|
Post by nw.rain on Jul 15, 2013 12:51:12 GMT -8
I just joined only to find there really isn't any current activity??? I was looking forward to finding others who like myself, NEED: rainy, foggy, stormy days to feel better, to feel alive. I have always been this way and especially this time of year feel such a deep bout of the blues. I find I'm sleeping as much as possible just to avoid getting up to more hot sunny days.
|
|
|
Post by ginger on Jul 20, 2013 20:13:19 GMT -8
Hi, just saw your post on here! I guess everyone has been writing posts on "the joy of spring" topic and haven't noticed the new thread! I just posted on "the joy of spring thread" and then went exploring on here. Welcome and read my post on the other thread! Ginger
|
|
|
Post by brendabriney on Sept 9, 2013 17:00:53 GMT -8
99 degrees.......in mid-September.......in Illinois......just shoot me now
|
|
|
Post by ginger on Sept 9, 2013 20:01:04 GMT -8
94 degrees and a 72 dewpoint, this is Fall??? This is July weather! Where is Fall?? This is Illinois not Texas!!
|
|
|
Post by ginger on Sept 10, 2013 20:07:08 GMT -8
Another hot and humid day here outside of Chicago! Tomorrow another 90! Then they said cooling off! Schools are closing in some areas because they have no ac and it's too hot inside! This in September!! I hope we get a cold and snowy winter to make up for this heat, very depressing.
|
|
|
Post by Coolbreeze on Sept 10, 2013 21:49:40 GMT -8
You guys are encouraging. Good to know there are others like me out there. The bright days are painful to me and the Sun my enemy. Can't wait for Wonderful Winter.
Stay cool
|
|
|
Post by brendabriney on Sept 30, 2013 17:15:28 GMT -8
It is good to know we're not alone, and not crazy . It looks like it will finally feel like fall around here next week, after more yuck 80's this week. Trying to hang in there.
|
|
|
Post by rainrose on Oct 28, 2013 11:22:53 GMT -8
Hello, everyone. I just joined this board and even though it doesn't look like there is too much activity, I just wanted to drop in and say hi and share my story. I suffer from summer SAD and it has been a LONG process for me come to this realization. I am like all of you - I feel so alive and full when it is cloudy or rainy outside, but I feel completely depressed and empty when it is sunny. It is really hard for people that don't suffer from this to understand, but I do believe that in the future, this will be more understood. I will compare it to depression: A hundred years ago, people thought depression was just a state that people chose to feel, and only later did they realize the chemical components of lacking seratonin that caused it. I think our reverse SAD is the same - in time, with more research and scientific development, they will realize that this is also caused by something chemical and out of our control. People think that I feel this way because of some trauma or bad experience associated with sun/summer days - on the contrary, I have many amazing childhood memories from sunny days and no type of trauma or bad memories related to them. People say that cloudy days give me an excuse to stay home and cuddled up inside and that is why I like them. On the contrary, I am actually a VERY active on cloudy/rainy days, going outside and even going on hikes/walks and wanting to be more social, so this is just not the case. I am a very active person in general, even when it's sunny outside, and love sports/outdoor activities. I feel extremely content and privileged in my life, and would consider myself a confident and happy person in general. However, the way my body chemically responds to sun or bright blue skies is just out of my control - it feels painful and like a part of myself is being shut off. It took me a long time to make this connection. I lived for 8 years in Portland, Oregon, where I felt like I was happy and thriving. Then, I moved to southern california, where I have been living for 6 years now. While the consequences of my life in Southern Cali were actually better than those in Oregon (I got a great job, got married to the love of my life, have great friends, ect) something just started feeling different. I felt like I was lethargic and shut off from parts of myself. I saw several doctors and psychiatrists and I was tested for a myriad of things, all of which they concluded that I absolutely did not have. Then I started realizing that my symptoms came with sun and heat, and I have been observing myself for several years and just been shocked with the results. It seems as though the longer I am exposed to sun and heat, the more depressed and lifeless I become, and the more I am exposed to rain and gray skies, the more I am able to build myself back up again and feel like myself. I just wanted to share this because for so long, I did not understand why I felt this way. I am absolutely sure, without a doubt, that this is a chemical illness just like regular SAD is. With this knowledge, I make sure that I am outside at all times on the (very few) rainy days we have here, in order to absorb whatever it is that they are giving me. My husband and I are also trying to relocate to a rainier place. Reverse sad is REAL and if you feel like this, please do not ignore it! Okay, well sorry for the rant, but I hope everyone here is having a cool, rainy and cloudy fall .
