Struggling in winter? The Dark Days...

[Fanta]

Hello Bee gang,

As mentioned in the Checking In, I am back after 5 years.

I've notoriously struggled keeping motivated with a routine, and my main enemy seems to be the short and dark winter days.
I work Mo-Fr, leaving home at 6AM usually, and back at 4-4:30PM. So it's dark when I leave and dark when Im back in the December-January period...

Do any of you struggle with this winter period?
I get energy and motivation in spring and summer, and then past October I seem to run out of steam and just drop the ball.

I'm simply looking for others who struggle, and maybe some of the tricks or tips that worked for you.

 

[NightWolf714]

I'm a night shifter so I understand the struggle. I ended up getting a good quality SAD light to help my body adjust and at least get some fake sunlight in.

 

[graoumia]

maybe some vitamin D could help too?

 

[Fanta]

I'm a night shifter so I understand the struggle. I ended up getting a good quality SAD light to help my body adjust and at least get some fake sunlight in.

When and how much did you use it? Was the difference noticeable?

 

[Fanta]

maybe some vitamin D could help too?

Covered on that ground! I supplement vit D from September to May, 10,000 IU per day. It's the only supplement I take.

 

[NightWolf714]

When and how much did you use it? Was the difference noticeable?

Ideally I start it up when it starts being sunset on my way to work (around 6-7pm). How well I succeed at that varies, lol. I'm hoping this year to just go ahead and start it at the autumn equinox (so around August) since I tend to stay indoors a lot anyways.

I know that there's a recommended voltage. But my current one is a hand-me-down. ^_^;;; I personally found that it helped out. I'm not 100% sure if it's a placebo in my case or not, but I found it decently helpful with my mood and at least pretending it's day time.

 

[Fanta]

Ideally I start it up when it starts being sunset on my way to work (around 6-7pm). How well I succeed at that varies, lol. I'm hoping this year to just go ahead and start it at the autumn equinox (so around August) since I tend to stay indoors a lot anyways.

I know that there's a recommended voltage. But my current one is a hand-me-down. ^_^;;; I personally found that it helped out. I'm not 100% sure if it's a placebo in my case or not, but I found it decently helpful with my mood and at least pretending it's day time.

You know what, placebo or not, if it works, it works!! and there were no side effects, right? I mean, it's a one time purchase, not like a subscription to supplements or some expensive solution! TY

 

[AquaMarie]

If you are a reader, I can highly recommend How to Winter: Harness Your Mindset to Thrive on Cold, Dark, or Difficult Days by Kari Leibowitz. I found the suggestions in the book really helpful! She talks specifically about mindset exercises, not medical ones like supplements or SAD treatments, so some of the suggestions might be a good addition to what you're already trying.

For me personally, I found that picking out things specifically about winter to appreciate everyday (the different colors of bark on the leafless trees, the smell of cold air) was really good for making me feel better in the moment. And making my home a fun, cozy retreat was great, too! Lots of fuzzy blankets and fairy lights and homemade hot chocolate to cheer me up at the end of the day .

Hope this helps!

 

[NightWolf714]

You know what, placebo or not, if it works, it works!! and there were no side effects, right? I mean, it's a one time purchase, not like a subscription to supplements or some expensive solution! TY

Yep, one time purchase. No side effects that I can think of. The main thing is to do it first thing when you wake up. Doing it too close to bed time might confuse your head a little and may give you some trouble going to bed.

When my old one broke just before I was getting back to it (had a few years stint as a day shifter), I tried to look more into it. Here's one of the articles I found that had good advice for it. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases...nal-affective-disorder-treatment/art-20048298

Looks like on Amazon they can range from $100 to as cheap as $20ish. Honestly, so long as the light lumen is right, a basic one can work. I like one with a timer, but even that isn't required.

 

[NightWolf714]

If you are a reader, I can highly recommend How to Winter: Harness Your Mindset to Thrive on Cold, Dark, or Difficult Days by Kari Leibowitz. I found the suggestions in the book really helpful! She talks specifically about mindset exercises, not medical ones like supplements or SAD treatments, so some of the suggestions might be a good addition to what you're already trying.

