How do you fight Fall Depression?

[TigerClaw]

.

 

[R Nitelight]

Hibernation.

 

[CelestialBody]

 

[teresafannin]

I used to love fall, though we don't get much of it in Texas. Growing up in the midwest with actual seasons was great-raking leaves, bonfires,all the small town stuff. Because of what happened last fall when I lost my son, I have bad bouts of depression & because we just came through the one year anniversary, it has been worse. To try to fight it, I work too many hours & spend too much time on-line. I feel like I have made some friends here & the role play board has helped me to start getting back some of the intimacy my fiancee & I had before my son's death. I don't think I will ever feel the same about this time of year, my son & I always made a big deal out of the fall/winer holidays & I doubt I will do anything for any of the holidays this year. I am glad for the cooler weather, summer was brutal this year & we are still in drought conditons.

 

[Adoratrice]

Teresa...My heart breaks for you every time I see your name...I cannot even begin to imagine your pain...I know what it is like to lose someone dear to me too soon, but not a child....knowing that there are people who have genuine pain and reasons to be depressed this time of year make it worse for me...I live a comfortable life, have three healthy children, an absolutly perfect husband and wonderful friends...and yet it is all I can do to force myself out of bed some days...it always starts the middle of September & continues til late spring...just a feeling of doom & despairity...although at times it is just a quiet calming with disturbed edges....I get my children off to school and walk around my house in utter silence looking out my window wondering what others are doing...other times it feels like an intense introspective disection...why does my husband adore me so? How does he? I am me after all.
would things be different if it were not for my past? to many questions to consider when the weather turns cold.


I am starting to see a theme on the board and I am realizing that it is not just me...maybe I will reconsider those antidepressants.

 

[TigerClaw]

.

 

[Silverlily]

I don't get fall depression, it's actually one of my better seasons. February, on the other hand, is a nightmare. I am in a horrible funk the entire month. A doctor told me it was because of less light, but if that were the case, why not January?

Anyway, I avoid doing anything serious or making any but the most necessary decisions then. The only exception I've ever made is my husband and I got married at the end of February.

I also indulge myself as much as possible then. I save up and give myself a massive shipping spree. That is also when I usually change my haircolor.

 

[ANiceGuy]

Light helps

Seasonal depression can be helped by having Brite lights on around you a lot more than usual. AS the days get shorter and shorter you can counter that effect with light!

Do FUN things with friends!

Also having plants (real live oxgen replentishing ones) around you is good.

Do FUN things with friends!

Those small waterfalls they sell all over now are also good. Running water helps "clean" the air of bad ions.

Read more humor like Readers digest jokes sections.

Use herbal remedys you can get in good health food stores. A good Generic Health Food store (not drug store) multi vitamin for women will help too.

Do FUN things with friends!

Have lots of orgasmic FUN!!!!

 

[Guest]

But here we are in the fall, leaves falling, cooler weather and no more walks in the park.

Autumn is my favorite time of the year!! I'll still be taking walks in parks and the woods well into November!! The only thing that may stop my walks would be the first snow fall of the year! What area of the world are you in? Here in Nebr. the weather is still in the mid to high 70s. It's very warm and sunny still.

~Tiggs~
http://smilecwm.tripod.com/sd3/lise.gif

 

[OUTSIDER]

Drink beer and rent comedy videos or flap real hard and fly south

 

[dancinvixen]

By staying active, drinking lots of orange juice, and exercising. Drs. are now saying that a big part of the reason why people suffer from SDD is because of the lack of sun and the shorter days.

 

[Skitten]

By not worrying about what time of year it is , go out do the things you enjoy doing. Don't be a hermit just because it is cooler. Enjoy the new time of year and the thing you couldn't do because it was too hot. Go out with your friends and enjoy time together. I also find that exercising clears my mind of those miserable thoughts sometime. *just a though* but it works for me.

 

[Shelby]

Depression? I'm one of those strange beasts who
battle it all summer. Winter and 6' of snow is my season.
I hate heat, unless it's MAN made. My father, he battles
depression all spring, winter & fall. Go figure. It's movies all summer for me. And wine!! Lots of wine.

Teresa - hugs & thoughts.

 

[Ezzy]

Artificial sunlight...

Not cheap I know, the lamps with the correct properties cost around the $350.00 mark.

Often called SAD ( seasonal adjustment disorder), the lamps can bring either partial or total adjustment, with as little as 30 mins per day.

Speak to your Doctor, or check with your local Medical supplies store.

EZ http://smilecwm.tripod.com/cwm/sleep.gif

 

[Weird Harold]

Re: Artificial sunlight...

Not cheap I know, the lamps with the correct properties cost around the $350.00 mark.

I don't know where you're shopping, but Walmart sells a 24" flourescent light called a "gro-stik" that produces full spectrum light for plants. It's only about $30 in this part of the country. I've noticed that since I put one on a timer for my house pants, I'm less prone to SAD.

Home improvement stores also carry full spectrum flourescent tubes for $10 to $20 that fit in standard fixtures of almost any size.

I still haven't figured out how to compensate for the higher humidity, and lower barometric pressures that come with winter weather tho. Those affect me more than the shorter days do.

I generally cope by hibernating with the waterbed temp cranked up a few degrees.

 

[Closet Desire]

we're not pod people yet!

