SAD..Seasonal affective disorder.. how do you northern guys deal with it?

-
I go to work in the dark, and come home in the dark, but I spend most of my day outside, which helps, except when it's brutally cold, as next week is expected to be. Watch a fair amount of tv and movies in the evening. I try to get out and do something physical on the weekends, even if it's just taking my dogs for a good long walk. I get to look at my Dart every time I walk in or out of the house as it's parked 20 feet from the door, that doesn't help much.
 
Buddy was working waaay up north. Dark for a month. He got really depressed. In dr’s office for mandatory checkup,he told doc he was depressed.
Guess there was a community hall with artificial sunlight.thats all it took,hour a day.
we get decent amount if sun here.its not bad, sun warms up my office nicely.

nice bright lights in shop, tunes always cranked.
Its the short days that get me. Thankfully they are getting longer.
 
Born and raised in Milwaukee 1939 to 1957, in the navy on the west coast 1957 to 1961, back to Milwaukee 1961 to 1970, after being spoiled out west for 4 years I could not make Wisconsin work, Calif. and Az. 1970 to 2020 hot rods and year around bass fishing. Never looked back.
 
I spent 15 long years in the desert, more like a living hell. First year there..100+ days of 100+* in a row. Went something like 156 days without rain. Ride to work at 11 a.m. it was 110*, ride home at midnight it would be 101*. Last visit was 2016, mid February it hit 95*. Thanks but no. Will take the 4 seasons any time. And before anyone says "I can drive my car year round" I would like to remind you that for some of us there is a lot more to life than some old bucket of bolts..
 
S'why mamas in the south tell their younguns to "go outside and soak up some sunshine". All things good come from the light.
 
Been here in Alaska since '02 and I'll tell you from experience, the key is to stay busy with hobbies that make you happy, distance yourself from negativity, and get outside as much as you can. I used to brew beer throughout the winter a lot, about 70 gallons annually. Acid re-flux put a kibosh to that though. Staying inside a shop all day, even brightly lit, isn't the same as real sunlight. You can buy a SAD light if you really need it. Never owned one. It's been -30 or colder here for at least a week now, and -40 for the past few days. Supposed to warm up next week to -15. I'll take advantage of the warmer temps and spend more time outside then. Every little bit helps.
 
RustyRatRod said:
S'why mamas in the south tell their younguns to "go outside and soak up some sunshine". All things good come from the light.
Click to expand...
Vitamin D. I read somewhere that we do not get vitamin D from the sun until our shadows are shorter than our height. Dont care. If I can feel it and see it, it helps. It doesn't bother me near as much as it did when I had to commute both ways in the dark. That sucks!!
 
RSie said:
Got a 1/4 inch of ice on the steps now and getting colder. Still kinda rain/ice chunks coming down. Just makes me wanna crawl into bed more, lol.
Click to expand...
I spent a week in Sacramento in Jan or Feb when I was 15 or 16. Stayed with my sister who was going to school up there so I was stuck in a crackerbox apt alone for 8 hours a day, and the days sucked. Never got above 45, always heavy overcast or fog to the point that you couldnt tell if it was 9 AM or 3PM. I just remember eating a lot of soup and sleeping because that apt was F'n cold and drafty, more of a motel room. I tell you, if the weather sucks, it just takes it out of you. We had a Marine Barracks in Adak, Alaska, guarding some naval installation. Every month the marines got to fly to Hawaii for a 72 (3 day liberty) on a rotating basis for moral and some sunshine. I bet that MAC flight back to Adak was a real buzzkill.
 
I moved to FL from OH and that took care of a lot of it.

I used to dread the 8 months out of the year it seemed like it was cold, gray and possibly raining or sleeting.

Very depressing.

I got a bit happier when we finally got snow deep enough to play in and have fun driving in but that wore off in about 2-3 weeks.

I will say I would not trade growing up the "rust belt"/machinery oriented, hard scrabble "big city" for anything although I'm not sure I'd want to put my kid through that if I had one that age.
 
I live in Wisconsin too. It can suck going to work in the dark and going home in the dark. You just have to make plans. Don't use "winter" as a prison sentence. We really haven't had much winter this year.... It's January and was 48 degrees here yesterday.. Get outside no matter what. I went shore fishing Christmas day... How often is that possible? I did a small construction project outside last weekend and painted my garage. Find a project or anything that gets you out... Go to a movie, take a long drive to a state park we have tons... Go ice fishin ! Get a gym membership... Even if it's to get out of the house and walk on a treadmill... Plus you get to see hot chics in tight pants!
 
tight lines
IMG_0936.jpg

shoot pool
12625810_10153550255743432_515051288_n.width-704.jpg

2e4a3dfd1e028746ae6b6fed914f355c.jpeg
 
I have always had a problem with SAD especially when I was younger.
Now and for the last 10 years or so, Vitamin D supplements, I have grow lights at home on a timer, On first thing in the morning before work and on when I get home... tricks the brain into thinking the sun is out. I also go to tan twice a week and I feel great after a session.
...I also look forward to a weeks vacation in Februarys to the Caribbean :)
 
I moved to S Florida in 2011, to escape the cold gray winters in MO. As a young man it didn't matter to much always had fun things to do in the winter. Older I got ,more I started disliking the cold gray.
20200110_085305.jpg

This was the forecast this morning. Beats the frigid weather, but now I do miss some seasonal changes.
 
yep-

We just had our "winter", which consisted of about a week and a half of 38-40* overnight temps and (brrrrr) high 60's to mid 70's daytime temps.
 
Make it the best time of year!!
I wish my duster had 160 horsepower for every five hundred pounds...
IMG_00501-2.jpg

:thumbsup:...
 
318willrun said:
And I wish I had a nickel for everytime you posted that.....
Click to expand...
Me too! You probably have enough money then to to buy enough parts to give me a run for my money...:poke:..
I made it clear that snowmobiling is number one...
 
j par said:
Me too! You probably have enough money then to to buy enough parts to give me a run for my money...:poke:..
I made it clear that snowmobiling is number one...
Click to expand...
yeah, I've known a ton of guys like you. They always have their "#1" and it's never the topic... LOL. That way, when they get toasted in the topic at hand, they can say "well, I really like XXXX much better, this is just a secondary thing". And I bet you tell your snowmobiling buddies that your "mopar" are your number 1 thing incase they kick the snot out of your sled... LOL
 
318willrun said:
yeah, I've known a ton of guys like you. They always have their "#1" and it's never the topic... LOL. That way, when they get toasted in the topic at hand, they can say "well, I really like XXXX much better, this is just a secondary thing". And I bet you tell your snowmobiling buddies that your "mopar" are your number 1 thing incase they kick the snot out of your sled... LOL
Click to expand...
My snowmobile buddie is my wife LOL and I've always said that I like the snowmobiling more cuz it's more involving. I really don't go that fast most of the time as they are mountain sleds for going deep into the forest...
Also I don't have to lie to be cool, it just comes natural...
 
318willrun said:
yeah, I've known a ton of guys like you. They always have their "#1" and it's never the topic... LOL. That way, when they get toasted in the topic at hand, they can say "well, I really like XXXX much better, this is just a secondary thing". And I bet you tell your snowmobiling buddies that your "mopar" are your number 1 thing incase they kick the snot out of your sled... LOL
Click to expand...
Also you don't know a ton of guys like me because I'm not what you described...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top