For me personally, I found that picking out things specifically about winter to appreciate everyday (the different colors of bark on the leafless trees, the smell of cold air) was really good for making me feel better in the moment. And making my home a fun, cozy retreat was great, too! Lots of fuzzy blankets and fairy lights and homemade hot chocolate to cheer me up at the end of the day .

Hope this helps!

OoOo! I might have to take a look and see if our library has that. That would go along well with some of my mental exercises I've been working on anyways. Appreciate the recommendation as well!

 

[astro_lizard]

I spent a few years living in Fairbanks, Alaska where on the shortest day of the year we got around 3.5 hours of sunlight. The winters were cold and dark and really made it challenging to exist and operate.

Everything everyone mentioned like the sun lamps and vitamin D were a huge help and I highly recommend staying on top of those. Another thing that got me through was to cut out nearly all idle time. Keeping busy with hobbies and work helped a lot. Especially anything that is creative, if you can.

I took up crocheting, creative writing, game development, programming, and anything else that sounded even remotely interesting. I tried to cut down on all of my 'doomscrolling' or aimless internet-ing during the darkest days. Table Top RPG games, both in person and over the internet also helped me. Getting involved with community events when I could also helped. Having enjoyable/fun music playing either outloud or in an earbud was also something that I leaned pretty heavily on.

Staying active wherever and whenever possible also helped. Even just doing a few minutes of march steps at different times throughout the day seemed to help when I couldn't get outside. I also leaned heavily on a weight training program, since it kept me focused on short term goals (trying to lift a little heavier than the previous session).

Another thing that really helped my friends was sticking to a routine of waking/sleeping at the same time. I never got to try this because my work and school schedule was really varied and so I couldn't get a set schedule that I could stick to. (I often had to work 3rd and 2nd shift in the same week, immediatley followed by a few days of first shift.... I do not recommend)

Even with all this, I still had days where I just felt extremely doom and gloom, but picturing summer while sitting in front of my sun lamp helped get me through to the next day.

Best of luck!

 

[Fanta]

I spent a few years living in Fairbanks, Alaska where on the shortest day of the year we got around 3.5 hours of sunlight. The winters were cold and dark and really made it challenging to exist and operate.

Everything everyone mentioned like the sun lamps and vitamin D were a huge help and I highly recommend staying on top of those. Another thing that got me through was to cut out nearly all idle time. Keeping busy with hobbies and work helped a lot. Especially anything that is creative, if you can.

I took up crocheting, creative writing, game development, programming, and anything else that sounded even remotely interesting. I tried to cut down on all of my 'doomscrolling' or aimless internet-ing during the darkest days. Table Top RPG games, both in person and over the internet also helped me. Getting involved with community events when I could also helped. Having enjoyable/fun music playing either outloud or in an earbud was also something that I leaned pretty heavily on.

Staying active wherever and whenever possible also helped. Even just doing a few minutes of march steps at different times throughout the day seemed to help when I couldn't get outside. I also leaned heavily on a weight training program, since it kept me focused on short term goals (trying to lift a little heavier than the previous session).

Another thing that really helped my friends was sticking to a routine of waking/sleeping at the same time. I never got to try this because my work and school schedule was really varied and so I couldn't get a set schedule that I could stick to. (I often had to work 3rd and 2nd shift in the same week, immediatley followed by a few days of first shift.... I do not recommend)

Even with all this, I still had days where I just felt extremely doom and gloom, but picturing summer while sitting in front of my sun lamp helped get me through to the next day.

Best of luck!

F&%$ 3.5 hours of daylight... when I thought it was bad enough here! Wowzers. Reminded me of Oskaar in Iceland! I have to link this old but gold classic video (a great rant about daylight amounts). I used to watch it a lot to get through gloomy winter days - some have it worse that I do! Here we get 8 hours of daylight on Dec 21.

I have acquired a "SAD LIGHT". Gonna hook up that baby after fall hits. Thinking I can do sessions as soon as I wake up while reading a book at the table or while eating breakfast.

 

[NightWolf714]

I have acquired a "SAD LIGHT". Gonna hook up that baby after fall hits. Thinking I can do sessions as soon as I wake up while reading a book at the table or while eating breakfast.

Oh that sounds like a delightful start to the day. <3