This is my first winter here and honestly, I don’t mind it so far. However, I have heard people say it takes long time to feel the effect of Seattle winters. I have heard recommendations ranging from vitamin D to getting a 10000 lumens SAD lamp. I’m not diagnosed with SAD but I would like to be proactive and try to prevent things, when I can. Have you or anybody you know use SAD lamps? If so, does it help or is it just a marketing gimmick? Thanks!
Since last week I have been struggling with SAD and it's been pretty nerveracking to be honest. I can't seem to wake up feeling rested and my motivation and concentration are really low. I have also had some pretty stressful weeks at school which could also have affected this. How can I reduce those symptoms or even completely fix this? Thanks in advance.
Do people use light therapy? Other types of therapy? From my understanding the sun doesn't shine much in the PNW, I am just wondering how you handle the cloudy days. Thanks in advance to anyone that replies to my question. Take care.
Alright I am seeking recommendations for a “happy lamp” for light therapy. By a quick search I’m seeing lots of options and it’s a bit overwhelming. If anyone has any recommendations I’d love to hear them!
This probably has nothing to do with personality type but I didn't know where else to ask. Any of you guys get happier during gloomy cold winter and depressed/unmotivated over summer?
Hello! I'm very photosensitive, and my migraines are frequently triggered by light sources. Now that we're well into winter time, my Seasonal Affective Disorder is kicking in, and while I'm doing what I can to treat it and cope, the one thing I've been hesitating to do is getting any kind of lamp for light or 'phototherapy'. It just kind of seems like a recipe for disaster for me, and part of the point of the lamp is being able to SEE some of the light, so it's not like I'd be getting all that I could from it if I'm wearing an eye mask or sunglasses while I use it, that seems redundant and counter-intuitive. I figure, surely someone else has run into this problem before and found a reasonable solution? 😅🤷
The episode talks a lot about poetry and how it can be used as a new treatment.
https://www.podcasttheway.com/l/sad/
I’ll copy and paste the description below for those interested:
Dr. Norman Rosenthal was the first to describe Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). What other practitioners once saw as stupid, is now a commonly known and treated mental disorder. Since describing this disorder, Dr. Rosenthal has then gone on to treat it through some pretty "wacky" methods. Light therapy, which is common practice now, was once again initially viewed as very odd and stupid to doctors. However, since his initial treatment, Dr. Rosenthal has gone on to recommend meditation, exercise, and now even poetry.
Yupp... It's that time of year again. This topic rolls around every year and since I've been here for a bit I thought I should be the one to bring it up this time. Especially for the newer students who haven't experienced a Bellingham winter yet.
Something to keep in mind for all you fine folks is that western is the northernmost college in the continental U.S.. On top of this we are, well, western of most of the time zone. So, what does this mean?
The sun sets before you even get home!
Yup, it's a bellingham winter if you just ate lunch and see the sun beginning it's quick descent under the horizon. This means several things. One, you should really get a light for your bike. Two, you start to step in a lot of puddles. And three, our most favorite of all, Seasonal Affective Disorder.
It's real. Even if up to this point you've felt like a particularly stable person, the absence of daylight can really catch you off guard. The purpose of this post is to prevent this.
SAD can happen to anyone. In fact, it affects most everyone here. But you can prepare yourself for it. And if you're ready for it it's very manageable.
So here's what to do:
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Stock up on good old vitamin D. Your body won't make much of it in the next few months, and having it bouncing around in your brain can really make a difference between a normal day and a 'bleh' day.
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Fall asleep earlier, today. I'm writing this at 1am, so really do as I say not as I do... But hey, I'm waking up at 8am for class. And that's what really matters. When the sun sets at 4pm, you really don't want to be waking up anytime past noon. 4 hours of daylight is not enough for a stable existence.
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Start heading to the rec. Yup, that thing you already should be doing more of. Well in the winter it can really turn your day around. Use this as a tool for the weird days.
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Get some christmas lights. And I mean the yellow ones. It's amazing how much a warmly lit room can do to make you feel healthy during the long nights.
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Take it easy on classes. Winter quarter is shorter than the other quarters and expect professors to forget that. Be ready for the Big Crunch near the middle of the quarter.
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Give people the benefit of the doubt. People lose energy during the winter and might seem standoffish the deeper in it goes. If someone slights you or doesn't respond, it probably wasn't meant that way.
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Did I say wake up earlier? It's really important. Your mental health begins to slip at the 5 hours of daylight mark.
Hello Reddit! I will be here from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm ET
Background: I am the psychiatrist, researcher and best-selling author, who first described seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and pioneered the use of light therapy for its treatment.
I have had a successful private psychiatric and coaching practice for over 40 years, during which time I have also done research at the National Institute of Mental Health and in my own organization, studying disorders of mood (depression and bipolar disorder), anxiety, sleep, ADHD and biological rhythms. I have also pioneered the use of Transcendental Meditation for combat related PTSD.
