2025/26 SAD thread

[Idstillratherbepaddleboarding]

It’s 1st September tomorrow so we’re back for another year’s SAD thread.

Welcome all old and new who struggles in the cold and dark months for advice and general moaning!

The only rule is no talk of snuggling under blankets, crunching in leaves (which will realistically be a soggy wet mulch, or pumpkin spiced anything!

Advice from previous years’ threads:

A SAD lamp can help as can a daylight alarm clock.
Try to get outdoors when the weather/ light allows it.
Try to keep up with your exercise routine or start a new one!
Remember to take your vitamin D and multi vitamins.
Try to have something to look forward to.

FFS this is ridiculous! It’s not even half 6 and I’m ready for bed 😭😭. I need to do my pole dancing tonight but I can’t get moving 😭😭. I can’t do this for another 6 months!

@Idstillratherbepaddleboarding I AM in bed! It's the only way I can deal with the moment.

I'm in bed too..

Well I did it and I do feel better for it even though I had an actual children’s meltdown because I haven’t been able to wear my boots for a few weeks due to an injury and now I’m crap at my showcase routine with my boots on.

Now I might as well go to bed as there’s only me and the puppy at home tonight and the puppy is worn out after a big walk with my friend this afternoon and a play on the field with his 3 big dog friends just before it went dark at stupid o’clock.

@Idstillratherbepaddleboarding well done on doing your dance!

It's hideously grey and wet here. And I've never felt so floored by the clock change!. All the healthy eating, vits, lamps etc are not doing their stuff at the moment. I feel exhausted, depressed and I'll be in bed at 6 again.

FFS! Is this me for the next 5 months?🥵

@lyingonthebeach thank you, I’m determined to do it again tonight! It’s actually been really sunny here today, but with heavy rain in short bursts. I saw the brightest rainbow I’ve ever seen, which cheered me up a little but of course it’s pitch black now 😡.

Argghhhh someone send me some motivation pleeeease 😭.

It's not good .by 5 pm today I was desperate for my bed ..I need to hibernate and wake up in spring

@Idstillratherbepaddleboarding did you find any motivation?

I’m delighted to find people here. I was feeling a bit depressed before the clock changed but I’ve not been out the house this week I’ve been in bed for the majority of it. I’m just not coping. There’s not enough vitamins in the world for this nonsense. I’m going to dig out my sunrise alarm clock. But can anyone recommend a decent SAD lamp

Hello ,I've only recently joined here to ,but it's a lovely group of people.
I need a new lamp as well ,mine has parts that seem to be flickering and it hurts my eyes ..I'm never sure if I'm meant to look at it or not

I did! But then a friend came round to do us a favour so I only managed half an hour. I didn’t tonight as family are up visiting and we went out for tea which has wiped me out!

I was in the office today and it felt like 5pm but half 2. It was a real struggle to go back out but I’m glad we did, it was nice to see everyone and we haven’t been out for tea in ages thanks to the COL.

I had a strange boost of energy this morning and I’ve decided that from tomorrow, I’m doing some yoga in the morning when I’m WFH. We’ll see how that pans out tomorrow but movement is the biggest boost to my mood, so I will really try!

What an absolutely miserable day. And it is going to get worse because at least the trees are pretty at the moment.

Does anyone know why we get this each year ..like is something like dopamine missing in our bodies..
My body feels like it just starts shutting down as it gets darker towards the evening..which in the summer is fine , because it happens at 10/9 at night ..but if it's a dull day in winter and I'm battling to stay awake at 4 pm ,it's incredibly inconvenient .
I feel like my internal awake /sleep
clock is out of wack with everyone else ..

I'm awake now at 4 am because I fell asleep so early..I've been awake since 3 am .
I fell asleep about 8 pm ..I was exhausted because I'd been awake since 3 am the day before

@Fukcedoff I wish I knew. If I'm at the office, I just come home and go to bed (which is early by most people's standards) but when I'm at home all day, it's a struggle to go out (despite my resolutions) and I'm in bed insanely early. Like you, my body is just drained by the dark and the grey

@Fukcedoff I am definitely missing dopamine but I’m not sure that causes the shutting down at 5pm. I’m too tired to google it though 😂🙈. To be fair, I think it’s natural, we’re supposed to go to sleep when it’s dark just our modern lives don’t allow for it.

I slept dreadfully too, DH was working on his computer til 11 then wanted to watch the last Slow Horses so it was gone midnight before we settled for sleep and I couldn’t actually sleep until gone 2am. Then the puppy woke at 5ish for a wee and I didn’t fall back to sleep til after 6. He’s just got me up for his breakfast 😭😭. I also had one of those reoccurring dreams that I have where I need to do something but can’t make any progress towards it. This one was trying to get ready for a Halloween party the DS was having (he’s not having one) and trying to make up goodie bags for trick or treaters (I will not be doing that either, they’re getting a lolly). DS and I were sat by the front door still trying to make up the bags when hoards of trick or treaters arrived and I was trying to make them up as fast as I was giving them out. I’m knackered now and I haven’t actually done anything!

Oh and despite going to 3 supermarkets yesterday, I forgot to get milk and sugar so I’m now drinking a huge vat of the worst coffee ever with the last of the milk and brown sugar 🤢.

@Bonden it was miserable here too but you’re right the trees are pretty.

It's horrible isn't it
I'm home all day ,and can't get out much ,so if there was much sun ,I'm missing it

Yes actually I'm sure I read somewhere that cavemen followed the pattern of the sun ,so going to bed when it got dark and getting up when it got light .
The clocks changing are always when I suddenly notice I feel dreadful again

How close do you guys sit in front of your sad lamp?

I had it across the room initially at around 4 feet away. Felt nice. Then I read that it should be around 2 feet. Tried that twice and both times it gave me a horrible headache.

I miss the summer sun so much.

I have a small lamp and it is placed to my side on the desk- about an arm's length from me. I try and use it for 30-60 mins per day on the grey and depressing days (like now 😭)

I would absolutely love some summer ☀️ . I'm going to look for a cheap hol for January. It's a medical need

Yeah probably arms length for me too, I’m not very good with distances!

I must have a really sensitive system then. Well I know I do as I have various illnesses including chronic migraines, but it's frustrating. I think I will continue using the lamp at a distance away.

Hate these grey rainy days.

@Idontknowhatnametochoose try putting it off to the side of you so it’s not shining directly in your eyes.