Some positive news about SW Florida !! (Tampa, Naples: living, moving, beaches)

[stahltkd]

Remember, there's been a influx of new people who's first "winter" is in SWFL. Give us a few years to acclimate our bodies before jumping on us for "loving" this weather.

I'd rather be like:

Than dealing with:

[kroeran]

and then there is my driveway which is already impossible!



not! ; - )

this photo is actually lake effect snow just south of Watertown NY.

[mnpedwards]

Great pics. I've actually seen snow cliffs like you pictured in Illinois. The county couldn't get by with plows - they had to use end loaders to lift & dump.

[rikoshaprl]

And when you have to work outside that is no joke.

[pinda]

That's just how I feel. I would WAY rather live with the heat than cold, snow and endless gloomy days. Having my health back by living here makes me grateful. I realize that most people don't understand Seasonal Affective Disorder, but having all this beautiful sunshine is truly a blessing for me. Being ill for almost 8 months a year is really tough, so I will happily take really HOT for 4 months. I also get cold easy, so I guess I can take the heat easier than some. I NEVER acclaimated to Wisconsin's winters.

I also like saying positive things on the forum because honestly, I was afraid to move here after reading so many negative thoughts. That being said, I think people should be able to express both positive and negative thoughts freely. If that is how you feel, that is how you feel. Things are WAY better here than I thought it would be. People that I meet, for the most part, tell me they love living here.

[seain dublin]

Originally Posted by rikoshaprl

And when you have to work outside that is no joke.

Neither is getting skin cancer, which is very common down here for outside workers.

[seain dublin]

Originally Posted by pinda

That's just how I feel. I would WAY rather live with the heat than cold, snow and endless gloomy days. Having my health back by living here makes me grateful. I realize that most people don't understand Seasonal Affective Disorder, but having all this beautiful sunshine is truly a blessing for me. Being ill for almost 8 months a year is really tough, so I will happily take really HOT for 4 months. I also get cold easy, so I guess I can take the heat easier than some. I NEVER acclaimated to Wisconsin's winters.

I also like saying positive things on the forum because honestly, I was afraid to move here after reading so many negative thoughts. That being said, I think people should be able to express both positive and negative thoughts freely. If that is how you feel, that is how you feel. Things are WAY better here than I thought it would be. People that I meet, for the most part, tell me they love living here.

But is not hot here for just 4 months, it is November and still 90 degrees and muggy. It has been that way nonstop since April. Going on 7 months of hot and humid, it wears on most people after they have been here awhile.

I don't know any state up north that gets 7 months of winter.

I know many people who spend more time indoors in FL than anywhere they have lived. They go from the A/C house to the A/C car to the A/C store.

When the weather cools down and the humidity lowers you start to see people outside walking and getting some exercise. The park by my house is empty until the weather cools down. Even the kids stay inside during the hot months.

[justNancy]

Originally Posted by seain dublin

Neither is getting skin cancer, which is very common down here for outside workers.

You didn't mention getting hit by lightning.

My neighbor last year was an electrician from Arizona, and he was always saying how work in the summer was torture. I kept wondering how someone from Phoenix could think it was too hot in Florida!

Just read the first sentence in this article.

[URL="http://www.examiner.com/weather-in-ft-myers/southwest-florida-s-heat-and-humidity-high-heat-index"]Southwest Florida's heat and humidity = high Heat Index - Ft. Myers Weather | Examiner.com[/URL]

" Summertime heat and humidity have arrived in southwest Florida with a vengeance. "

Originally Posted by pinda

so I will happily take really HOT for 4 months.

So which 4 months are you talking about? You mean we have 4 months of pleasant weather, right? It is Nov and the temperature at 1:30 in the morning (and it just rained) is currently 73 degrees, humidity 99%. This isn't being negative at all. I wouldn't live here if I hated it. It's just being honest.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by pinda

That's just how I feel. I would WAY rather live with the heat than cold, snow and endless gloomy days. Having my health back by living here makes me grateful. I realize that most people don't understand Seasonal Affective Disorder, but having all this beautiful sunshine is truly a blessing for me. Being ill for almost 8 months a year is really tough, so I will happily take really HOT for 4 months. I also get cold easy, so I guess I can take the heat easier than some. I NEVER acclaimated to Wisconsin's winters.

Hint: I was diagnosed with SAD back in the 90s. I did not move to Florida because of SAD, but I can tell you that the sunny weather initially helped but years later it did nothing for me. I suspect that in the beginning, it was psychological.

But once I had my thyroid checked it made a world of difference. Ultimately, that is what "cured" me. I have so much more energy and I am no longer cold all the time. I use to be cold to the bone and would just crawl under the covers.

If your thyroid is out of whack, eventually they will catch it. I didn't test correctly for years. It's hard because they test to see if your body is producing thyroid hormones by the thyroid gland, but what they don't test for is if your body utilizes it correctly. You might want to google some info on hypothyroidism. I would hate to see you crash and burn a couple years down the road if you start getting sick again.

[justNancy]

I'm sorry I didn't notice the SAD comment. I'm wasn't trying to be mean, because I've gone through an awful lot of depression, mostly from chronic pain & insomnia. I also thought the sunshine & warm weather would help. At first I bought full spectrum lights for my home in NH and I used tanning beds 3 times a week. When I moved to Florida, I thought I found Paradise. However, I also had to work 50+ hours a week to make half of what I earned up north. That can be very depressing! The sun isn't the answer to everything. A lot of how you feel about living in Florida will depend on your personal situation. (family, work, money, lifestyle, spiritual beliefs, health, personal relationships) Sometimes location has little to do with what's going on inside your head, but often change is a good pick-me-up.

Look at this map which shows the national suicide rates per 100,000 people.

[URL]http://www.suicidology.org/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=228&name=DLFE-143.pdf[/URL]

Notice how much higher it is in the South compared to the Northeast?