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.

@mrsdiddlydoo I just realised I didn’t actually explain what my treatment does look like! I have to attend the ED clinic weekly for CBT with a lovely practitioner and the dietician has given me a meal plan. I’m supposed to eat 3 meals and 3 snacks a day and I am managing the 3 meals but the snacks are challenging! I can feel the fat piling on so maybe 3 meals is enough for me.

I'm not use to it being so mild. I'm hot compared to last week and need to turn the heating off but can't be arsed to move so I'm in bed looking at the grizzly day outside sweating! I could do with just a little bit of sun to restore some faith in the year (please weather gods!). I bought some seeds yesterday for the garden. Online of course so I don't have to leave the house 🙈 Quite impressed with such a positive move for me!

@Idstillratherbepaddleboarding well I know it's unmumsnetty but I for one am dead proud of you for persisting trying to get the help you need and deserve, as well as all the effort you're putting in to getting and staying well. It doesn't ever leave you. One day at a time and all that jazz. And we're all here for you x

Weekends... Gawd... If I'm not careful I basically use them to help me recover from work (paralysed in rest mode in bed!) and then i go into a cycle of repeating it all again and wearing myself and my nervous system out. It's one of the things I have worked on the most in the last year following a big burnout breakdown. Wouldn't it be great if they were just a little bit longer! I channel huge acceptance that in this phase of our life it's ok for them to be boring and mundane. School really takes it toil on the kids and they need to recover too. It is ashame stuff costs so much money. Just treating ourselves to a takeaway or lunch out with the kids feels like so much.

I’m retired. It doesn’t help much. So easy to never leave the house or talk to anyone. In fact I’m going to look for some work because it’s intolerable!

@mrsdiddlydoo thank you 🥰. I am trying my best!

Yes I firmly believe in the 4 day working week, one day to relax, one to do all the jobs you can’t do in the week because you’re at work and one to actually do something fun.

Horrid weather today. How are you all doing?
I've just spritzed on some coconut sunscreen and am about to hibernate with a sunny tv show and sleep early and a lot.

Yeah struggling with the wet weather 🙁 it’s really cold and windy as well. I’m making myself do yoga, read my kindle, and hoping to do a bit of baking tomorrow. I’m so done with winter, won’t feel good until end of March really.

Feeling done with winter too. I thought I was feeling better but feel fed up of the low feeling currently and the struggling with confidence that comes along with it.

Some days I can practise acceptance and self care and at other times I get cross that I have to!

Anyway, thinking of you all and trusting that better days will come.

You’ve summed up exactly where I’m at right now. Each day has become a struggle to get through and to take care of myself. I’m cross with myself for being so down.

I really relate to that. I got so angry about it yesterday (privately, not at anyone).

It can feel so exhausting and as though I must be doing something wrong as I feel so sad and low.

I had a family day out today which was lovely but the sadness is still there and I long to feel better and more like myself.

I feel really good that I managed the day out but I just long for the simplicity of looking forward to a day out rather than looking forward to it being over!

Big hugs in solidarity xx

Oh I hear you all. I feel like a total oddbod because I just think about bed after lunch. And at this time of year I'm often in befld by 5...or 4....

I’m so done with winter too. We went out for a dog walk and lunch today as I couldn’t stand another weekend of doing nothing. It was nice to get out but I wanted to dress a bit nicer for lunch but wanted to be warm for the walk. I just want to throw on shorts and a t shirt or a nice summer dress 😭.

On a better note, having to eat more, doing morning exercise and taking my vitamins is lifting my mood a little.

Eugh.... It's Monday again.... 😫

Yup, this is not living it’s just existing 😭.

The eternal question of life (for me) how do you move from just surviving to thriving?

Answers on a postcard to...

The rain... Is relentless.

Yes, it’s really hard on the days where you just get through them one hour at a time.

Yesterday I had annual leave so I did a Pilates class, a bit at the gym, a mini Sainsbury’s shop and lots of chilling and resting and wholesome things.

Then in the evening I just burst into tears because I feel I literally couldn’t do any more to help myself and I still felt sad, anxious and low.

Have requested some blood tests today just in case anything shows up. I know I also need to give the increase in antidepressants some more time (it’s week 8 but apparently for some people it can take up to 12 weeks). I felt they were really helping but last week was just horrible mood wise.

