Alaska winter for people who have chronic depression (Anchorage, Wasilla: how much, house)

[kimling]

My husbands family is from Alaska , Wasilla,Palmer,Anchorage,big lake.My husband was born there and left before middle school.We spend lots of fall when tempatures are in the 40s and 50s , it feels warmer than where I live when its around the same tempature.I know it gets much much much colder, but that has been my experience.

We have been thinking about moving there for many years, as we hate the summers here in the California desert and the winter rain.It gets to 95-115 degrees for 6-7 months out of the year and during the rainy season we get flash floods, and we keep indoors alot to avoid both the extreme heat and rain.Another thing we hate, is the lack of trees and vegitation, all the smog.We live in a small city with minimal oppertunity ,overcrowded,rude hurried people, bad customer services, I could go on and on.I have lived here all my life, and Im sick of it ,have been for a long time.

We are currently getting more serious about making the move, my husbands career here is on the fritz from our poor economy, and Alaska is the natural choice for us since we will have a fabulous support system there with lots of family and friends that we dont have anywhere else.My husband actually is doing phone interviews with several companies in his field.The cost of living is pretty much the same in most of California and many places are more expensive in California, so I think our lifestyle will remain similar in that respect.


I have suffered with chronic light to medium depression most of my life, it is hereditary, and also caused by prior environment issues plus it never being addressed until 10 years into it.I am currently in therapy and on medication due to a bought of major depression last year, and I am doing very well.

Now for my question;
How do people with a condition like this handle the cold dark winters?Is Alaska a realistic place to live for me?I am generally an introverted person, and dont mind feeling moderately cut off from other people , infact I prefer it to being around too many people which for me is more than a few people that I know and am comfortable with, is that something that will make a difference?Also Ive never experienced extremely cold weather , but I feel that I can adapt just as easily as anyone else, as I have already adapted to the other end of the extreme , the only difference is you can always put on more clothes, but there is a limit of how much clothes you can take off. Or at least thats what my inlaws say , and they lived in my town for 22 years before they went back to AK 4 years ago.


Anyone with personal experience or knowledge please share.Please no scary exaggerated stories!

If we do make the move I plan to continue medication, use light therapy, like going to the tanning beds and using halogen bulbs in parts of the house during the winter, continue exercising, and keep involved in activities with the family.

Hope all of that made sense and was easy to understand.Thanks to all in advance.

[arctichomesteader]

If you enjoy outdoor (winter) activities and do them, rather than staying indoors all the time, it may help. Can't guarantee you won't have problems though, that varies by person...

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by kimling

Now for my question;
How do people with a condition like this handle the cold dark winters?Is Alaska a realistic place to live for me?I am generally an introverted person, and dont mind feeling moderately cut off from other people , infact I prefer it to being around too many people which for me is more than a few people that I know and am comfortable with, is that something that will make a difference?Also Ive never experienced extremely cold weather , but I feel that I can adapt just as easily as anyone else, as I have already adapted to the other end of the extreme , the only difference is you can always put on more clothes, but there is a limit of how much clothes you can take off. Or at least thats what my inlaws say , and they lived in my town for 22 years before they went back to AK 4 years ago.


Anyone with personal experience or knowledge please share.Please no scary exaggerated stories!

If we do make the move I plan to continue medication, use light therapy, like going to the tanning beds and using halogen bulbs in parts of the house during the winter, continue exercising, and keep involved in activities with the family.

Hope all of that made sense and was easy to understand.Thanks to all in advance.

The most important thing is to stay active during the winter. The extra light certainly helps, but getting outside during the winter is critical to staying mentally healthy. Even if it is just a brief walk.

It is also important to maintain a regular sleep schedule. Go to bed at the same time every evening and get up at the same time every morning. Avoid taking naps during the day if it interferes with your evening sleep cycle.

1) Stay Active;
2) Regular Sleep Schedule; and
3) Extra Lights.

Those three steps will help reduce the chances of getting SAD, but not guarantee that you still won't get depressed. For some people the lack of daylight during the winter can be harder to deal with than the cold and the snow.

[kimling]

Thanks I do enjoy outdoor acivities, never experienced much "winter" activities beside making snowmen and sledding.I am pretty athletic and would like to learn to ski.

Does anyone know if having a preexisting depressive mood disorder can increase the chances of getting S.A.D?

[ErikaKazan]

Light therapy is the key. Tanning beds supply natural spectrum lighting that helps. Also they sell "light boxes" for that very thing. You can put them in your bed room with a timer and they will simulate natural sunrise, you can also sit in front of it and just soak it up. Research treatment options for Seasonal Affective Disorder. Im not sure if halogen is the right kind of light. I think it is the full spectrum type, like you use for lizards and sometimes fish. You get a lot of Vitamin D from sunlight for example.

Good luck
Erika

[cobolt]

I think moving to Anchorage you will probably fare better than if you moved to say Juneau or even Seattle, where we're prone to lots of overcast days. Anchorage doesn't get as many overcast days, so even if your days are shorter, sometimes that shot of sun can make all the difference, whereas in SE AK or the PacNW, you can go without seeing the sun for weeks.

[arctichomesteader]

Further North would probably be more difficult too (the Interior gets pretty short days...).

[kimling]

Cobolt , I agree I dont care much for excessive rain like Seattle has,and Juneau is definately way too overcast and humid from what I hear, I have Family there myself. but I dont mind clouds and some overcast as long as the sky is clean looking.We get overcast days here in the fall and late winter and the sky looks dingy and brown from the poor air quality.

Erica Kazan, I was thinking of the reptile lights for tanks when I said halogen, but I couldnt think of the right name, I need to look that up . I will definately buy a light box if we move, I think it would be a nessesity for us coming from a place with an abundance of sun.

Glitch, I think you nailed it with your 3 steps.Keeping active and exercising is a big key to dealing with anykind of depression, and going outdoors for fresh air is a must for optimal brain function.Makes alot of sense.

[akck]

We've known families who moved because of the winters. What it all come down to is the good of living here outweighs the bad for you. I can say that many days of cloudy/bad weather can be outweighed by one sunny day (hope we have one shortly). You can also play mind games with yourself. Last summer and fall, I never thought about losing daylight each day. The day after winter solstice I thought, "today is a little lighter." I thought this through the rest of winter and it was especially helpful when you could finally notice the change.

[cobolt]

I think it would make sense that people with depression would be naturally prone to SAD. I don't know this for a fact but it seems logical enough. I will say that SAD can affect you pretty strongly even if you're not prone to depression. Just from my personal experience in living in the gray, cloudy, drizzly, PacNW, I can tell you I am a different person when I fly away to the sun. When I first moved here I didn't think weather was a big deal and that the SAD thing was just some made up thing for sissies. Wrong, wrong, and wrong. And SAD seems to creep up and have a cumulative effect over time. In the winters I join a gym and get out of the house but it's still hard, even when you're mindful of it. The problem for me was that I was such a different person when the sun did come out that I realized the remainder of the time I was barely coping, and to me life isn't about scraping by like that. I'm not trying to scare or discourage you, and only you know yourself well enough to determine what you can and can't handle. I just wanted to chime in as someone who had no clue about SAD until I moved to an area where it's cloudy to overcast over half of the year. It was a big learning experience!