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 everyone

I haven't been around because of the Big Stressful Thing I mentioned before.

I think it's over. It's made me that jumpy. I don't really want to tempt fate.

Sorry so many people are struggling

It's not been too bad in my neck of the woods, but today is dire and has been a real struggle. I've still got things on my to-do list. Honestly, I think I've had like a total of about two productive hours today. And I think that might be me done! I managed about 15 minutes of working out and that was it.

if it was later in the year, I would have a second slot with my sad lamp. But I have to be really careful with that because too much exposure to it can actually make me anxious.

we're rapidly coming up to the time where it's just a case of trying to make things pass as quickly as possible.

There is a rumour there will be sun on Tuesday, but I'll believe it when I see it!

The rain just adds to the misery
So hard getting up in a morning as it's dark

Looks like rain all day tomorrow too.

Just ugh.

Very rainy here ,and dull ..

It’s actually weirdly warm here but grey. I had a boring weekend and now back to work. I promised myself on Friday if I still felt as bad, I’d call in sick but here I am, there’s just too much to do 😭.

I wish they would study people who aren't affected by light levels and figure out what the difference is.

I'm supposed to work out at 6pm....

I wonder if people with autism and ADHD are more effected than others

Same… well now so a little after 6. The past few nights I haven’t even wanted to do my pole dancing, which is the one thing I enjoy in life 😭😭, well other than my dog and DS. I’m so sad (pun intended) that SAD is trying to take this from me. I don’t remember being like this last year.

@Idstillratherbepaddleboarding I actually think I remember you saying that last year but you still enjoy it so yay!

I did my workout, but it was a struggle.

I have been so busy with the Big Stressful Thing all summer, and I had a good summer apart from that, but there's a whole bunch of stuff I do actually want to do. And now I'm worried how I'm going to find the energy to do it.

It's been horrendously grey the last few days though. I think we've got some kind of weather front hanging over us.

@EmeraldRoulette oh haha I probably did, my memory is non existent these days!

Perhaps try just planning one thing per week? So you have something to look forward to but it doesn’t all get too much!

I had an awful summer too with losing my dog so horrifically and I don’t think it’s put me in a good position going forward. I do have so nice things coming up but the Feeling Of Dread just ruins everything 😭.

It's spirit-crushingly dark, rainy and bleak here today. I feel as if i cant cope (just knackered, brain-fogged and so low). I just need to say it.

It was here this morning too. I’ve decided to take a mental health day of sorts. It’s actually my study day today so I’ll only be creating work for myself further down the line but it was that or a full, genuine mental breakdown I think. I’ve just been out with the dog and it started raining as I entered the first field but 2 mins later the sun came out! Now I’ve just got back and it’s raining again so the universe must have known that I really needed that sun today. I tried my best to appreciate the greenery, blue skies and the stream that runs alongside the walk.

@lyingonthebeach yes sometimes you just have to get the words out, don't you. We had a soul crushing day yesterday! Today is occasional glimpses of sun and a lighter shade of grey.

I actually haven't been for a walk because the workout I did last night has finished me! I did a bit extra but I am slightly puzzled but that has made me completely worn out!

Well, there's that, and I've also only got 20 minutes before my next meeting.

@Idstillratherbepaddleboarding the stuff I need to do is not the kind of stuff you'd look forward to if you know what I mean. I don't know what to call it.

Basically, I could easily spend the rest of my life sinking into being unfit, lazy, disorganised, and just surfing the net in free time. There are certain things I have to do in order to avoid that happening.

not sure if this will make any sense! But yes, it's stuff like that that I need to do.

I am supposed to be out tomorrow night and I was looking at my week and wondering if I could cancel it - it doesn't affect anyone else really if I don't go, I'm going to an event to show some support to someone but she won't really notice if I'm not there! I'm also going because it's my only evening out this week and it's usually fun when she's around.

Sorry that was waffle. So yeah, I could cancel it but I'm not going to because again I will just sink into doing nothing.

So sorry about your dog. I have an elderly dog and even the thought of losing her makes my heart break. It would be far worse if its a sudden or horrible death. I don't know how I will go on after my dog has gone so I totally get the dread you feel even without the SAD.

@EmeraldRoulette sounds like the things I need to (and don’t) do! I think you’ll enjoy tomorrow night more than you think, it’s never as bad as you expect it to be I find. You’re not waffling, don’t worry, that’s what we’re here for!

@Idontknowhatnametochoose thank you, I really don’t think I’ve come to terms with it yet, I still can’t believe it happened. We do have a puppy now and he’s amazing and I love him so much but he’s not a replacement, and he wasn’t meant to be, I just want both of them together 🙁.

Also after 5 weeks of drs appointments I finally have an appointment at the eating disorder clinic… on 5th December 😵😵. I’m not even surprised either but WTF.

