Winters coming :(

[Stuyp89]

Hey all,

I'm starting to get really anxious now that the days are getting shorter. I had a really rough time from about December last year till May this year and gradually all my anxieties started to fade away or became bearable. I even felt blessed because I was going weeks at a time with little to no obsessions at all it was such a relief and I even managed to put some weight on (which I find hard to do as it falls off me very quickly when I'm down.)

But I'm getting down about the prospect of constant dark nights for the next 5-6 months and I'm worried I won''t be able to cope when the obsessions and constant depressed mood comes back. I really don't want to take anti-depressants because, well I just don't. Does anyone know if the NHS offers any other kind of therapy to help with this?

[Hal]

Hi there :original:

I always joke with family/friends that if I won the lottery they wouldn't see me for dust when winter comes, I'd be over in Egypt or Israel in a flash.

Being practical though, Vit D's supposed to be pretty good for low moods, that might be worth a go - the other option and I haven't given them a shot are those SAD lamps, they have quite a good reputation - I'm not too sure where the NHS stands with the lamps, but I would have thought it's worth asking your GP the question just in case it's a viable option for you rather than antidepressants.

I know it's best to be prepared for the worst, but you might be OK OCD-wise this year, there's just no knowing with this condition how things are going to pan out is there.

I'd definitely think about the lamp option though, I might give them a go combined with the Vit D and see if this winter's better than the last.

Hal :original:

[Stuyp89]

Thanks for the reply mate.

I actually chuckled when you said if you won the lottery you would leave when winter comes because I've said the EXACT same thing to my family for years, that If I won the lottery I would never see winter ever again.

I've tried vitamin D tablets and cod liver oil tablets (the cod liver oil did actually help a little.) and I know they're bad for you but I do tend to use sunbeds during the winter, not so much for the tanning (though that is a plus) but because I always feel better when I come out, I dunno if this is because of the vitamin D your skin makes when exposed to UV rays. But I'm interested in those SAD lamps so might ask my GP about where to get them.

Thanks again, Stuy

[Caramoole]

I'm another winter SAD person. As soon as the light starts to fail I notice an immediate difference :crybaby:

I have a SAD lamp, mines out and on the bedside table this week.

They don't stop it all together but they do help. I have mine on a timer switch, set to come on a couple of hours before I wake (meant to mimic the gradual coming of light just as the dawn would bring) I also spend a good hour or more reading in front of it (you need to be fairly close to it)

I'm really not sure whether the NHS help out with lamps but I read something the other day about S.A.D being covered in NICE guidelines. I'm in a bit of a rush now but a quick google found this http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Seasonal-affective-disorder/Pages/Treatment.aspx I bought mine eons ago (actually I'm on my third one) and if I recall, you don't have to pay VAT on them.

The one model I wouldn't recommend is the small alarm clock one with a light, this wasn't anywhere near strong enough.

I'll watch this space and look forward to helping if I can (and learning other's tips as well)

Caramoole

[taurean]

Like Caramoole I'm an SAD person, and so is my wife.

We have a large tilting SAD lightbox which we bought mail order form a company in Cambridge , which has I think three daylight tubes in it, and it has an up and down light intensity switch which is brilliant. We use both the lightbox, and time in our conservatory (which we are very fortunate to have) to extend the light season into the winter and it really, really helps us and lifts our mood.

Aside from that I use the St John's Wort herbal remedy. It has no side effects for me, other than you can't take in the evening as it boosts mood and concentration so would keep you awake. But beware, it's easy to obtain from the health store, and has none of the potential addiction , long build-in time and long phase out time of the SSRI anti-depressant traditionally used in OCD, but cannot be used in conjunction with them and may interact with other medications, so if you are taking anything else check with the doctor to make sure that's ok.

[Caramoole]

I think it's probably the same company I used Taurean. It was a company called Lumie

Caramoole

[taurean]

Not Lumie mine, just remembered , Cracking name "Outside In" !!!!!

[Goldie80]

Oooohhhh yes, I think I'm part of this club. My OCD is always worst in the winter - up until around May. Definitely will look into these lamps.

[legalseagull]

Yeah try the lamps. Other winter survival tips - reclassify it - I only allow winter to last from Dec to the end of Jan, in my mind Feb is the start of spring (I don't care what anyone else says). Enjoy autumn first, it's beautiful, go and look at some trees. Get some simple astronomy books, learn some constellations and go out to try to spot them - you'll appreciate a bit of darkness. Start something new one evening a week (preferably exercise to lift your mood), yes it takes a lot of effort to go out when it's dark, but it's worth it. Any other suggestions anyone?

[taurean]

Yep, I make the effort to go down to my leisure centre in mid-week as well as at the weekend, I find it breaks up the week a bit, its like its 2 small parts not one long drag.. And exercise or swimming or just spa pool is a wonderful displacement activity for troubles, as well as a defuser fro any anxiety. Reasonable aerobic exercise will also trigger endorphins, the "happiness hormones" that are natural mood enhancers.

If it's a nice evening afterwards, I point the car in the direction of Waltham Abbey, which takes me on a delightful ride up to Waltham Abbey through Epping Forest. This is my all-time favourite short car trip, and combined with fab music on the car music players or radio or Cd player , it's wonderfully uplifting.

[Guest Shannon]

Must admit, I actually enjoy Autumn and winter. I love the falling leaves of Autumn, crunching through them with my dog. Although I know many find it is depressing because of everything dying,sometimes you have to reverse your thinking; someone positive(glass half full type) doesn't think of the dead leaves, they think of shedding as necessary so that we can see the fresh spring shoots, the cycle of life.

I also love winter, at least right up to christmas- dark, cosy nights watching films with a bottle of wine, getting in a cold bed and snuggling up to a hot water bottle. I enjoy illuminating the lounge with the beautiful, fun scents of yankee candles, they are really uplifting and scent can be very powerful, nostalgic. Have to admit I do find January and February THE most depressing months, christmas has been and gone and they are very stagnant months, although this year not a problem as going somewhere warm and exotic.

[Caramoole]

Not Lumie mine, just remembered , Cracking name "Outside In" !!!!!

I'd forgotten that name, that was who my first lamp was marketed under many, many years ago. Just checked company details and Outside In and Lumie are one and the same

My tips...

Go outside at lunch time on a bright day and it helps top up.

If you're lucky enough to be near the sea, pay it a visit...on a bright day there is so much reflected light bounces back it's quite a tonic

Caramoole

[legalseagull]

Also - treat yourself to an occasional sneaky 'sick' day off work as a treat! Yeah I know it's bad but how often do we struggle in to work when having a really bad OCD day?