2024/25 SAD thread

[Idratherbepaddleboarding]

Link to last year’s thread

Hi again, I thought I’d start a new thread for this season of SAD 😭. It’s definitely starting to feel autumnal here 🥶.

If you’re new this year, please join us for tips to get through winter, chat and general moaning!

So it's only three weeks until the winter solstice now...then every day we will start to slowly get more light...which makes me feel somewhat better.

I'm currently trying to make a big effort in improving my diet....I eat so many carbs and stodge in winter...which i think makes me feel worse.

I also agree with the half-life. Every year I hibernate in the winter and live for my winter sunshine breaks. I only come alive in the (so-called in the last couple of years) spring and summer.

So I did go out last Friday night. Only because I had a nap at lunchtime instead of doing my workout! It was a nice evening, but I really only managed it because I had that nap.

Today was the last social thing in the diary at the moment. I went to a drink thing after work. I realised, while talking to a very nice lady, that I was zoning out and did not have the energy. Mostly, I just feel completely exhausted.

December is normally very quiet for me and quite lonely but this year I might be too tired to notice!

I always hate how December is the month with the most socialising...I think it's the absolute worst time to socialise. I hate going out at night when it's cold

@Comedycook not a problem I have but I can see it would be annoying

even when I had friends, they mostly vanished into their family at Christmas and the damn thing gets longer every year.

however, when things were different and I had a regular social life throughout the year, I was relieved not to have much stuff in December (as things were then) as it's such a tough month.

I bumped into a football fan neighbour on the way in to my flat. She said although she's at two matches a week the rest of the time, she doesn't do that in November and December unless it's a big game. She said she just wants to hibernate. She's a hardy outdoor person so I found that interesting.

We went to see Peter Kay last night in Manchester. I really wasn't fussed about going as it was sooo cold and horrible yesterday, I couldn’t be bothered getting dressed up and I thought he might be really dated now, but he was absolutely brilliant! The best comedy show we’ve been to by a long shot.

I’m sooo tired today though, I can’t remember the last time I’ve been this tired and we’re out again for a Christmas meal tonight 😭.

@Idratherbepaddleboarding Glad you enjoyed it.

I tend not to book anything in winter. I found myself desperate to get home from the ballet one night when I'd paid however much. I think I might have bored you guys with this up thread - sorry. After that, I decided not to book anything pricey November and December.

I have achieved nothing today. I'm supposed to do a workout now. I don't think it's going to happen. I'm just yawning endlessly, since I got up. It's mad. But I guess it's just December 🤷🏻‍♀️

I have zero motivation, can't find any enthusiasm for anything. I'm normally very tidy, but I've let it slip, just random things lying around that I can't be bothered to find a home for, I'm worried it'll get out of control soon, so I'm trying to just do five minutes of tidying every hour. Sounds stupid, but I can't face more.

'@Idratherbepaddleboarding I'm glad you enjoyed Peter Kay. We all need a good laugh.

@EmeraldRoulette @Comedycook @Imatorturedpoet et al. Everything you write resonates with me. During the winter I can only socialise (and not that often as I feel exhausted and unmotivated a lot if the time) during the day and I feel the need to get home before the dark hits. I really cannot go out into the dark once I am home, and on the few occasions when I work in the office, I feel panicky driving home in the dark.

Sending sunny thoughts to you all.

I enjoyed the Christmas meal last night too but now I’m absolutely beat 😭. I definitely need to build in some down time as we’ve so much on between now and Christmas and I have no energy!

Beautiful blue sky today

@Imatorturedpoet 5 minutes every hour is still better than nothing, keep at it

The darkness and rain has been really getting to me but it's bright today so that's good! Keeping myself busy

Our local hospital sounds snowed under with patients at the moment. Partners aunt was discharged from ICU last Monday (was in for pneumonia and flu and was very poorly). Send her home with no follow up and she was taken back via ambulance on Saturday as she was struggling to breathe. As of last night she was still stuck in A&E waiting for a bed. Struggling to get info/updates as she's so poorly she's struggling to communicate and her (adult) kids aren't great at keeping us informed. What a nightmare

@robinsrace sorry to hear about your DH’s aunt. It really is scary! A paramedic friend posted on FB (not sure she should have but she posts her whole life on FB!) that there were 20 ambulances lined up outside our local A&E the other night, unable to offload their patients 😵. It wasn’t even a weekend night.