Most recently I have published a book entitled "Poetry Rx,” which describes my personal and clinical experience of the power of poetry to heal, inspire and bring joy to people's lives.
Edit: COMING BACK It's been fantastic to interact with you folks. I love your questions and want to hear more of them. I am taking a break till 5:00 EDT and then I'll be back -- so please continue with the questions and let's have some fun!
In the meantime here are some resources to browse:
Light Therapy, How Much Light is Enough
Edit #2: Thanks to you all for a wonderful AMAA—goodbye for now.
I came back to at 5pm ET and saw so many interesting comments that I spent an hour or so with you all again. It has been a wonderful day and I hope that you found this AMA both useful and enjoyable.
If you want to find out more about me and my work, check out my website at normanrosenthal.com or find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Youtube.
Wishing you light and transcendence,
Norman
SAD seems like one of those things that probably affects most everyone (everyone who doesn’t have an equatorial home, that is) to one extent or another (although in many it might be so nuanced it goes unnoticed), making me question whether it’s really worth calling a “disorder” in the first place. It just seems sort of natural and on theme for winter.
Regardless, I started noticing a few years ago that I was getting a little depressed around the same time each year (probably had been happening for years, but you get a little more self-reflective as you get older and you start noticing patterns in yourself more). It just really wears me out to leave for work while it’s dark and come home and it already be dark. Chores/obligations/ that require light always start piling up, you feel like you have less energy, there’s no time to enjoy the outdoors at your leisure in the light of day, etc.
BUT this year oughta be a little different. I’ve got my lights to play with now that’ll make the night more fun. I’ve got lights to help me do my chores and accomplish the things I normally can’t do without sunlight, including a few nice headlamps. And I’ve got lights to warm my hands up while also doing their primary job. I also go camping way out in the woods/fields near our place a number of times each fall/winter, and I can’t wait to load up some lights on the ol’ minibike and find me a good spot to camp and sit out there and just light up the night.
Fall and Winter are great reliefs from the heat of the summers here, and I love being outside during them. Because of this (and because of the way too short days) it’s simultaneously one of my most favorite and least favorite times of year. But I’m thinking this year will be a little more fun and less stressful, and that’s a nice thought.
Got recommended these by my GP. But comments online seem to mixed, plus, apparently, some SAD lamps are a scam. :(
So, I was wondering, if anyone tried them? What's your experience? If it helped, did you use other treatments in addition to it? Which lamp did you get?
Thank you!
I know what its like to struggle with SAD it feels like you cant breathe or move people who have it just don t understand but I haven t had it that bad this year I am thankful these things helped me and it might help you toohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKLvz9gckvo&t=17s
Has anyone had any luck with sun lamps? Supposedly they help with seasonal depression which for me and likely many of us is exacerbated by the holidays and the expectations they bring.
If you've tried sun lamps, did it help?
If so, what should i look for in a lamp?
If not, please share your experience.
Any other remedies you may find helpful, please let me know. I have some 5 HTP but ive not felt much change from it in the past but giving it another go. L tyrosine has helped me more in the past, I have to get some more. Increasing vitamin d intake as well.
Thanks in advance!
Anyone here convinced they have this? I swear every few years my mental well being hits rock bottom in the winter.
If you're affected, how do you cope with the colder, darker time of the year? Which season do you feel you thrive in?
I live in Canada, and whenever winter rolls around, that SAD has always hit me pretty hard. Since about a year ago I started taking vitamin d3 every day (1000 UI - or one capsule), but recently after some good ol' internet research, I upped the daily intake to 3000-4000 UI. We're about two weeks into the snow flying where I'm at, and this is the first winter that I haven't woken up in the morning completely depressed. In fact, I feel pretty neutral to content as far as SAD is concerned.
I did a lot of trauma work earlier in the year and speculated that part of the reason I've always had such a negative reaction to the winter is because back when I was a child, the winter is when I was stuck inside with my abusers. During the summer, I'd often wander off, ride my bike outside, go swimming, or anything else to stay out of the house. But during the winter I was basically yelled at, hit, or emotionally manipulated every day. And I wondered if SAD was just a trauma trigger related to winter and that childhood script.
I'm not sure if my waking up in a better mood over these past two weeks has to do with the upped vitamin d3 or the trauma healing, and I was wondering if anyone has had similar experiences. Especially if you don't have an overly traumatic background but have suffered from Seasonal Affective Disorder in the past. Thanks friends!
I'm 4 months off of klonopin. Winter is just starting where I live and Im starting to get depressed. Not the usual withdrawal depression but a little more mild. Still no fun. Anyone else?
I'm realizing that weed is really what 'helped' me through the holiday season, which is always consistently hard for me.
To preface, I love my family, and my job, and my situation. I lead a truly lucky life as a 28 year old man making 43k a year in a job with a company that has values that match mine very thoroughly. I love my wife more than anything, and she is the light of my life. We have almost no arguments that I would consider anything close to major, at least not these days.
