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.

Hello, can I join? Think I've been on these threads before.

SAD hit hard this year as I was actually diagnosed with low Vitamin D in September. Can you believe it after the summer we had? I was swamped and didn't get outside enough.

So I'm back on the daily vitamin D, SAD box, and I've just come back from 5 days in a sunny clime which was so beneficial I can't describe.

Last year I went away in December but timing of this was even better as feels like there's Christmas to distract now, and then I'm planning to ramp up my exercise from January.

@lyingonthebeach I totally get that, grey sky just hits differently in autumn/winter.

Last year my new thing was to take vitamin D all year round and I think that's what I will need to do going forward to give me the stability. I think I am slow to adjust to the change in seasons.

V interested to read about these glasses.

@PurpleSkies2026 i totally agree about midwinter sun. I try and get a couple of sunny breaks in and am now looking forward to Tenerefe straight after Xmas - actually, it's the thought of that that's keeping me going 😏.
I take low strength vit D all tear and then ramp it up to the maximum strength in winter. I think it helps a bit.

Welcome!

Having some winter sun sounds like such a good idea. I kind of lose my confidence in winter so don’t feel like going away. It’s a bit of a catch 22 as it would probably help.

But I feel safest at home.

It’s a blue sky here today so planning to get out for a walk.

The SAD glasses have been on this morning (while I was in bed).

My mood was low yesterday evening after work, I felt so tired and it was so grey, wet and cold.

4 weeks until the shortest day. I know Jan and Feb can be really tough but the thought of being over that line sometimes lifts me.

Will report back on the glasses after another week or so.

I did a fair bit of walking the past 2 days and it seemed to lift my mood.

Welcome @PurpleSkies2026 , I’m very jealous of your sunny holiday!

I’m officially signed off work. I’ve tried my best to keep going but I just can’t do it anymore. I feel like I’m letting people down at work but it’s time to focus on my own mental health for a bit.

@Idstillratherbepaddleboarding sending you hugs of strength and solidarity. 🌞 you are right to priotise yourself and your health.

@lyingonthebeach thank you, I feel really guilty but my head already feels so much clearer not having the never ending stress of work to deal with.

Well done. That’s such a courageous and important thing to do.

You aren’t alone either. Many others are doing this too and prioritising their wellbeing.

I have had a few periods of several months off for those reasons and it was essential although guilt inducing at times.

Also sending you hugs of solidarity and strength (lovely way to put it ❤️).

Well done for putting your mental health first and not ignoring it
I hope the rest helps x

That sounds good to be signed off. Work stress is insidious. I really struggle with it.

Do not feel guilty- think of it like taking care of yourself.

Thanks everyone, that makes me feel a bit better. It feels like a huge weight is lifted off and I’m determined to do things that will benefit my mental health and not just get stuck in a doom scrolling cycle that will make me worse. So today, I ate breakfast!! Then I went on the cross trainer, watched the budget which wasn’t as bad as expected and had a very cold walk with the dog. I even managed to do a load of washing and the dishwasher.

I don’t want to overwhelm myself though so that’s plenty for now. I would welcome gentle, non-screen related ideas for things to do that would help me of anyone has any.

I started the 16 8 diet Tuesday and it honestly is already lifting my mood. Plus no energy crash in the afternoons and am more alert!

Decluttering project? Mindful coloring sheets from the Internet? Lots of sleep to start with?

That's good to remember about the 4 weeks! Yes I've been experimenting with going away. I don't think I'm going to go abroad in Sept / Oct again as its too near flu season.

I'm going to stay with family in mid August which will force me outdoors more before the weather turns.

Then maybe book an Autumn and Christmas overnight spa stay in the UK, as I never truly switch off unless I go away and keeping stress down is as beneficial as sun.

Then judge how it feels as to whether a 4 day sun break in maybe Feb would boost my mood.

I've got quite into jigsaws recently as a non screen activity. I do have to try to force myself to go for a walk and do stuff around the house before settling down to work on one. Otherwise I tend to feel a bit rubbish once it starts to get dark and I realise I've been sat for hours.

