Seasonal Affective Disorder

[Chicken lady]

Rosa rugosa, with sad, it's not so much mood, like "I feel sad today" it's actually depression, as in I can't get out of bed because I'm pretty sure my body weighs 7,000 pounds and it takes me 20 minutes of standing dazed in the kitchen to decide to eat cereal. Not to fix the cereal, just to decide to eat it.

and like depression, all the things that are too hard to do can help - exercise, healthy eating (and appropriate eating, there have been studies done where some people are "carb dependent" sufferers, some are "protein dependent" and some are neutral., regular sleep...

i think I actually caught mine when I shifted my focus a few weeks ago - part of my "exhausted, overwhelmed" may just have been too much time in the basement with bad lighting.

[ApatheticNoMore]

I also try to embrace the concept of making home a warm, cozy, bright and inviting space in the darker months of the year:

http://www.mnn.com/family/family-act...through-winter

wow was that article not about making a home warm, cozy and bright and inviting. That's an materialist-American interpretation (maybe materialism is as American as junk food) of something they keep saying in the article can't be interpreted that way. Interesting article though.

A bit more sad moods (and they are moods for me as they do pass) this time of year yea. Also I struggle more physically, I can feel my body feeling physically less resilient than it does in spring and summer.

[Chicken lady]

Today is a hard day.

dh came home and found me sitting at the kitchen table mindlessly eating nuts out if the bag. He asked "have we reached the part of the year where you shut down and stop functioning?" And I said "yes." He made me come sit under the blanket next to him while he watched baseball until I could get up and go do my chores.

but then he stayed up watching baseball, and I stayed up with him. And I didn't get enough sleep and the day is overcast with rain due. I didn't get out to do the milking until 9:00.

i have a phone conference at 2:30. Right now, all I'm asking myself to do is to try to finish filling the raised bed. If I can do that before it rains, that will be pretty good.

[nswef]

Yes it will CL. Anything you get done will be a plus. Rest.

[Chicken lady]

Thanks. It means a lot to have somebody answer.

No rain yet. i filled the raised bed,although I think the chickens kicked out half a wheelbarrow load while I was putting my tools away. I figured it will settle anyway and intend to top dress it with freshly composted manure, so for now I just covered it with boards. I'm going to cut a piece of screen to fit over the top and then just putter around the house picking up a little before my call.

i ate fruit and nuts and I'm having a caffeinated drink - which all helps. Gotta remember, a little caffeine is good, a lot of caffeine is bad.

[JaneV2.0]

Chicken lady, you do more before breakfast than I do in a month. That you do it while wrestling with depression is even more impressive. Kudos to you.

[19Sandy]

Try a light box or high spectrum lightbulbs to get over SAD.

[Chicken lady]

I have full spectrum lights. They are part of a multi pronged approach. My kids say I could do surgery on the kitchen table.

i did not do as much as I would have liked today, but I did not do badly. The house looks a little better than it did when I got up this morning, and my only dietary bad calls were a glass of chocolate milk, 3 oz of salted pistachios, and a small piece of chocolate cake. Nice salad for dinner.

[nswef]

Oh CL, You are so hard on yourself. As jane said, You do more in a morning than I do in a month. I don't know how you can lower your expectations and give yourself credit for all you do in a day, but I hope you can see your way to acknowledging what you accomplish. You are AMAZING!!!!

[Chicken lady]

Lol- that was me giving myself credit! I guess I am eeyore. Also, you guys must have a lot of dirty dishes around if you don't wash them once a month

today it it is sunny, sunny, sunny, so I feel better. Also I am teaching today and the kids are almost always a lift.

also I am happy because in spite of my chocolate indulgences, my weight ticked down yesterday. Today I am going to swim again. Dh was reminding me last night that my new mantra is supposed to be "sleep, healthy food, exercise."

i am probably going to turn orange because carrots are crunchy and sweet and easy so I am eating a lot of them!