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I feel over-whelmed and stressed to the max. I can't move off the couch. Simple daily tasks and self-care are huge challenges. It's interfering with all areas of my life. Everything is a struggle.
Any tips for me?
I hope you don't think I am being unkind but have you tried eating chocolate?
Sometimes I think these things are blood sugar related. Check your diet and make sure you are eating a balanced diet.
I also find that reading Psalms in the Bible can bring calm.
I agree about raising blood sugar, creating that serotonin rush in the brain. Balanced diet too. Reading the Psalms is one of my things too. They are very comforting. Avoid affirmations that seem "out of reach." For instance, the ones that affirm what you are striving for rather than the ones you already know are true. The ones that make you go "yeah, right" sarcastically are the ones I'm saying to avoid, especially when you are feeling particularly down.
Where I currently live, winter is the absolutely pits. I'm from Southern California where it is sunny, blue skies and clouds - especially when I was younger. But even now it's like that. Winter is horribly horribly depressing for me where I currently live so I'm taking off in December. I don't care if I have to car camp, I'm getting out of there, that's how bad it is. SAD is a real thing I didn't know I had until about 17 years ago when I lived in the PNW. Where I live now is similar (clouds, rain, gloom). Check your feelings about weather.
There another thing I learned several years ago: it's called "the 5-minute rule." It is used for people with ADD or ADHD. What you do is say to yourself "I'm going to do this one thing for 5 minutes. Only 5 minutes. If I want to stop, I can and I will. If I want to continue, I will. It's all your decision. The results generally show that once you start, you often want to continue but again, you don't have to continue. I use this method myself when I feel completely paralyzed or stymied.
Listening to your favorite music is great too but not headbanger stuff of course - unless that's your thing!
Where I currently live, winter is the absolutely pits. I'm from Southern California where it is sunny, blue skies and clouds - especially when I was younger. But even now it's like that. Winter is horribly horribly depressing for me where I currently live so I'm taking off in December. I don't care if I have to car camp, I'm getting out of there, that's how bad it is. SAD is a real thing I didn't know I had until about 17 years ago when I lived in the PNW. Where I live now is similar (clouds, rain, gloom). Check your feelings about weather.
Then there are those of us who deal with the rarer opposite. One of many reasons I love Alaska...summers (when we actually experience one) are intense but [i]short!/I] I really come out of aestivation in September and live it up until April.
I have favorite music and reads too but they lean more toward the philosophical, not the religious. The Tao Te Ching is my anchor along with some other Asian mysticism, but sometimes one translation "feels" better than another. I must have 6 different translations on the shelf.
Last edited by Parnassia; 10-13-2023 at 02:04 PM..
Where I currently live, winter is the absolutely pits. I'm from Southern California where it is sunny, blue skies and clouds - especially when I was younger. But even now it's like that. Winter is horribly horribly depressing for me where I currently live so I'm taking off in December. I don't care if I have to car camp, I'm getting out of there, that's how bad it is. SAD is a real thing I didn't know I had until about 17 years ago when I lived in the PNW. Where I live now is similar (clouds, rain, gloom). Check your feelings about weather.
Oh, wow, me too. I’m glad I live in the PNW, but as a SoCal native, the struggle is real! I can feel it already, The. Dead. Of. Winter. I will start dreaming of Yuma, AZ around Halloween.
Oh, wow, me too. I’m glad I live in the PNW, but as a SoCal native, the struggle is real! I can feel it already, The. Dead. Of. Winter. I will start dreaming of Yuma, AZ around Halloween.
I don't think where you grew up has much to do with it. I am a SoCal native too, but I hated the climate and couldn't wait to get away from it. I've never struggled with typical SAD, rather it's reverse. Got a lot of practice in childhood. The brighter, sunnier and warmer it was, the more miserable I was. Our parents always opted to travel to/vacation at the beach or desert. They dragged me along kicking and screaming. Kind of funny that all my siblings now live in the PacNW, the UK, and AK. Looks like I wasn't the only one.
Last edited by Parnassia; 10-15-2023 at 02:49 PM..
I don't think where you grew up has much to do with it. I am a SoCal native too, but I hated the climate and couldn't wait to get away from it. I've never struggled with typical SAD, rather it's reverse. Got a lot of practice in childhood. The brighter, sunnier and warmer it was, the more miserable I was. Our parents always opted to travel to/vacation at the beach or desert. They dragged me along kicking and screaming. Kind of funny that all my siblings now live in the PacNW, the UK, and AK. Looks like I wasn't the only one.
Yes, I grew up in the SoCal desert & hated it. The SADD was a surprise for me, & took several winters to really kick in. We thought spouse would have it, after living most of his life in sunny San Diego, but he’s doing fine.
If I make it through December to April or May, I’m good.
I plan to be gone from this gloomy area for 3 months (Dec-Jan-Feb). I can't wait to get out West to some sun and dry air. I just can't make it in the PNW, as beautiful as it is, or in the major weather pattern that perpetually and diagonally crosses the Midwest through the South. My preference would be to move every season (every three months). My preferred seasons are Spring and Autumn.
A longtime friend of my mom's seems to have suddenly & oddly developed a paralyzing anxiety about driving, so she no longer drives. She pays a monthly fee to have an Uber to take her everywhere now. My mom suggested she get help, but she doesn't seem to want to do that. However, she will still drive very short distances very early in the morning every once in a while when the traffic is sparse, but that's it anymore. She just thinks everyone drives so fast these days & she can't keep up, gets honked at, etc. One day when this all started, she was out & about & called AAA pretending there was something wrong w/ her car just so she could get a ride & tow back home. This is a little sad for someone who used to drive all over & travel (fly) quite often in the past.
A longtime friend of my mom's seems to have suddenly & oddly developed a paralyzing anxiety about driving, so she no longer drives. She pays a monthly fee to have an Uber to take her everywhere now. My mom suggested she get help, but she doesn't seem to want to do that. However, she will still drive very short distances very early in the morning every once in a while when the traffic is sparse, but that's it anymore. She just thinks everyone drives so fast these days & she can't keep up, gets honked at, etc. One day when this all started, she was out & about & called AAA pretending there was something wrong w/ her car just so she could get a ride & tow back home. This is a little sad for someone who used to drive all over & travel (fly) quite often in the past.
I can relate a bit because I have become somewhat like this myself in the past few years. However, in my case it has a lot to do with some of my physical problems (bad spine, broken knee and worsening vision). I hardly drive anymore, my husband takes me most places. I absolutely will not drive in the rain or at night. And when I do drive, it's for very short distances.
Interesting about the driving anxiety. A friend of mine developed anxiety about driving over bridges about 15 years ago, when she was close to 70. She never had an issue with bridges before that. Has no interest in finding a solution or conquering this fear. She just doesn't drive over bridges.
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