Summer SAD

Today I received an email from Saskia letting me know that her website has moved. I'm going to change the posted link but also wanted to take this opportunity to remind everyone that her summer SAD site is an invaluable resource. Check it out!

http://summersad.ning.com/

We have had an unusually warm and snowless winter, but are now finally getting some winter weather. In fact, we just had to get more firewood. Right now I am trying to just enjoy it and not let the coming summer get me down before I actually have to live with it.

I get agitated when people start carrying on about how great it is that winter is almost over. Being in gardening groups online doesn't  help, but I like gardening and plants, I just try to limit any activities to late evening.

The truth is I even like Spring. Of course, our springs are usually snowy and rainy which makes them very nice, but I also like seeing things bloom and come to life. If it didn't mean that summer was coming I would really look forward to spring.  I like fall and winter more, but I enjoy the changing of seasons and variety.

So, right now while I feel good and can think clearly I am trying to think of anything that will make it easier on me this year. I know I want to start taking my supplements ahead of time. I'm sure there are other things that would be helpful.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

hello
im wondering if anyone else is starting to get freaked out about spring and summer. im already freaking out that its quite light in the morning and have begun to put a blanket up at the window which has helped a lot - im dreading the clocks changing on sunday as i know what a sudden intrusion it is with the light...im telling myself at least it wont be hot in a while and as i write this the rain is coming down horizontally - yah.
im very excited though to have found some what claims to be total blackouts...they velcrose to the window..must get them up i think.
lots of love to all

Hi guys. I'm glad there's a community on this that's still active. Has anyone bought a dawn simulator alarm clock before? I got mine from a company called BioBrite (web site linked). The clock looks like this but has a radio in it, too:




I just got it and it's only been three days, but I feel better about waking up compared with what it was like. I think its sundown feature has helped me to fall asleep, too. I think I should have bought the more-expensive one. Any past experiences? I don't know what to expect.

(x- posted to comm sleep_disorders)

Just saying hi to my Summer SAD "cousins." I noticed this community has quieted down now that winter is approaching. The opposite, naturally, occurs for we in the Winter SAD community. In there, right now, is a quite a few "we're doomed!" posts. (I say that tongue-in-cheek since I'm among those, more or less).

While I do not love the winter as much as you all do, it is a tad helpful for me to "live vicariously" through those who do. Maybe in the hopes of having a slightly more balanced ... something. Viewpoint? Well, nah, SAD isn't a viewpoint. Outlook? I don't know the right word (danged SAD-induced brain fog). But maybe you know what I mean.

May I ask you to share things autumn/winter-related that you've enjoyed lately? I am one who used to love autumn and it used to be my favorite season. So one of my favorite aspects of fall was Thanksgiving (of course), but for some reason, I equate apple dumplings or apple crisp as my favorite fall food. Mind you, there was never any snow in my part of the desert.

And when my grandmother made her famous ginger cream cookies (uber-soft gingerbread cookies with a slightly lemon tasting frosting), oh, I could just melt! But that was way back when I lived in Arizona and the summer heat would drive anyone mad. Even a winter-SAD person would probably find it overwhelming and start having the opposite symptoms after a few years of living there.

I know that once I moved to the cold, dark Yukon... my love of winter and fall were soured completely. It's a beautiful place but in a way I wish I hadn't moved there. I might still like fall if I hadn't.

Sorry for rambling, I tend to do that this time of year.  Anyway, I still thank you for letting me be in this community even if I am the mirror-opposite of what you experience. Enjoy this time of year, but be ready to trade again in a few months! LOL (I'm just pulling your leg, I wouldn't wish any-season SAD on anyone - it sucks).

It's cold and dark out today. I feel safer than I have in months with this new weather. Dare I hope that Autumn, after one false start, is actually here? I already made the mistake of removing my AC early, packing it away in the garage and then having to lug it back upstairs and reinstall it when the cool weather turned out to be only a fluke a week or so ago. It got back up in the 90's again.

( cut for some length )

So. I'm hoping that this is going to be Autumn from here on out.

This summer has been too long. I thought it was on the way out back when we had some rain in August, but it wasn't in the cards. I posted last year about my love letter to fall and I not too long ago posted my Halloween shelf. A big part of how I get through the end of summer is by remembering the beauty of fall. Halloween. I enjoy the folksy down home halloween decorations, I enjoy adults playing dress up like kids, I like kids running around for free candy, I like the wind and the trees and candles and Vincent Price and Bella Lugosi movies. When the awful summer is over there's Halloween right there with rain and spooky stories and decorations. All of this was a way to introduce to interested parties something I just discovered today....  HALLOWEEN JUKEBOX- oh yeah. It's freakin' fantastic. There's quite a selection of ecclectic Halloween music, songs and sound clips. It's making my heart so happy right now that I had to share it with you guys. Seriously, this is great stuff, I can't stop smiling.

I'm getting a treat this week--temps dropped from middle/upper 80's over the weekend with warm nights to forecasted highs of upper 60's/low 70's. I hope they're right for once!

How's everybody doing?

Did you know there are portable air conditioners? I didnt until I googled around tonight. There are also narrow ones that would fit into a cracked window. And there are ones that connect to the outside by tubing that can be fed up to a windowsill as well.

Those of you out there without decent AC-friendly windows are suffering needlessly!

look at this

and this

and there's a few in this group too

The point is, just check around before resigning yourselves to stuffiness and heat-induced insomnia. I know it's hard to think clearly during these times, but maybe there's something that will greatly help.

