Anyone else get depressed this time o' year?

This is the worst I can remember in a long time. I haven't been diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder (an apt acronym if ever there was one) and I'm not dysfunctionally depressed, but I'm hypersensitive — things I can barely identify can turn my mood a dark gray — I'm irritable and I'm very low on physical and mental energy.

Sigh... two more weeks until the days start getting longer.

considered taking some St. John's Worth for it?

I believe in herbal/homeopathic remedies, but the problem with them is it can take months for their desired effects to become apparent. When you're depressed, you want to get better now.

I might pick up some, though, when I go to the pharmacy tomorrow.

It takes a few weeks to feel the desired affect.

I was on that at one time, and it obviously did the trick because I am no longer on it and feeling good....however when I was on it I was tired a LOT (not something you want to be when you are depressed), and it seemed to me to take away ALL emotion, not just the bad ones.

Maybe it was just me though.

I feel sorta... dull when I'm on it. But I know this is temporary, so it's kinda worth it.

Then again, a lotta people don't seem to notice the difference... :grr:

It makes me a bit tired, too. That's why I take it at night.

I think it really helped me a LOT (that and some lifestyle changes..exercise and getting involved in the community). I know medicine can't be the only factor, but it sure seemed to be a contributing factor!


At least you have DU to vent to, my depression was in the pre-DU days (well at least MY pre-DU days).

don't bother me, it's the cold (and its been unusually cold here in SE Wisconsin so far this month). I blame it all on axial tilt.

Of course, I'm depressed year-round. I'm suffering from major depression, according to my psycologist.

It gets worse this time of year. :(

feel free to PM me. :pals:

(We seem to be crossing paths a lot today!) :hi:

I know how you feel. I'm currently in the process of switching meds and hoping that this switch will pull me out of the hellhole of the SAD/Dysthymia/Depressive pit again.

:hi:

At least you have the luxury of taking meds. My medical insurance was cancelled a few months back, so I havent' had any meds since then. :(

But my doctor's super-cool. She gives me samples. :bounce:

Y'oughta ask yours.

I'd cheer you up if I could. :D Would a pic in my Rabbit with Big Pointy Teeth slippers do?

Actually, yes. I think it would. :hug:

:hug:

You are so sweet. :loveya:

(I hope I'm outa this in time for the Sac meetup.)

in itself is depressing. I always seem to pick up some come the New Year.

that's part of the reason why we're moving down south, so I can get a bit more sunlight during the winter months.

St. John's Wort works for me - unfortunately I can't take it this year- as does getting some extra exercise. If you can afford one, you can buy a full spectrum light that helps with SAD. I haven't used one personally, but a friend does and he swears by it.

Join a gym and go as much as you can.
Listen to cheerful music.
Make an active effort to enjoy holiday things - decorate, make cookies, give gifts if you can.

I say this with love: Remember that YOU are in control of your feelings. No doctor can wave a magic wand and make you happy. Make the motions to want to feel better and you might find that you actual do feel better.



:hug:

And I can relate to the hypersensitve part. I've been more short-tempered and easily brought to tears than usual. *sigh* It has been kind of hard these past couple of weeks so I've been trying to concentrate on getting my Christmas cards made and staying away from the holiday crowds.

The worst part is late January. I may try to find some sort of light therapy by that time, or try some sort of exercise class.

Last night I even went off on someone at work - had to do it , tired of people thinking that they can walk over everybody just because others let them do so . I had to make it known that I am not the one - I even had the neck twisting and everything .

I had to take a mental health day and call off on Wednesday and just sleep, because I was up all night. I haven't done that in years. Why this month has been bad, I don't know.

No more so than usual. But I'd say I get more melancholy than actually depressed.

Sorry to hear you're suffering. :hug:

How many days until January 1?

really perk up until April. But, after last year, I am grateful for my life and try to concentrate on that. OR, even if you don't feel so swell, many a day you brighten my DU experience. I'm pulling for you. April will be here soon. :hug:

~Laura

Gee... I had no idea... :blush:

Thanks, MrsG. :hug:

Oh... I'll settle for Feb. 21. Pitchers and catchers report. :bounce:

:) Okay, come February, I'm expecting you to cheer me up on a daily basis until April. :hi:

The holidays seem to really depress me. Granted I have my kids but its much nicer when you have someone you love to share it with.
Its just not the same anymore and I cant wait till its over.

Zoloft is my best friend. Sometimes it gets worse, depending on the situation I'm in. Lately, I've been doing OK.

