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.

Just saw this and it made me chuckle - very relatable (and roll on March!)

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/173PPzwKAT/

By the way, for those taking a medication, which have you found works best for you? Especially over winter? (I'm about to try my 4th one this week - Fluoxetine - after three others haven't helped much!)

Xxx

Ha ha brilliant! Yes I definitely relate!

The grey! aaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhh😡😱😡

And in the afternoon, it was positively Spring-like. So lovely 😊. The anger and tiredness left me and I felt like a different person. I hope you all had the same blast of springy sun and blue sky.

@lyingonthebeach i'm glad the Sun came out for you

We had a lovely day all day today!

I really hope we actually get spring this year. It seems to have been missed out the last couple of years. It's my favourite season!

I so relate too!

It really does just feel like something is wrong in and with February!

Sun came out yesterday here and I got to do some gardening in a T-shirt. It was lovey. Grey again today though 😔

It feels like it’s been a really hard one this year and I’m grateful I found you all. I also admire how some of you are able to kind of lean in and accept how you feel and be cross about it. I tend to get scared it won’t pass and feel tearful and low.

Hugs of solidarity once again! Xx

Does anyone else think about quitting their job in February??! Very much like the video shared above!

I won’t make any decisions now but I have felt like leaving today as work is a source of low mood at the moment. It’s not always but the past two weeks have been (the people I interact with have been at a low ebb so it’s had an impact on me I think).

I was just wondering if you find that in winter you are prone to thinking about leaving your work? And not so much once the greyer weather passes?

Yes!!!! This definitely resonates; I really love the people I work with and enjoy the job overall, but it gets so overwhelming in the winter.
Definitely worth holding off until Spring! Xxx

So helpful to hear it’s more overwhelming for you too at times in winter Xx

Feeling really sad and low today. It’s so pants.

Already had a cry to my husband.

I’ve been to Pilates though ☺️

Trying not to engage with the thoughts that say I will always feel like this and that I won’t be able to work 😔

@JoJo36 I want to leave my job every day. I’m just complete done today. Everything is shit.

Due to SAD or the job? I find it hard to tell which is the issue sometimes xx

Yes I started out really low (not helped by insomnia last night). I forced myself to swimming first thing this morning. I felt better for a few hours after, but sinking down rapidly again now sigh…. I’m telling myself it’s tiredness and it’s ok. Well done on the Pilates, we have to keep doing the stuff that is good for us.

@JoJo36 also struggling to do anything today
💐

Thank you so much for replying. I really appreciate it.

It helps to know it’s not just me even though ideally I would not wish for you to be feeling that way and would love to magic sunshine into all our minds, hearts and bodies xx

@JoJo36 it's such a battle to do anything and it makes me feel like I'm stuck in freeze mode

I did manage to do my workout this evening after work as well. So that's good.

If you are managed to work and do a workout that really is something! Well done. It’s not easy to do all of that xx

Urgh a memory popped up on my FB today that DS and I were Paddleboarding on this day on 2021. It feels like we will never get to that point this year 😭😭. How much more rain can there be??

A grey day here today 😔

I just long to feel uplifted. It’s so very tiring feeling low. And I keep crying about it.

It looks like it will be sunny tomorrow.

Sending hugs to you all x

Thank you

lots to worry about but all I can feel is grey in my brain!

We had about 20 mins of warmth and sunshine this afternoon! It literally threw my leggings off and shorts on and went and sat in the garden. Before and after it looked like it was going to pour down.

I feel like you lot will get this as there are so many other neurodivergent people here, but why is nearly all adult socialising done in the pub?? I felt like I had to go along this afternoon/ evening and I hate it! I don’t really drink alcohol so paying over the odds for a Diet Coke so I can sit in a less comfortable chair than at home and make small talk is my idea of hell!

@Idstillratherbepaddleboarding shorts? How warm was it? It would have to be 30° before I'd even consider it. I don't show my legs though! 😂

hmm, pubs. I'm not a fan of old man pubs - sorry about the terminology, nothing against old men! But you probably know what I mean.

There are two really nice pubs that I go to and the chairs are totally comfortable and they are nice pubs. I'm not a drinker, but I'm happy to hang out in them.

In London, I tend to head for a bar rather than a pub.

But a lot of pubs have comfy chairs?

small talk with people I don't really know, not a fan. But if you do know them - by default, it's not small talk if you know what I mean.

Did everyone get a sunny day today?

The birds were singing really loudly in the middle of the night. I mean, I could hear them through the double glazing. It was quite funny. Now I think they were probably overexcited because they knew there was sun coming.

I have felt very cheerful all day, but my concentration is still shot to pieces. I must go and work out before I lose the entire evening surfing online!

Beautiful day here, very welcome. I’m unfortunately dealing with an eye problem at the moment, one of the side effects being light sensitivity! Bloody typical 🤦‍♀️😂
oh well I managed to get out with sunglasses on.

Hope everyone enjoyed some sunshine.

It was raining here yesterday but it gorgeous here today. I’m just back from a walk with the dog in shorts!

I’m back off sick and this time I’m not going back. I came back from annual leave to eleven new cases and zero support from my manager, so I’m done! Now to look for new jobs…