I've not blogged for over two months and I think that needs a bit of explaining, as I certainly didn't intend to stop posting. In a nutshell, Winter came along and cut me down in my stride mood wise. In the time that had elapsed since last Winter I'd managed to push all thoughts of Winter induced depression to the back of my mind so, like every year, it took me unawares and, frankly, I've felt crap. I lost interest in all the things I enjoy doing, like knitting, baking, cooking and blogging too; it all just seemed too hard and I was tired all the time. I've been experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder for much of my 20's but this is the first year where it's got bad enough to force me to see that it affects my life in a big way every Winter. It's more than just feeling fed up and tired because it's cold and dark outside; with SAD you just don't want to leave the house and everything seems so hard to do
Things started to look up when I looked on the MIND website and found this helpful page on SAD, which immediately made me feel less alone with it. Understanding what causes it made it feel like something I could do something about. I started off by getting a daylight lamp (this one). It was £40 and worth every penny; I have it on for an hour to an hour and a half each evening and it's given me a boost, I don't feel wiped out all the time. I've been sleeping much, much better since using the lamp and that's had a very positive impact. I'm also looking at my eating habits and eating more healthily, and have taken the pressure off myself to be as active and busy in Winter as in the lighter months.
If you are experiencing SAD I really recommend checking out the MIND website for starters, and remember that it's not just you, you're not alone and that there's help available that can make a big difference.
Another thing that's helped is crochet. I found it impossible to make anything more complicated than granny squares when I was feeling really low,but making them kept me occupied. Then I got drawn in to the possibilities of it and it snowballed. It's kept me focused and interested in something, and I've been crocheting my little heart out for the past month. But more about that, with lots of showing off pics at the weekend, when I can take pictures in daylight. This time there won't be such a big gap between posts!
Things started to look up when I looked on the MIND website and found this helpful page on SAD, which immediately made me feel less alone with it. Understanding what causes it made it feel like something I could do something about. I started off by getting a daylight lamp (this one). It was £40 and worth every penny; I have it on for an hour to an hour and a half each evening and it's given me a boost, I don't feel wiped out all the time. I've been sleeping much, much better since using the lamp and that's had a very positive impact. I'm also looking at my eating habits and eating more healthily, and have taken the pressure off myself to be as active and busy in Winter as in the lighter months.
If you are experiencing SAD I really recommend checking out the MIND website for starters, and remember that it's not just you, you're not alone and that there's help available that can make a big difference.
Another thing that's helped is crochet. I found it impossible to make anything more complicated than granny squares when I was feeling really low,but making them kept me occupied. Then I got drawn in to the possibilities of it and it snowballed. It's kept me focused and interested in something, and I've been crocheting my little heart out for the past month. But more about that, with lots of showing off pics at the weekend, when I can take pictures in daylight. This time there won't be such a big gap between posts!