It's hot. Triple digits hot. Today, tomorrow... maybe the next day. I am miserable. Short tempered. I feel like I am being roasted alive. I don't want to do anything, go anywhere or even talk. I can't seem to think clearly enough to make decisions, even little ones. The a/c in the bedroom keeps the room more ok than the rest of the house, but it's old and not up to the task of creating the polar conditions I would like (or even as chilled as it used to, I think it's on its last legs). The basement has warmed up. I have that suffocating "I can't get away from this" feeling that I get in the summer. I feel uncomfortable in so many ways that I'm bad company. I don't even want to be around myself when I'm like this.
Sorry this isn't a helpful post, I just felt like I needed to vent to people who understand.
How's everyone holding up?

While I was cleaning up my desk area yesterday I decided to decorate a shelf with Halloween-esque and Fall-ish things to remind me of the things I'm looking forward to.

For years I have disliked the summer.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy being outdoors and the beach on occasion, but I long for Autumn during these dog days.  I didn't even know that this condition existed!  I always thought I was just a dreary person who enjoyed winter and cool/cold weather.  Now that I know about and strongly believe that I may have it (my suspicions have not been confirmed by a doctor), I would like to do something about it.  I have to say that I do not like the idea of anti-depressants, so what are some of the ways that you all manage to not become totally irritable and anti-social hermits during these summer months?

the sky was beautiful
the weather, my God, it was glorious today

I did not squint.
I breathed in the smell
of sprinkling rain on warmed asphalt.
I kept my eyes open all day
except when I was relaxing
naturally
leaned up against anything handy
at it didnt matter what angle.

I was more me again
because today was grey and calm
and I was safe to come out
and walk and play and think thoughts
inside
that didnt have to fend off outside.

my day was alive inside my eyes and my head today
the way only this kind of weather can
get across into the lands in me.

How do you explain Summer SAD to friends, SOs, family, etc.?

Sorry this is so long! Maybe it will help you guys fall asleep! =)

( the experiment )

( product review )

And since July 15 brings me to my rather arbitrary 'halfway' point of the summer, of course I had to revive my countdown to the autumnal equinox, which is when the misery is largely past, here in Minnesota...



It's a fun website to make tickers to count down or up to nearly anything (it zooms into to counting down days at the event draws nearer). Try it out! =)

Hi everyone,

So I've discovered that I made an equally wonderful and poor decision by budgeting to resign from my job three weeks before moving cross country. Getting away from stress and a long commute has been wonderful, but now I find myself with vast, open days, my only commitment being a two-hour/week volunteer shift. I want to keep my mind and body active, but I hate how leaving my apartment and trying to enjoy walking around town involves all the sun and heat exposure. If I end up walking in the sun for more than twenty or thirty minutes, I feel it impacting my mood, and the more time spent outdoors, the worse my mood gets.

I don't like spending time at my apartment, but the weather makes it hard for me to feel I'm enjoying my time unless I am holed up reading in air-conditioned coffee shops.

Suggestions on how to beat the heat but still stay active? How do people deal with it on their days off? Also, I know at least one other person here lives in Portland, OR, which is where I'm trying to combat the sun at present. City-specific tips (such as good, cool places that won't mind me lounging for hours) would be much appreciated!

Portland summers really get going right after the fourth of July and usually last until mid-September. Which means that it's heating up around here in a consistent way and I'm trying to deal with things as well as I can. The worst is yet to come.

So, in attempt to buoy my spirits and yours I bring you something for your ears, something for your belly and something for your wardrobe. Ta-da!

The link is to a great little site that has all kinds of soothing background noises. What's so great about that? One of them is a really nice rain sound. It's lovely. Honest. Just having it on quietly in the background is very soothing for me right now... I thought someone here might like it too.

The next thing is a cold pasta salad recipe that's really easy to put together.
What's great about this is that you can cook the noodles at night or in the morning and throw this thing together and have it in the fridge for whenever you want it.
This is what's needed: Noodles (curly ones work good for this), feta, a cucumber, radishes, olive oil, garlic, basil, olives, lemon juice.

Directions: cook the noodles - I use two 12oz packages because the leftovers are delightful for snacks and lunches etc... crumble the feta in a big bowl - how much feta you use would depend on how much noodles you're making and how much you like feta. when using both packages of noodles I use an 8oz block of feta. chop up radishes and cucumbers and throw them in the same bowl, add the olives too. drain the pasta and dump it in the bowl with the other stuff. mix it around so the feta melts all over the noodles. for this next part I use a blender, but you don't have to. Mix 1/2 c. olive oil, 2 T lemon juice, 2 cloves garlic, and 1 t basil. either blend that up or press it or whatever you have to do to get the garlic small and the flavors mixed. now pour this over the noodle veggie mix. I think it's good semi-warm or cold. It tastes just as great the next day. it has a great pesto taste to it, which I really like.

Oh, and I almost forgot. I found this really cute community appropriate T-shirt the other day. Enjoy!

How are you all doing?

I just spent the morning trying to summer-proof my home and thought I'd share here what that involved.
I fixed up a bed in the basement on the floor, put dark coverings over all of the windows, devised a fan arrangement so that one is pointing up from the basement and one is at the top of the stairs blowing into the livingroom and one in the livingroom window blowing outside (we'll see how this works, fine tuning may be in order), and filling the ice bucket in the freezer. I also remembered that while it is tempting to stay up late and wait for it to cool off that it's better for me personally to wake up early and get the cooler morning air into the house for the day and use that time to get things done. By the end of the day I'm too wiped out to do anything even when it cools down a little bit at night.
I'd love to hear about anything you guys have done to your homes too.