One thing which has helped me tremendously is a full-spectrum lightbulb. I keep the light on at night, and believe it or not, it really helps a lot. (It gets very dark here, very early.)

I believe that deep down, some of us have a desire or urge to hibernate. Let me sleep thru the winter, and I'll give you 9 very good months of productivity.

I never would have guessed this about you... because you have been a wonderful source of merriment, and rarely fail to make me laugh (or at least chuckle).

I blame it on the dark... I find it much harder to have energy, be motivated, etc. Some years are worse than others. I agree with RevCheese... some of us are meant to hibernate :) :hug: to you, Oeditpus. I don't have any great advice, but I have lots of hugs to offer! :hug:

I think I've now reached the lowest point of my life in terms of quite a few aspects and the holiday season always intensifies that feeling -plus I have some circumstances in my life which will have the potential to make Christmas even more depressing. The only part where I differ with you is that I'm high on physical and mental energy

Here is my Yearly Insanity Forecast:

October: depression because summer's really over and there's no chance of a late warm snap
November: depression early on, then increasing anxiety and panic with a high chance of insanity
December: anxiety turning to depression
January: more anxiety and expectations of doom (if my loved ones are gonna die, they usually do it in January)
February: bitter self-recriminations and general gloom as I assess my life so far and turn a year older
March: I feel pretty good about March, things start blooming and growing
April: I'm okay but most of my friends are flipping out (they're on an April Anxiety Schedule)
May: Whew, April is over, everything's cool until the end of the month when Xen has a mini-flipout
June-August: It's all good, I feel fine and am having fun
September: Pleasant mood gives way to melancholy as summer starts waning

Also, anytime there's snow, I get upset. I think snow makes everything look completely dead and yucky. I'm not fond of cold temperatures, either. It's not related to the light levels for me; I just really can't stand the cold and snow.

Tucker

it rains so much and it's cold all the time. I mean what else am I to do when my hands and feet are cold and there is no sun to warm them up? I hate this time of year.

bad. But geez! I hate not seeing the sun.

In California, winter is the rainy season. It hardly ever rains in the summer. So for depressives, it's like a double-whammy. It's cold, dark AND rainy. :)

But I think climate change has made it less cold. When I was a kid, it would snow at my house several times a year. Now it very rarely snows at that elevation. Maybe it's just my imagination, but it seems like it hasn't snowed there at all in the last several years. :shrug:

I will be hitting the ground running in good shape come April.

Exercise helps a LOT for me.

Thinking of you!

:hug:

Especially on the years when my family says "Do you mind if we skip your birthday this year?"

I'm on Wellbutrin and I'm bummed out!! It has a lot to do with this fucking administration-- I think of the people on the Gulf Coast and the people in Iraq and it is hard to get excited about celebrating Christmas.

I have two small children and to see them so excited really helps.

Mike

The holidays...any holidays...get me down. I don't look forward to them at all...poor health, no money, crazy family...:-(

And yes, my depression usually gets worse when the season starts to change.

Here's a free piece of advice: stay out of GD. I don't think I've ever seen it quite so bad. Maybe I missed it at a worse time, but sweet Jesus!

I hope you start feeling better and thanks for reminding me we only have a couple of weeks until the days get longer again. :)

interaction than I am used to. Does that bother you? Going to parties is not my
way of having fun...

Like tomorrow I'm meeting some friends for dinner. We get together every couple of months (we're refugees from a former workplace) and I always look forward to it. But some soirée with a bunch of people I don't know — I'd just avoid that.

What bugs, too, is people who say, "Oh, come on! You'll have fun!" How the hell do they know?

if it's a bunch of relatives I only see twice a year, it's awful.

I like to be consistent so, I stay depressed all year long! Major depression, here, too.

S.A.D. hits me beginning in September, plus there are always my normal mood swings to deal with, which tend to get worse in the winter. I've just had a bad spell recently, which seems to be waning. I know what you mean about not always knowing what sets the lows off--sometimes it may be not be an identifiable environmental trigger. Just the lack of natural light alone can be enough. Holiday season stressors can also add to the problem in ways you might not recognize.

Take care of yourself and get what support you can. There's no reason for you to go this alone. :hug:

:grouphug:



Okay... now I gotta say somethin' silly so this doesn't get all gooshy.



Hmmm... aha!



ALBATROSS!

:rofl:

I am a bit prone to depression anyway, and it's been a rough year, but it's always just a little harder around this time. I remember my first Christmas at college, walking around crying whenever I heard Christmas songs, etc. I was lonely. That's when it started and it never really went away.