Just kidding...the SAD lamps are used quite a lot here in England and they are very different from the grow sticks. Much brighter for one thing. For people truly affected by SAD the lamps work. If you have more serious underlying causes to be depressed or, you suspect you may be depressed, I would urge you to consult with a psychologist (not a therapist or psychiatrist). There is a brief process that can often quickly determine (one session) if your depression is serious enough to warrant therapy and/or medication. I'm most concerned because many of the comments I've just read match those of our clients (who are predominantly women in their 30-40s).

 

[Weird Harold]

Re: we're not pod people yet!

Just kidding...the SAD lamps are used quite a lot here in England and they are very different from the grow sticks. Much brighter for one thing.

I've seen articles on the SAD lamps, and yes they are brighter, but they are basically just high-intensity full spectrum lamps. For the price difference, you can still get the same number of full spectrum lumens with those flourescents sold for plants at a lower total wattage than the halogen based SAD lamps.

Oddly enough, the Weather Channel did an information bit about SAD as I started to reply to your post. It didn't mention light therapy. It did mention the role light plays in the turning of the leaves, and how that same change in the light affects people as well.

BTW, I am referring to "full-spectrum" grow lights, not the "enhanced spectrum" lights also called "aquarium lights." Although the increased level of blue lights emitted by those will help some SAD sufferers, (and some plants grow better,) it's the full spectrum lights that mimic sunshine.

For people truly affected by SAD the lamps work. If you have more serious underlying causes to be depressed or, you suspect you may be depressed, I would urge you to consult with a psychologist (not a therapist or psychiatrist).

I have no doubt that a lamp especially developed and configured for the treatment of SAD is effective. The flourescent plant lights do have the drawback that they are flourescent lights, and have the flicker that causes headaches and nervousness in some people.

Still, It is the frequencies emitted that make SAD lamps effective, as much as it is the intensity. It's the replacement of decreased sunshine that's important.

I do agree with your advice to seek professional help for persistent depression. SAD isn't the only cause of fall depression, and if there is any doubt as to the cause, seeking help is definitely a wise move.

Yet, if replacing the 60W or 100W incandescent bulb in your reading lamp with a 15W or 20W flourescent grow light can improve your mood, then it's worth the investment. If it doesn't improve your mood, at least it will reduce your electric bill. Either way it's much cheaper than therapy as a first step.

 

[Guest]

The first time I posted here, I mentioned CURRENT tempature, but no one answered my question. On Monday, Oct. 23, 2000 at 1:15pm CST it is 68 digrees F outside. Throughout Sept. and Oct. it has been within the high 60s to the mid 70s. I mean, come on!!! That's beautiful weather! No need to be weather depressed yet! What's the temp like where the rest of you are?

~Tiggs~

 

[Weird Harold]

it has been within the high 60s to the mid 70s. I mean, come on!!! That's beautiful weather! No need to be weather depressed yet! What's the temp like where the rest of you are?

It's a very atypical fall day in Las Vegas. At 1134 AM, it's 61 degrees, and raining. For Omaha, that might not be all that depressing, but here...

Well, it just don't happen here. I must be so depressed I'm hallucinating. (can hallucinations get you wet and cold?)

 

[Silverlily]

Well, it just don't happen here. I must be so depressed I'm hallucinating. (can hallucinations get you wet and cold?)

Hmmm, not sure. But they can get you wet and warm.

 

[TigerClaw]

 

[MOGUY]

Fall Depression

I have the same problem when the days shorten or stays cloudy for a few days. I find that tanning beds or special lights really lift my spirits.

Hugs
Randy

 

[Ezzy]

Re: Re: Artificial sunlight...

Not cheap I know, the lamps with the correct properties cost around the $350.00 mark.

Home improvement stores also carry full spectrum flourescent tubes for $10 to $20 that fit in standard fixtures of almost any size.

I still haven't figured out how to compensate for the higher humidity, and lower barometric pressures that come with winter weather tho. Those affect me more than the shorter days do.

Thanks for the info WH,

Here are a couple of ideas to help out with your humidity and pressure problems.

Good air-con systems have Humidifier / Dehumidifiers in them. Have your air-con checked over it may help out.
The pressure problems need more spending but I know you can buy pressure chambers, just kidding.


EZ http://smilecwm.tripod.com/cwm2/sleep.gif

 

[Weird Harold]

Old Man in a bubble...

[BThanks for the info WH,
...
Good air-con systems have Humidifier / Dehumidifiers in them. Have your air-con checked over it may help out.
The pressure problems need more spending but I know you can buy pressure chambers, just kidding.[/B]

I live in a low income apartment complex, xo I've got the cheapest HVAC sytem that the contractor could buy in bulk.

It's a fairly new apartment, so it's tight enough that I can easily rig something to overpressurize and regulate the pressure.

The trade-off here, is "cabin fever" for SAD. I still have to go out and buy groceries and get the mail too.

Unlike many people affected by SAD, I don't suffer to the point of being incapacitated. I just have to renew my procrastinator's anonymous membership. (Oh wait, I guess I really should get around to joining before I think about renewing. <G>)

 

[Ezzy]

<------------- Founder member

I just have to renew my procrastinator's anonymous membership. (Oh wait, I guess I really should get around to joining before I think about renewing. <G>)

EZ http://smilecwm.tripod.com/cwm2/sleep.gif

Ps I have sent you an application form.