Climbing the walls with this weather - how do people do it!?

[Raingoawayplsplspls]

We’re fortunate not to be in an area affected by overly serious flooding, but we’re now on our 9th day of non-stop torrential rain and howling winds. I actually had to put in earplugs during the day yesterday because I couldn’t stand listening to the wind anymore. There’s no point going outside apart from when we walk the dog, driving isn’t fun, and we’ve now got a leak. Doesn’t help that it’s an old house with single glazing and we’re trying not to have the heating on constantly.

SAD has always been an issue for me but this takes it to a new level. I’ve just given up and climbed back into bed - I have a headache for seemingly no reason, and no energy or motivation to do anything, even though there’s plenty of work I should be getting on with (both work work and things around the house). I was quite enjoying cooking and taking long baths for a while but now losing the will to do that too.

I should probably mention that I’m originally from a relatively warm and dry country and only recently moved out to the countryside, so maybe I’m being too sensitive. Of course there is also bad weather in cities, but I swear it wasn’t this bad, or at least there were more distractions! Even my English DH who grew up here and is usually a rain lover is struggling!

Any tips on lifting my spirits and getting back on track welcome!

Go t oan indoor climbing centre. Then you really can climb the walls. In the dry and warm. Good for endorphins.

We have horses who live outside all year. It’s hideous. The fields are mud baths my coat doesn’t even dry between visits. Everything is so much harder in the dark with horizontal rain and wind. Questioning life choices massively this winter 😭

It's miserable but it's January.

More flooding due tomorrow and local forecasters are suggesting next week could be a "trees down" sort of week.

I survive by walking everyday in wellies and a good coat. there is usually a gap. Even if just for 10 mins), watching YouTube walking videos of holiday destinations, nice music and planning Spring / Summer (booking tickets for events)

Two winters ago I was utterly furious at yet another coat leaking through the seams so I used Klarna (I know, I know) and got a coat from Helly Hansen. Totally worth it!

I'm from East Anglia so used to cold, dry winters. Exiled here in soggy southwest has me hating life. Having to wash and dry dogs, coat feeling permanently damp, lanes like rivers, fields underwater. Absolutely at my wits' end with it all.

Another SADs sufferer here and yes, I hate it!
Evenings are spent watching ‘Amazing hotels, Simon Reeves, Amanda and Alan’s Spanish/Italian Greek job, Jane McDonald’, etc, etc Lots of fairy lights/lighting of wood burner. Get out for an walk everyday, even if it’s for 20 minutes. It’s my only way of coping.
Would quite happily move abroad from Jan- March.

I prioritise winter holidays for this reason. I’m in Lanzarote at the moment. Flying home today to presumably dreadful weather but don’t feel sad about it because I’ve had a few days of warmth and sunshine which has been a real tonic.

I highly recommend a SAD lamp. I use it for WFH as my desk light, and turn it to my face for an hour or two a day - I've not had another crash into SAD since I started using one 9 years ago.

Also, just get the dog out. DH has been deployed for 3 months, and so it's me and the dog against the world - we've been out in every weather, every day. I've invested in a new waterproof coat and new waterproof boots (and I'm in love with my boots), dug out my waterproof trousers, even the dog has a new coat and we've just sucked it up and made it 3-5 miles of pavement pounding a day! I'm not pretending we've enjoyed it all or that it's been fun in all weathers, but we've done it anyway.

The only two days I cut it short was one when we had black ice on every pavement and it was lethal so I gave it up after 1.5 miles, and last week when we were under a red weather warning for wind (100mph gusts in the end!) so we just did round the block a few times. Even the dog felt this was OK 😂

No car so we gotta go out regardless of weather

been waking through the park on school runs in wet gear every morning at 7.45

home in the dark at 6

drying all the coats and stuff on doors and radiators when in get in

but getting out helps for sure

The trick is to get out when there’s a break in the weather, it’s very rare in the uk to get rain all day, on off showers with 2-3 hours of prolonged rain is far more common, we use the weather radar to spot when there’s going to be a break. Both yesterday and today we have had sun for much of the day in fact, despite news reports of floods within 20 miles so a short car journey may find better weather

I live in Mallorca. We've had a ton of torrential rain in the last month, howling winds and more rain forecast for the next week. It's cold and damp here and I'm sick to death of emptying water out of my tiny swimming pool. We've had almost a year's worth of rain in a month.

If you're booking a holiday, avoid Spain for a few months!!

Lighting - honestly the blue light blocking lights and a few candles - I use beeswax has made such a difference. I changed the bulb in the standing lamp where I mostly sit and will work around to changing more.

I thought it would only help in the evenings to support our circadian rhythm but it somehow mitigates for the lack of proper daylight in the day too.

I work outdoors whatever the weather so I have no choice but to get on with it - I find that the idea of being out is always much worse than the reality - o wear a dry robe and wellies with a warm hat and stay bone dry underneath.

