Saturday, June 18, 2011

Winter blues

The weather has turned chilly and the gloom that has descended on me matches the grey skies outside.

I hate winter, always have. But as I've grown older it's become worse.

My preferred place in cold weather is bed, wearing thick socks and flannel jammies and reading some chick lit. But I think my family might complain if I hibernated for three months every year. Not to mention what the boss might say.

When I was younger, I had field hockey to keep me going in winter. It was something to look forward to each weekend and, even though I felt like curling up with a good book, I had the team to think of. Oh, and the after-game session at the club, which, if I'm truly honest, is probably what kept me on the field long after my used-by date.

I haven't played in about four years and, with my creaking bones and dodgy wrist, I think I can finally say goodbye to the Hockeyroos dream.

It also hasn't helped that I have moved from a town with very cold - but sunny - winters to a town that is milder but grey, grey, grey.

I've heard that Seasonal Affected Disorder (SAD - how perfect) may be related to low vitamin D, so I'm pumping in the supplements, but to no avail so far.

I try to get out for a walk as often as I can, and take the kids to the park. And I have some great friends and workmates that often make me laugh out loud. But the fog inside my head remains.

Throw in some pre-menopausal mood swings and hot flushes, and I must be so much fun to live with right now.

It was about this time last year that I had the near breakdown in my boss's office which led, eventually, to my stepping aside from my substantive staff management role to work part-time on a self-contained project.

I have felt pretty good since I made that decision, and the working part-time is doing my mental state the world of good - plus I actually get to spend some time with the family.

But then winter returned and with it, the gloom.

Anyone else out there suffer the same way? Maybe we can start a support group - "SAD not sad".

4 comments:

  1. I think we should consider being bi-hemispherical. We are moving into glorious summer up here in the north. Overcast today, but a perfect, lovely temperature, and lush greens.

    Come november, I want to migrate to Australia.

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  2. I always said I wanted to be rich enough to always live in summer. Should have married better :)

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  3. So, I've struggled with this for years and years and years. The lack of light kills me; winter is not my friend. I had a light box for a while, and that helped but didn't solve it. I took St. Johns wort in the winters for a couple years, which also helped but not entirely. And now, now the pharmaceutical industry helps me out. Got rid of the crying, the weight gain, the lethargy. Before that I'd never known that winter could actually be enjoyed.

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  4. It's probably more common than we know. Thankfully, we have had a couple of sunny days in a row, and the weather loks good for the next few days. So yay!

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