Depressed in Seattle (camp, living in, move to)

[LolaBud]

I think Asheville, NC also takes a similar approach as Mr. Watson. While tourism is encouraged, the community apparently frowns upon those seeking residency, as stated in one of the "underground" guide books: "If you love Asheville, PLEASE DO NOT MOVE HERE."

:::::kay then :::::

FWIW: My most recent trip to Seattle was this December, a duration of 2 weeks - there was only 3 days of absolute rain! I kept asking my family if it was still December and if I was still in Seattle

What I found neat was the diversity of dress code according to the climate. There were folks with flip-flops and shorts alongside others wearing scarves and boots. All looked comfortable and enjoying the sunshine!

[mea-oh]

Originally Posted by Zippy7fo

Hahahaha....me too...50 degree's in February.....Ohio won't get that consistently till the end of March - April....and all the grey days....just a way of life here too...

Which brings me to a point that has been made on this site but bears repeating: the level of sun-withdrawal/depression/SAD you may experience if you move to Seattle will likely be influenced a lot by where you came from. If you're moving from SOCAL, good luck. You'll probably be miserable. If you're moving from Ohio, which is one of the cloudiest states in the country, it probably won't be all that bad. You'll give up a few days of sun for much more warmth in the winter and some less heat in the summer.

Plus show me the gorgeous oceans, mountains, and all that Seattle has to offer in Ohio. I'm still looking...

[NomadScribe]

Originally Posted by mea-oh

Which brings me to a point that has been made on this site but bears repeating: the level of sun-withdrawal/depression/SAD you may experience if you move to Seattle will likely be influenced a lot by where you came from. If you're moving from SOCAL, good luck. You'll probably be miserable. If you're moving from Ohio, which is one of the cloudiest states in the country, it probably won't be all that bad. You'll give up a few days of sun for much more warmth in the winter and some less heat in the summer.

Plus show me the gorgeous oceans, mountains, and all that Seattle has to offer in Ohio. I'm still looking...

Seattle is indeed gorgeous. I personally suffer reverse SAD- too much sun can grate on me. But for those that may suffer the traditional SAD during Seattle's "dark days," omega pills or a daily teaspoon of cod liver oil can help a lot. Oh, and exercise.

[caravan]

It is BEAUTIFUL today!! 60 degs and clear blue skies... it has been the best Jan-Feb in memory, in my 30 years here... absolutely love it. It was a "two-mountain range day," where on top of the biggest hills you can look to both east and west and see gorgeous snow-capped mountain ranges. I live for these kinds of days in Seattle. Just wanted to say that.

[Inkpoe]

Originally Posted by NomadScribe

Seattle is indeed gorgeous. I personally suffer reverse SAD- too much sun can grate on me. But for those that may suffer the traditional SAD during Seattle's "dark days," omega pills or a daily teaspoon of cod liver oil can help a lot. Oh, and exercise.

Or you could do the light treatments. For $150 dollars, you can buy the light thingamajig from Costco. I heard nothing, but rave reviews.

[caravan]

Originally Posted by Inkpoe

Or you could do the light treatments. For $150 dollars, you can buy the light thingamajig from Costco. I heard nothing, but rave reviews.

My husband does that in the winter... he grew up on the Mediterranean, so he needs the light. But he still loves Seattle.

We also spent two years in Iceland, which was weather boot-camp for us with the 20 hours of darkness in the winter. They have cod-liver oil in pill form, which is awesome... pop a couple of those each day and you're set. I'm sure you can find something like that at a vitamin store around here.

[NomadScribe]

Originally Posted by caravan

My husband does that in the winter... he grew up on the Mediterranean, so he needs the light. But he still loves Seattle.

We also spent two years in Iceland, which was weather boot-camp for us with the 20 hours of darkness in the winter. They have cod-liver oil in pill form, which is awesome... pop a couple of those each day and you're set. I'm sure you can find something like that at a vitamin store around here.

Weather boot camp Spent time in Northern Norway which can get very dark and it seemed that a bottle of cod liver oil was a staple in the typical household. I'm not fond of the taste so the pills are great. Even if I like the dark days, the seasonal light shortage can take a toll on you physically and energy wise.

[Sprightly]

Okay somebody needs to keep it real and guess that's gonna be me. I lived in Seattle for seven years and the winters are profoundly depressing. Sometimes week after week of leaden solid gray skies. The day is counted by the weather forecasters as "partly cloudy" if the sun shows up at all. The term "sun breaks" exists because even the sun coming out for a few minutes is worthy of mention - that would not be the case unless there was unrelenting oppressive darkness. And yes I have SAD. And yes I use light box therapy.

Seattle is a truly magnificent city, but there are not an insignificant number of people who are affected by its unique weather. There's a reason Starbucks was born there - my bet is Seattle has a bigger caffeine habit than most cities. It's important that people considering moving to the area take this very seriously especially if they grew up in a place with far more sun. It takes more than one winter as well for the effect to truly set in. I live in Portland these days and SAD is still an issue for me but it is a bit brighter and the cloud cover isn't quite as solid.

[mea-oh]

Originally Posted by Sprightly

Okay somebody needs to keep it real and guess that's gonna be me. I lived in Seattle for seven years and the winters are profoundly depressing. Sometimes week after week of leaden solid gray skies. The day is counted by the weather forecasters as "partly cloudy" if the sun shows up at all. The term "sun breaks" exists because even the sun coming out for a few minutes is worthy of mention - that would not be the case unless there was unrelenting oppressive darkness. And yes I have SAD. And yes I use light box therapy.

Seattle is a truly magnificent city, but there are not an insignificant number of people who are affected by its unique weather. There's a reason Starbucks was born there - my bet is Seattle has a bigger caffeine habit than most cities. It's important that people considering moving to the area take this very seriously especially if they grew up in a place with far more sun. It takes more than one winter as well for the effect to truly set in. I live in Portland these days and SAD is still an issue for me but it is a bit brighter and the cloud cover isn't quite as solid.

We could go around and around on this, but once again it's all in your perspective.

As everyone says...if you're going to move here, visit both in the summer AND winter so you know what to expect. If you think the weather will work for you, great. If not, move somewhere else.

[Inkpoe]

Originally Posted by Sprightly

Okay somebody needs to keep it real and guess that's gonna be me.

Thank you?




Nobody is really saying otherwise. At least it's not Barrow, AK.