The sudden turn in weather over the last week has definitely made my mood worse. It's a struggle to force myself to leave the house to walk the dogs. Going to get up to clean the kitchen now, then reward myself with a nice hot chocolate.

I feel like a freak. It's grey and cold and I just want to go to bed. Yesterday, I left work later and and for the whole journey home in pitch dark (at 6.30 pm🙄) and just thought about bed - it felt so wrong to be out.

Colouring is a good idea, I always get the urge to colour in outline drawings! I’d need to buy some decent pens though. I have bought a sudoku book which I enjoy but struggle to focus. A jigsaw is a good idea but there’d be several pieces missing by the end with my puppy!

@lyingonthebeach I don’t think it ever really got light today 😭.

@Idstillratherbepaddleboarding something arty would always be my suggestion. You could try a set of watercolours for a colouring book.

I think there's a lot of Novemberitis going on

I was out tonight, or I was meant to be - I left at 9:30. The cab driver said to me that it was a really quiet night considering it's Thursday, unless there's a whole bunch more people who are going to come through the station after closing time!

I am really deep into "can't be bothered to do anything" but wanted to show my face at this event tonight. Lovely place and lovely people, I just didn't want to be out.

I'm really looking forward to getting to the shortest day and knowing that things will improve. It's mostly been dull grey but the days that weren't have been absolutely bitterly cold.

And the cold wears me out. People who enjoy cold day winter walks puzzle me. Well, I think they're very lucky that they enjoy that. But I suppose because I pretty much walk everywhere, it's like the cold gets into your bones. My poor mum is really struggling. I was wearing four layers yesterday under my coat. Still felt really cold.

Doing something creative is a lovely idea. I hope I can get going on something.

I’m feeling quite anxious. I felt really wobbly and exhausted by work yesterday which worried me and I had a few cries. I just feel so vulnerable and emotional at this time of year.

I’m seeing a therapist which is really helpful but her warmth and empathy makes me very emotional too!

It’s all so tiring. No work today so going to go to Pilates and then chill at home.

Sending love and strength to you all ❤️

After a better few days off, today has been awful. My brain just isn’t working even though I’ve eaten more than usual. I’m so angry at myself 😭. It might not be helping that my Dr has switched me from sertraline to fluoxetine and I took the first one today.

Be kind to yourselves everyone.

There's also a lot of flu and viruses going around. I suddenly came down on Tuesday with flu. Honestly had the worst few days. Barely slept Tues then miraculously took some headache meds in the early hours of the morning and they worked and I got some sleep and thought oh it's just a cold. Then had an awful two days.

On the good side I discovered Tesco Whoosh where you can do a food shop and pay £5 I think and have it delivered with 40 minutes. Amazing. I had run out of toilet roll and needed the basics - bread, soup etc. but I was in full blown flu mode. Had just enough energy to get an order and hole myself in bed for 2 days.

My main worry is that I'm sweaty then not sweaty, and headache is coming and going, and have residual cough. Just not sure how I will be next week.

But for now it's staying indoors, hydration, warm, whatever I can stomach etc.

@JoJo36 Yes, I'm quite a warm and empathetic person and I've dialled it back because I think people find it annoying, but I do wonder if that's because they don't want to be brought closer to their emotions! I hope your anxiety is ebbing away now, it does tend to taper off later in the day I find.

@Idstillratherbepaddleboarding I have zero brain working - I wanted to go back to bed as soon as I woke up for work and it was my brain that's not working rather than my body. Having said that, I have only worked out once this week. Obviously there's a lot of movement and walking in my normal day though. But if you can't get your brain going, you can't get anything else going.

@PurpleSkies2026 Oh, I hope you feel better soon. I always take allicin when I'm not well and that does seem to have some scientific backing. I'm mostly recommend it because it once spared me from a cold that everyone else in the office seem to have. Normally I catch everything that's going round but I had just discovered
Allicin at that point and I genuinely think that taking about 6 tablets a day, (only while I was surrounded by people with colds), might be the only reason why I didn't get it.

I've never heard of that. Do you have a link as I'm getting garlic capsules? I used to take echinichea but it's unknown whether it interacts with another med so I stopped. Garlic however is pretty inoffensive.