I love that many of you go to bed early and kind of accept the hibernation urge. I know it might not be what you want but it does feel like something we need this time of year. Nature is resting deeply and ‘composting’ as I read somewhere!

I also admire those of you who go on holiday in winter. I lose my confidence in winter so it sounds strange but I don’t want to be away from home. I get scared of feeling low and being away and that making me feel worse.

It is really grey today and raining. I feel like quite a few people I know are struggling which kind of helps (although I don’t really wish for anyone to struggle).

How are you all doing today?

Yep just literally in survival mode here. It hasn’t helped that I’ve had lots of stress the last 3 weeks or so, jobs in the house that haven’t gone smoothly, a nasty neighbour, and just general life stuff! Feels like I’m close to a panic attack, can’t wait to see the end of January!!

January isn't normally my worst month. That's November.

But this year, oh my. Days and days of perpetual twilight where it never seems to get properly light. Mud, standing water on the roads, grey, grey, grey, drizzle and rain. I got excited just seeing a blue sky on Saturday.

If we suffer a similar spring to the one we had to years ago, where the same thing persisted for months on end without let up, I think I will go completely round the twist.

I wish I knew! That’s something I’m really struggling with at the moment, if all you do is work, pay bills and sit in the house what’s the point??

Exactly the same
The minute is starts to get dark ,my body is preparing for bed
I sleep so much more in winter as well ..
I seem to need to be in bed as soon as it's dark ,and I can't get up untill it's light .
Have one of those alarm clocks with the sunrise to get me up .
Then when it's summer ,I'm up the minute it's light and need so much less sleep in the summer

It’s actually very sunny here today, and dry! Forced myself out for a walk in a nice park and bought myself a coffee to have whilst I walked, I actually needed my sunglasses 😮

I’m so glad I’ve been out.

Hello everybody

I haven't been too bad, but this week suddenly feels very difficult. I don't know if it's just accumulating winter so to speak. I do remember this time last year I was quite perky. Well, I have been okay. But this week has hit hard for some reason.

I mentioned an exercise program thing I was doing - I've just caught myself thinking that I don't want to pay for the next month.
That is intertwined with some "real" stuff as it is a much bigger challenge than I would normally take on. (that doesn't mean much in my case, I hate exercise challenges).

I don't have to make a decision today so I should probably hold off. I think payment is due on Monday, which is the 2nd of February.

I'm supposed to be out tonight and I just do not want to go, so I'm not. It's just a local pub meet up. Others are going so I'm not letting anyone down. Also, I didn't say I was going so that's easy enough!

I just feel as if there's a weird atmosphere out there, as if everyone feels a bit sunk - I don't actually know though. Even the neighbours WhatsApp group is not chatty.

Just adding because I know we've got some people here who are good on the physical fitness front

The physical challenge is probably working in the sense that I feel ready to lift heavier weights - but my shoulders have tendency to get big and they are already doing that.

I'm sure it's good for building up strength, but I don't like what it is doing appearance wise. Sounds shallow, but there we are.

Also, she does seem to be keeping up with the fancy stuff that I can't do so I'd be paying for about 70% of a usable exercise programme? Having paid for it does force me to do it though.

@EmeraldRoulette this week has been really hard for me too, despite having sunshine yesterday like @MissyB1. I feel like I’m trying so hard to feel better but it’s not working. I agree there’s a general flatness to everybody at the moment, which is hardly surprising with everything that’s going on.

I’d say if you’re not enjoying it, don’t sign up for the next class. Plus if the instructor hasn’t taken feedback on board then that’s not good. There’s plenty of other forms of exercise you can do although if you don’t want big shoulders, don’t take up pole dancing 🤣.

@Idstillratherbepaddleboarding thank you

You have to sign up for a month block. You can't then join in the middle of the month.

it's bad timing for a decision because it's just been such a downer of a week. I'll wait till the weekend and make a decision then.

with the shoulders, I actually think she is emphasising them too much in the workout. Maybe just inevitable if you're building strength? It does happen whenever I do a harder strength training programme. My calves and my shoulders have a tendency to get big.

it is annoying not being able to do the cardio properly because I rely on that to keep my brain going.

As I am typing, I am thinking this is really not the best workout programme for me...

Yes, everyone seems flat and unenthusiastic at the moment. Even friends who don't struggle with winter say they are just done with it. Spring (and it had better be a proper one) can't come soon enough.