Winter blues, winter sadness, darkness depression, whatever you want to call it. How do you avoid getting depressed when it's dark, wet, cold outside?
I live in northern Ontario and November to ~March I just want to get drunk and wallow in self pity.
How do I not hate life in the winter?
You could just move somewhere else if it's that depressing to you. Any reason you're particularly attached to that place?
I moved to Arizona. Frick off, we're full.
Depends on where in AZ you are, it was -19F (-28C) last weekend on the Rim. Which is about the typical extreme lows you see this time of year in parts of the high country. The heat and cold kill morons in this state every year.
SAD=survival mechanism
It's just your body telling you that you shouldn't bother expending too many calories because it's winter, game is scarce, and there's not much to forage.
It goes away temporarily when you force yourself to engage in a physical task. So muster the willpower to exercise every day that you need to get stuff done.
Try winter camping. But be prepared. It will force you to do stuff.
Otherwise, just lean into it. Light a fire in the stove, read some books, make a stew with beef and chicken paws so your body gets plenty of collagen to heal your tendons and skin for another year of good PrepHole times.
And it is important to feel blue at times. If it is done right. Reflection is important. Going over past mistakes can help you not make them again. The idea that you have to feel "happy" all the time is propaganda to make you think there is something wrong with you.
I am not a very religious man, But look into the tradition of advent. It is basically a holiday-period for feeling somber, in preparation for the joy of Christmas. If you aren't a Christian, you could shift it to mourning the dying year, and preparing for the joy you will have in the coming year.
Thread theme https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=1DpdwN_0dJw
Make the next year, better than your last. You owe yourself that much.
excellent post
I use the lean into it approach and I love it
good take, though personally I don't think a more downbeat mood is synonymous with miserable depression. winter does get me "down" but I still manage to do the stuff I need to do. if it's to the extent you really wanna die then you might have other stuff going on. as you say, if you just wanna sleep and read a lot that's not necessarily a bad thing.
go outside and get all the sun you can regardless of the temperatures. the cold weather will invigorate yours soul, and the winter sun will charge you like a battery.
This
Especially whatever morning sun you may have
leave the city whenever you can, go outside, dont cope with too much artifical light. enjoy the cold and moon/starlight.
i live in a area far more north than you and days are much shorter. when im in the city its all fake lights, tall buildings that block everything, usually wet, sloggy and raining, if it actually snows its hellish to get around. if i take the 1h drive to my parents or even better my cabin its almost no light pollution, its clear white snow, i can see the milky way or the northern light, moon shines so bright it turns night into day once reflected from the snow, its darker overall but the lightning is natural. i can spend entire days/nights in my cabin with no artifical light except whats needed to cook or hit the toiled the rest is from the fireplace or the moon and its as revitalizing as a proper summerday, not to mention the underwear errands outside to get firewood in -25c pregerably barefoot as well.
it would take me 2 weeks or more away from that to fully get the doomy darkness feel from the city, but i always find time to get away from it. even an evening drive to a parking lot away from it all can sort out my mind for the next day or two.
You don't avoid it, just find ways to cope. Lean into it a bit like other anon said, take some supplemental Vitamin D, Make sure your getting outside 1x a day during daylight to just go walk and take some deep breaths.
Hi I’m in Ontario too. I would suggest not drinking at all cause that makes every kind of mood disorder much worse.
What do you eat on a daily basis?
Take 5000 units of vitamin D daily. Another thing that helped me was getting an extra floor lamp from ikea with their brightest bulb available. I keep this in the room I spend the most time in and turn it off in the evenings. I hope this helps you too.
100% this. Many studies have shown a link between seasonal depression and vitamin D deficiency. It is also an effective treatment for SAD. I am sure to take mine daily.
You aren't fit to live in the great north
leave, do everyone a fav
>How do you avoid getting depressed when it's dark, wet, cold outside?
Vitamine D
Turns out Vitamin D is critical. If only there were modern remedies which included maximum nonavailability of this. Guess we just have to nude sunbath in the cold then.
Go outside during the day moron why are you even posting on this board if you don’t already
>How do you avoid getting depressed when it's dark, wet, cold outside?
By living in a country where that is the default
T. Danish man
The cure will feel worse than the disease, for a while. You don't want to hear this but you are going to have to do some kind of physical activity. A job, hobby, sport, etc. It won't fix whatever is eating you, but it will take your mind off it for a few hours a day. Want some weird but tried and true methods? Try a vision quest. Chems optional. Go out into the wild with minimal gear needed to survive and fast for at least 24 hours. Howl like a dog. Be nutty and crazy. Just don't put yourself in any danger you can't get back out of.
have something to do and look forward to. i get this still, but way worse when i veiwed winter as if im stuck inside. go out and snowboard or ski, go ice fishing, go skating, read by the fireplace, play vidya, get into your hobbies for example wood working is great and satisfying. there are lots of fun things that make winter great anon you just have to go out and do them.
I’ve had this all my life. Things that have worked for me are setting my clocks but not my sleep schedule forward by an hour or 2. (Not applicable if you wake up at sunrise already). vitamin d3 megadose (25000iu eod for 2 weeks, more if bloodwork indicates), and just getting outdoors for a while each day to see the sun, even if it’s behind clouds. It’s probably a fair bit colder there than it is here, but with the right gear you don’t have to be super uncomfortable, I haven’t had bad SAD for a few years by following the above advice.
Just live in the best hemisphere.
Get into skiing or snowboarding and winter will become one of your favorite seasons
i get mine during the summer. hot, sticky, bugs, more people out and about. frick that.
Do you even lift bro?
Buy a treadmill or a gym membership