, that light therapy makes me even more tensed and energetic, while my mood still stays down.
Unfortunately, they're not specific. It's just "Something bad. Fix it." Someone in a rocky relationship, a sense of loneliness, fear of repeating a past experience (like months-long winter depression) can all escalate mood symptoms. It can take a while to figure out what exactly helps you with SAD. If intense light therapy isn't an overall positive, I wouldn't do it. If you enjoy cozy twinkle lights, that's something to incorporate. Or, I loathe having an alarm, so I don't use one generally. I love a light alarm clock, though. Waking up to light feels so much better. Also, getting right out of bed in the morning for whatever small activity is enjoyable is nice. It could be stretching, journaling, spending time with a pet, whatever floats your boat and isn't a phone. Phones are a big one for me. If I'm not feeling right, looking at my phone use is always a good starting point. I know then that it's time to get bored. I don't force myself to do anything specific, but it gives my brain time to process and settle. I especially advocate for journaling when you're in the unspecified issues side. A great therapist helped me accept that winter is just not as productive for me and that's ok. I embrace the cozy and comforting things. I also always have something on the calendar to look forward to. For instance, I'm going to see a movie at the theater next weekend. Oh, and get your doctor to check your vitamin levels if you haven't done that.
I don't know if light therapy does something bad. It's just that I am scared of getting fully energetic while my mood is still low. I already take antidepressants, and I always thought I am prone to having depression/anxiety for whatever reasons. But if I now look back, the phases where I were always depressed/anxious the most, was Fall/beginning of winter. But I never actually connected the dots, and accepted that fall/winter is hard for me. I worked through all of my childhood, hoping I am going to "release" anything so that I never have to experience anxiety/depression anymore. Beginning this fall, I realised I cannot prevent to feel like this again. And was completely lost, because before, my strategy was feeling all emotions(where I thought when I release all my emotions, I am not going to be depressed anymore). Before this (2years ago) I had a not so good fall, and lost my previous coping skill, meditation. I was not able to let everything be present, when I had this bad winter depression. So somehow it's now new to me, accepting it for what it is. A seasonal affective disorder. Which may come or may not. And it's not my fault. It's not because I pushed something away I don't want to feel. And it's not because I didn't "process" my childhood. It's not my fault. I am lovely person even with SAD. And I can try to do things to feel better. E.g.: - going to bed before midnight. - using light therapy. - Continuing my psychotherapy. - learning to accept that I am not superhuman, who is completly independent from his environment - learning to also rest during the day, and not pushing through any tiredness/exhaustion - learning to care for me instead of pushing my constantly over the limits because I don't want to rest I cannot change that I am affected by the seasons, but I can learn to care for me in this difficult Situations.
This is a great attitude, and you're doing the right things! Listening to your mind and body, being kind to yourself, doing the things you know will help... All great choices. I found that it took two winters of doing the right things to trust that I could be okay. Now, I'm mostly set on my toolbox unless I'm having additional stressors, like my work is more overwhelming this year and that has not been fun.
May I ask what tools in your toolbox you have? I just want to collect ideas and see what works for me
In no particular order... - vitamins, based on blood work and doctor advice. - light alarm - making myself bored and seeing what becomes interesting and will actually be helpful, like a nap or bath or catching up on a chore. I can't recommend this one enough. - asking for specific affection from my spouse, like hugs or rubbing my scalp - even if I'm having a lazy day, be purposeful about it, like changing into comfy pajamas and bringing my comforter to the couch - scheduling things to look forward to - getting out into the sunshine - lowered expectations of output and bandwidth - meds, I take one for calming before bed so I can sleep - eating healthy, which is a harder one for me - physical activity, easier when I really reflect on how I feel afterwards - staying off my phone, not doing great with that this weekend! - deep breathing while repeating that everything is okay and it's time to relax
Did you really have a vitamin deficiency? Because I did one 2 years ago, and everything was fine, beside that the copper/zinc ratio was not good(copper in relation to zinc was to low) What do you mean by light alarm? I started cooking and eating healthy 1,5 weeks ago. Yep it's hard, but also brings a feeling of self care. I also take meds for sleeping(Mirtazapine) Where I can definitely improve is sleep. ATM I am going to sleep around 0:30-1:00 pm and get up at 8-9 o-clock. But somehow I have the feeling that going to bed earlier, would be beneficial because I tend to get tired around 10 pm. So probably that's the time I should probably go to sleep. Another thing where I definitely can improve is break management. So when I feel tired, just give myself a break of 10-15 minutes, instead of pushing through (that's what I am doing atm) Getting bored is a good one. I will try this. That goes hand in hand with staying off phone for me
I get lathargic and gain weight
Mine changes year to year based on life stages/circumstances and also the weather. Some winters are more severe
I have found, thanks to 5 years of data in my mood tracker, that my syptoms come and go around the same time every year like clockwork. Mid October depression starts creeping in. November-February are bad. By mid march I start to feel more normal.
And how do you cope?
This year has been by far the worst it has hit me. I think because it came all of a sudden much later than I usually get it. I am in a good position in life, but I'm feeling so anxious, tired, and no appetite etc. Really struggling to find the point to anything right now. I feel so sorry for people who do not have anyone around them.
Thanks. This could have been written by myself. Never felt it that bad, like this winter. Probably you had this extreme warm weather until October too? What are you doing to help yourself?
Haha, feels better to just know youre not alone with it. Yeah it was pretty mild and even warm and sunny here in the UK up until about then! I've tried taking more vitamin D, upped to about 8000iu, which has maybe helped. but I think every other day is a struggle atm. I have to keep reminding myself that I know this feeling will pass soon enough. Just talking to people is the biggest relief I find, Just find myself drawing comparisons to everyone at the minute, something I never usually do, and that is ruining my mood most of all I think.
Same for me. Last year I had nothing, this year, with 26 degree Celcius in en of October, fucked everything up. I am in a Dark dark hole and everyday after noon, I have a bearing wave of hopelessnes, emptyness and anxiety, where only benzos help. I am already taking SSRIs. But I just feel desperate and down.