But, she pointed out to me last night that I have been distant. I come home from work and immediately distract myself with whatever I can latch onto, whether it's games or TV or whatever else. I realize that weed kinda kept me in a state of constant distraction from my problems, and when I did step outside that bubble of staying high all the time I stepped right into the pile of shit that is my bad temper and tendency to overthink. I don't mistreat my wife, I just... ignore her, it seems. She says I do it every year around the holidays.
Any suggestions for dealing with life outside of 'the bubble' when things start to get hard? Everything seems so much brighter, but after this S.A.D. starting setting in I feel so hopeless. I know the easy answer is 'just spend time with your wife, man' but something is keeping me from stepping outside of this new bubble I'm living in.... Avoiding life, I guess.
Any dialog is welcome. I'm afraid I'm hurting her with my negative behaviors and I really just want to talk about how I can keep my wife from feeling my sadness.
Hiyaa, is anyone else experiencing mood changes from the weather? It’s becoming harder to stay motivated.
If so, what are you doing /going to do overcome it?
I recently started trying to educate myself on my ADHD diagnosis, my symptoms, and how they impact me. This so far has been a journey of self forgiveness, hope, direction, a sense if purpose, and perhaps a bit of a fixation on these new revelations concerning my behaviors.
I've been considering my options in terms of medication. I haven't taken any for a while, and I haven't taken anything consistently in several years. I swore of stimulants because I had been convinced they were terrible and I didn't need them, and nothing else ever really worked for me.
So I set up a doctors appointment. It took a while to get one. I was so excited to talk to him about how I'd educated myself. How I was ready to really treat ADHD and not hide my symptoms from people who were trying to help me out of fear or guilt or shame. How I understand why taking medication actually mattered and in all likelihood I could find aomething that worked for me.
And...within the last couple weeks, my old friend S.A.D has hit me like a truck. And it feels as bad as ever now. And I don't know how I'm supposed to manage this, on top of wanting to begin seriously treating my ADHD.
I can't sleep all. My self hatred and guilt and general desire to find a way to just not feel anything seems incessant. And I'm finding myself fixating on people I barely know and emotionally crashing off those feelings at an alarming rate.
I'm angry, honestly. This sucks.
edit: Also, honestly, I don't know what I should even say to my doctor. Does anyone have any tips? I just...feel very frustrated by this turn of events.
Bowling Pin Meetup this Friday, November 12! 7 PM at Cherrywood Coffeehouse, 1400 E 38th 1/2 St. Runs until at least 9, later if we get a decent crowd.
Come hang out with fellow Redditors! Have some drinks, food, and good conversation about whatever you're into. (Or just the conversation, if you're broke! Doesn't cost a thing, other than whatever you want to spend on drinks and food.)
Not dedicated to anything in particular, just laid back bullshitting and joking around. Usually about half a dozen people talking about movies, music, TV, tech, gaming, internet culture, and other "nerdy" stuff, but everything is on the table.
Look for the table with the bowling pin! Yes, literally a full-sized regulation bowling pin, right in the middle of the table. We're usually in the courtyard, unless it's rainy or cold af.
The password is "I was told there was a password, but now I'm realizing there's probably not and that was just a joke."
Now that winters here, here’s a podcast with Dr. Norman Rosenthal.
https://www.podcasttheway.com/l/sad/
I’ll copy and paste the description below for those interested:
Dr. Norman Rosenthal was the first to describe Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). What other practitioners once saw as stupid, is now a commonly known and treated mental disorder. Since describing this disorder, Dr. Rosenthal has then gone on to treat it through some pretty "wacky" methods. Light therapy, which is common practice now, was once again initially viewed as very odd and stupid to doctors. However, since his initial treatment, Dr. Rosenthal has gone on to recommend meditation, exercise, and now even poetry.
Hope this fits but lots of people get sad and depressed for the season, and he talks about some of his favorite treatments (yes including exercise).
https://www.podcasttheway.com/l/sad/
I’ll copy and paste the description below for those interested:
Dr. Norman Rosenthal was the first to describe Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). What other practitioners once saw as stupid, is now a commonly known and treated mental disorder. Since describing this disorder, Dr. Rosenthal has then gone on to treat it through some pretty "wacky" methods. Light therapy, which is common practice now, was once again initially viewed as very odd and stupid to doctors. However, since his initial treatment, Dr. Rosenthal has gone on to recommend meditation, exercise, and now even poetry.
With winter coming, thought I’d share a podcast about how it can affect people and what we can do to counteract the gloom.
https://www.podcasttheway.com/l/sad/
I’ll copy and paste the description below for those interested:
Dr. Norman Rosenthal was the first to describe Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). What other practitioners once saw as stupid, is now a commonly known and treated mental disorder. Since describing this disorder, Dr. Rosenthal has then gone on to treat it through some pretty "wacky" methods. Light therapy, which is common practice now, was once again initially viewed as very odd and stupid to doctors. However, since his initial treatment, Dr. Rosenthal has gone on to recommend meditation, exercise, and now even poetry.