It really, really helps my mental health to be outside and doing things, even when the weather is awful. Even living in Cumbria, there’s very, very rarely a day where there’s never a dry half hour to get out.

That said I happily stay home at weekends!

Yes, this too although admittedly I didn't venture over the door until I absolutely had to yesterday.

I know up-thread this has been referred to as puddle suit polyanna and it did make me laugh, but the amount of days I've gone outside and it has been so much better than it looks and sounds from inside is really surprising.
I have places I can go that I know will be more sheltered so choosing wisely helps too.

I am normally a January hater anyway - it just seems so dull and boring after Christmas, but I'd usually go out for some walks, coffees, lunches etc. This year it seems to be going on for ever and I don't think we've had a day without rain so I haven't had any walks and the house is continually festooned with washing drying everywhere even thought there are only two of us. I really feel for people with families being stuck indoors.

Added to that my two favourite cafes have closed down leaving hardly anywhere in a town on 10 000 people to go for coffee or lunch.

It's utterly depressing.

It's taken me until my fifth decade to be a bit more at peace with the winter. I have lived overseas at various points for this reason, and love long summer days and any kind of blue sky with a passion. I have just recently felt a bit of a shift, and an acceptance that without the dire slog that is winter, I wouldn't feel the relief that I do when I spot cleavers sprouting in a hedge. As I did this morning. It's definitely worse for me in the countryside, darker, muddier, wetter, as you say less distraction. My waterproof dog walking trousers are so caked in mud today they're basically standing up on their own.

Decent gear, so good boots, coat, merino base layers and waterproof legs. Vinted is great. Even on the shittiest of day there's usually a break at least once, I don't have the choice to stay in the house all day and through the window it can look worse as you don't notice and appreciate the little spells when it stops.

Fairy lights, candles, kitchen discos, log burner, and, we're now over the worst of it. This is officially the longest January in my lifetime.

If i didnt have horses, i dont think i'd be bothered by the weather at all!
But this last couple of weeks has been hideous at the yard, praying for more frozen weather! i can cope with ice

I usually like winter but can’t stand the cold this year, it seems to be more biting than usual.

Probably because you don’t have small children now tbh, and you can do the whole relaxing-on-the-sofa thing if you’re not walking the dog.

Today was supposed to be the 1 day out of 30 that it was unlikely to rain.

It’s raining; and has been for hours.

Thank you for all the lovely and helpful replies, as well as the commiserating ones... I can't reply to everyone individually but I appreciate every response and suggestion. This thread alone has lifted me up! And very jealous of those who are on holiday.

To posters asking how I can work: I'm self-employed and wfh, so I can be very flexible which is both a blessing and a curse. I guess I could look into renting a desk at a co-working space; never thought I'd say this but I do miss working in an office in some ways.

@Rainallnight 100% agree that the political backdrop is not helping with the doom and gloom.
@Playingvideogames sorry to hear that you've been hit by flooding, wishing you all the best. And I laughed out loud at the puddle suit pollyanna comment!
@TwattingDog I actually had an SAD lamp years ago, but gave it to my dad because he needed it more at the time. I never replaced it, but maybe it's time to now!

I don't have the choice to stay in the house all day, as I said, I'm out and about in it for various reasons including work, whether I like it or not.

@Raingoawayplsplspls I think it sounds like a good idea to rent a workspace. It often helps to get up and out of the house.
See if you can get double glazing - it's going to be expensive, but you will notice the difference!

I embraced it yesterday. Made tea and a thermos cup of tea, got a nice pack of biscuits, and got back under my duvet and had a hibernation day watching TV on my laptop in bed.

This morning it had stopped raining. I went into a very soggy windswept garden and spent nearly two hours pottering about soaking up the fresh air and day light.

I'm the same OP, really struggle in the winter. I do try and embrace "hygge" in winter and anytime it's dry I get outside even if all I'm going is sitting with a cup of tea it does me good.

@scienceteachersarefun thank you! Would love to get double glazing eventually - we're in a listed building and would need to get permission first, so between that and the costs, we've been putting it off... and unfortunately our house has plenty of other problems that we've had to allocate savings to recently...

British winter is definitely much harder for people who have grown up in sunnier climates. It's not just the cold and wet, but the very low levels of light. I have so many friends who have ended up moving back home, or to their spouse's home country as they could not bear it any longer. My South African mother in law is hugely affected by it and deals with the situation by simply refusing to contemplate being in the UK in January or February. In the real world, my best coping strategy is to keep very, very busy and do lots of enjoyable stuff indoors (like Padel, swimming, cinema, restaurants.) And to make sure I drag my sorry arse out when the weather is actually sunny (like today), even when it is cold. If finances allow, a week in the sun mid-winder does help enormously, and it doesn't have to be warm- the Alps have clear blue skies this time of year which is a much better kind of winter. I can't offer anything more helpful than that, as the idea of getting my wellies and an anorak on and trudging through unremitting gloomy rain is simply horrible (my dogs and DH love it though)