Oh and has anyone else had that feeling of impending doom? I got it randomly this morning and it’s horrible, I can’t put my finger on why I felt like that but it’s always a worry incase I’ve somehow become psychic!

@Idratherbepaddleboarding that's crazy, especially for a weekday! Our local NHS trust posted that there was currently an 11 hour wait in A&E the other week. The whole system seems on its knees. I know it has been for years but this is the first time it's impacted us/family.

Can relate to the impending doom! My anxiety has mostly eased from the other week but in the mornings I wake up with knots in my stomach and feeling panicky. Like my brain thinks something bad is happening today when actually I can't think of anything? I think the dark mornings make it worse! Have you got anything nice planned for the week?

Does anyone else feel like their SAD is worse in years where we don't get decent weather in the summer?

@robinsrace the whole public sector is fucked (speaking as a public sector worker)! I’ve been waiting over 3 months just to have a bloody mirena coil fitted 😵 and that’s in a quiet, rural GP practice!

It’s a horrible feeling isn’t it, nothing bad has happened though (yet!) so maybe I’m not psychic after all! I just have the usual things, work, ferrying DS to cadets, the dog to agility and pole dancing. My showcase is in 2 weeks and 4 days so I’m going hard on the practice (and my body is suffering a little for it 😂🙈). How about you?

@Octopies yes definitely! And when I haven’t been on holiday, both of which apply to this year 😭.

Oh yes. I feel quite bitter and resentful about our rubbish summer

@Idratherbepaddleboarding I want to say I'm surprised but I'm not! About a month ago I called our GP (like you're, rural and relatively quiet) and they also said the wait was between 3 and 9 months for a coil fitting! And said I had to have some swabs first? I gave up in the end as I read too much online about the pain of having it put in and wussed out. But couldn't believe the wait time, surely it's a swift appointment and they'd be keen to get them fitted, particularly for those who suffer with their periods etc which I do. Sorry you've been waiting so long, it's absolute madness! I feel for the staff in the GP practice, though. They get a lot of complaints and it's really not their fault, it's the system.

Dog agility sounds great! How often do you go? Good luck with the pole show! I find hobbies like this a godsend on these dark winter days. Something to look forward to and keep you going. I've been enjoying yoga classes and running club lately. Going to try and make it to yoga tonight! Work has been busy this week and I've been rushing around like a fool, but in a way it's kept be going. Mornings are the hardest, keep waking up feeling so down and anxious, but am okay once I get going

I'm so impressed that anyone gets any leisure activities done at all.

I haven't even tidied up after myself since the weekend 😱😱😳

@robinsrace that’s ridiculous! If nothing else you’d think they’d want to make sure people were protected from unwanted pregnancies! They’ve given me the mini pill in the meantime but it’s making me have periods every 2 weeks and I’m worried it’ll calm down and then when/ if I get the coil fitted I’ll start having them frequently again 🙈.

We go to agility every Wednesday and my dog just loves it! DS has to run him as he’s sooo fast, like greyhound pace and I have no sense of direction to follow the course 😂!

Thanks, I’m really excited about my pole show and quite surprised at myself for having the confidence to do it!

@EmeraldRoulette, pole dancing is the best thing ever for my mental health so I make myself do it even if I don’t feel like it. I never don’t want to actually do it, it’s the getting changed when it’s so cold that puts me off!

How is everyone?

Good news is that my working day was quite good.

Bad news is that I missed the window to work out as I worked late and was really hungry. It took me till about 2pm to get my brain working!

Looked in the fridge and found that my planned dinner for tonight and tomorrow has gone off. it's salmon. I'm not going to risk it. It was listed as use by the second. How could I forgotten that? those aren't cheap. But that's a fairly typical incident for what my winter brain is like.

I did mean to get some ready meals in but never got around to it.

weather forecast for next two days is grim. Currently bucketing down.

Awful weather tonight. It's really dark in the mornings and I hate getting up. I've started making a cup of coffee before bed and leaving it on my bedside table...then as soon as I wake up, I take a few sips...it really helps me get out of bed.

I had a US style mini coffee maker by the bed in my 20s! It was after work put me in a few hotels in the US who had it right by the bed.

I don't have to get up early every day now so I don't do it anymore. that's good as I live in such a tiny place now, I'd struggle to find a place to keep it.

but I did used to wonder if physically getting up and going to the kitchen was better. I only ever did it November and December.

It’s awful here, windy, raining and it was dark at half 3 😭. Even the dog refused his walk!

@Comedycook isn’t your coffee cold by morning??