|
|
|
Post by created14u2 on Oct 29, 2013 4:22:08 GMT -8
Dear rainrose, Thank you for sharing your story. You are so right when you say that more research and scientific investigation needs to completed on Summer SAD. My doctors just laugh it off as a fake illness and people just think it's not real! But it really is true depression in different forms usually associated with the sun and heat. There are variants. You know, it's great to hear stories like yours and others and we need to stick together on this forum to learn about how we all feel. It validates our true feelings that someone may be afraid to say but had thought all along. Thank you and please hang in there. The cooler season with storms from the pacific northwest should start to plunge down cold unstable air from Canada bringing snow and rain to So. California. Sincerely, Erik
|
|
|
Post by foghorn on Nov 12, 2013 15:38:24 GMT -8
Hey guys--I'm the admin--is this forum set up difficult to use? It's the only private forum I've found. We used to be a huge, thriving community on ning.com but jumped ship when it got expensive, and then I had a baby and have been quite distracted. If you have ideas of other forums or ways (know how) to set this up let me know. I also set up some experimental easier to use/post site on wordpress but it's public (you do have to log in and could use a fake name, of course!). Rainrose--I'm from Seattle originally and discovered my summer SAD after moving to Los Angeles. Did you read my blog post on my use of melatonin to help with my symptoms? Created14u2 I have a PDF print out sheet you can take to the doctor and I plan to re-establish my blog with all the library links etc. with official stuff you can take to doctors that need a bit of education They cannot pooh-pooh the American Psychiatric Organization and The Mayo Clinic, after all....
|
|
|
Post by brendabriney on May 26, 2014 18:16:33 GMT -8
I would be interested in seeing that pdf information also. When I tell people I have the summer version of SAD I get that funny look. It got really warm and humid here today, and I was so wiped out I got pretty much nothing done. Here we go. I think it's going to be a very long summer.
|
|
|
Post by GregR on May 27, 2014 17:14:49 GMT -8
Brenda,
I'm the "junior" administrator, and from my experience, it usually takes just one person to climb into the pool, then it fills up quickly. My point is that we are just getting started. I post frequently, as does Ginger, but usually not until the weather compels us vent.
Now that the weather is getting much more obnoxious, you will probably see more posts. I'm a school teacher, and once my summer vacation starts, I have more time to post. Today was terrible in my classroom. My class is on the third floor (top floor) and is in the sun all day. When I came in after the long weekend this morning, the room temp was 85F. By the time I left at 3 pm it had climbed to 90F. Hard to imagine learning going on on that room today, even with the lights off to give the illusion of cool. For me, a longtime SummerSAD sufferer, well i have to just plug on, staying hydrated and looking forward to the AC in my car on my ride home.
The forum will pick up soon...either I or Saskia can send out an email to all the forum members telling them we are open for business again. That might do it too.
|
|
|
Post by sananmitch on May 27, 2014 18:14:59 GMT -8
Just got the email reminding me of this board, and was glad to see it is still here. Things are just starting to heat up here, and we are looking at a continuation of our drought. It was cloudy for most of today, and it rained a little. I sat and listened to it rain and it was so peaceful! The rains will stop soon - they always stop for the summer here, drought or no drought - and it is always so hard on me. I hope others find their way back to this site too!
|
|
|
Post by beckoningthepneuma on May 28, 2014 0:45:36 GMT -8
Great to see people still here. Weather is holding out nice and gloomy in the UK. Overcast and about 19C for the next few days. "Summer" still hasn't hit.
|
|
|
Post by ginger on May 28, 2014 19:30:51 GMT -8
Outside of Chicago we are getting the heat & humidity.When I listen to the weather forecasts it's always cooler by the lake and we get the heat west of Chicago! Is it just me or do June,July & August just drag on and on? Then November,December, and January FLY by! Of course we have the better holidays then,too. Anyway dreading the start of June on Sunday. Stay cool everyone!
|
|