@Idstillratherbepaddleboarding @EmeraldRoulette sending strength and sunny wishes. I hate that we all struggle and suffer but you lot make me feel less of a weirdo (cos some of my very good friends don't /can't understand and come out with total crp.......hit-em-in-the-chops-crp!

@lyingonthebeach I think people are probably better now but maybe it's just a question of luck what you encounter? I would get really annoyed if anybody started talking crap at me about it now. I don't really know a lot of people, but the ones I know also struggle with winter. Someone said to me last week that she would just wipe November off the calendar if she could. She likes Christmas which helps her with December.

I remember 20+ years ago, a man said to me, really aggressively and repeating himself, "you can't have issues with this weather. You just can't." And he kept repeating the word CAN'T - loudly - no prizes guessing how that made him sound!
It does now strike me that might be what he was going for!

He was nobody important, just the boyfriend of someone I knew through work. She stopped bringing him to the pub because he was always saying stupid things! I don't think that relationship lasted long, but I can't say I remember!

Today the irritability has hit. I was surprised it didn't come along before.

I know I'll enjoy going out tomorrow night - I just feel overwhelmed by the simplest tasks at this time of year. So I was looking at my diary thinking if I skip that, it will make Thursday and Friday seem a bit easier as they are really busy days. Really the difficulty is battling the urge to do absolutely nothing because of the grey causing my brain to just wander off.

I've got one evening out the following week, and the first week of November I'm going to try and do nothing beyond the essentials - it's hard enough to keep up with those!

@lyingonthebeach it’s rubbish isn’t it?? I personally don’t know how people can just continue on as normal in winter!

@EmeraldRoulette I find it impossible to explain to people. It did make me do an ironic half smile when this popped up on my timehop today, before I knew about SAD.

Clocks change soon.that always makes getting up in a morning easier..
But in the evening as soon as it starts to get dark it feels like the middle of the night for me
.this week I've missed my swim twice because I couldn't get out of bed early enough to go .
In the summer I'm up when it's light .the difference in how I feel is astonishing.
My body seems very much to want to sleep as soon as it's dark and wake up when it's light ..it's a huge effort to go against that ..really hard getting up when it's dark ,and really hard staying awake when it's dark.
Very very frustrating.
Like someone said up thread ,I also get through December because of Christmas
But by the end of December I'm crashed and it's horrendous for January and February

I've doubled my vitamin intake..for a short while ,incase I'm deficient in some of them ..which as I'm vegan and on a diet ,is likely..I really need to feel better

@Fukcedoff I hope you feel better soon

It's so individual, the time change. I found it much worse when I worked in an office every day. The main point is the shorter days, though I'll grant you if I was an early riser I'd probably be pissed off because getting up in the dark would annoy me. Well, it did piss me off in the days I had to get up in the dark and walk to the station.

I usually find January and February better -it's going into Christmas that's horrendous for me. Getting to the shortest day feels like an achievement.

For me it feels downhill from now until the days start getting lighter again. I'm not a Christmas fan either. It's just doom, gloom and stress and overwhelm until it's over. I find it really difficult. I managed to spend a break between calls today hanging washing out in the sun and it was glorious. But it's been raining again since about 6pm. And we've a weather warning. Its getting harder and harder to get up in the mornings. I could just give up and stay in bed until spring. Just keeping up with the essentials it tough. I'm trying to make peace with needing rest and balance and quiet and stillness and that being OK, but it doesn't make it any easier.

I am finding the sad lamp on my desk really interesting. I enjoy switching it on and am managing 30 minutes almost at full oomph in the morning and a little bit mid afternoon. I think it helps a bit. Whether it's real or not I don't care. I will take all the help I can get.

@Fukcedoff hope the extra vitamins help! I'm not managing to do any exercise either than occasional walks. Less than I'd like. It's so frustrating not being able to find the energy to do the stuff you're supposed to do to help you.

@Idstillratherbepaddleboarding I'm sorry about you losing your dog. It's so tough. They are part of your family. They are your family. We couldn't be without our pooch. We lost two a couple of years ago pretty close together. It was a terrible time. We planned to have a little break before getting another but lasted less than a month. The house was so empty. They are all so different and special. I couldn't be without a dog and if we had more space or a smaller dog I would fill the house with them. I'd like to think your appointment in Dec will come round quickly but knowing how tough this time of year is I send strength and some company until it comes around.

Two days until half term. Two days of work until a week off. I'm dreading it. I want to be yay... And make plans. But arrrgghhhh...

I look forward to the shortest day as it's all getting lighter from then onwards .
Bizarrely..my husbands birthday is on the longest day and my son's birthday is on the shortest day

I try to swim every day , except Saturday as there isn't one at the time I'm able to go..this week has defeated me ,I'm not going today either ,just can't face it .
Got my sad lamp out last last and had about an hour in front of it ..gave me a bit of a headache though ...walking is excellent exercise .. especially as your soaking up any sun and vit d as you go