Rainin’ again!
I still remember the gloom laden voice of my grandmother when it rained on a Monday – Wash Day as written on tablets of stone. My spirits would sink until I learned to laugh at the ridiculous theatricality of it.
It’s raining relentlessly today but as MTL says:
‘It’s warmer and the wind’s dropped.’ Dunkirk spirit?
The weather and sunlight do seem to affect one’s spirits. Ponita ( side bar) who lives in the centre of Canada says :
Pat, we have tons of sunshine here. It is the one thing that makes the winters livable here... dazzlingly brilliant sun with crystal clear blue skies. Just don't go outside!! ;-)
This is a time of year when vulnerable people can sink into a depression, sometimes for no apparent reason. Are there more cases of depression in a country like Britain, which can have endless gray, gloomy days compared with somewhere like California for instance? Have you any thoughts on this?
20 comments:
For those who suffer from SAD (seasonal affective disorder) - yes. My mom always got depressed in the late fall and winter, due to the lack of sunlight. As soon as spring came and the days began to be longer, she perked up and was very perky until the following fall.
Yes, it is a tad gloomy. Thank goodness for the tumble dryer... not that I have one any more!!
Sx
We have been snowed in for over a week under almost 24". Thankfully we did manage to get out last Friday and go to town but more snow hit before we could get back home. There was a time I could not have survived this depressing situation but my animals need me and this causes me to bundle up and trudge to the barn twice a day which gives my spirits a lift. This morning it was minus 17 degrees when I awakened and now it is minus 20 degrees. I believe Ron's years at sea in the Navy conditioned him to adapt to anything.
SAD or winter blues is something I've always had problems with. The 2 exceptions were in 1992/3, which I spent in Canada, and last year which was also very sunny with lots of snow.
Every day I go our for a walk, because even on a grey, cloudy day, you get more light than inside with all the lights on
Yup, the lack of sunlight does cause depression (SAD) in some people. You need sunlight to produce serotonin in your brain and apparently it's the lack of that which causes the depression. A lot of people are not affected by it, though. I am not. Even when I lived in Vancouver for 3 1/2 years (you could go for weeks without seeing the sun), I didn't get depressed, just completely pissed off that it was always wet and I was always chilled from the damp! That's why I moved back to Winnipeg. It's dry and there's lots of sunshine. Certainly not for the cold... although it's a given. ;-)
My dad suffers from S.A.D. He's really down in the winter!
I do suffer from SAD, living in Florida I have become accustomed some may say addicted to the sun. When we get a couple of rainy, gloomy days I do notice my mood change for the worse. Growing up in Dundee, I remember weeks on end of gloomy weather, I guess that's one of the reasons we bailed.
Cheers, Sausage...
Judy; these days a special light board is found to be helpful in most cases.
Scarlet: you mean for drying clothes? Yes?
Granny Annie: I'm sure having dependents like animals or children help to lift one. David Badiel, comedian, novelist and TV presenter says the single thing that helped him to control depression was having children. 'They are brilliant for forcing you out of self-absorption.'
I hope things ease up a bit soon.
Kim: I'm sure the walk alone is beneficial.
Ponita: being pissed off is preferable to being depressed I think. Let's all move to the centre of Canada!
John. G: I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sending hugs to both of you.xoxoxox
Sausage: I'm glad it's working for you and I'm reminded of turgid days in Industrial Lancashire when we used to get thick yellow smog which choked your lungs and killed off so many people. Things are better now thank Heaven.
i am happier when I get outdoors for at least part of the DAY. sunshine helps as does exercise and LOTS of vitamin D. God gives us the seasons, how we use them is up to us. Make every day a good one!
Living In Tucson we also live by the seasons... we love our rain and snow days in fact we need them... Even in the few weeks it does rain and snow there are always days of sun and the bluest skies mixed in. I am rather lucky to be able to live here.
cheers, parsnip
Och away hen, only the very best countries have gloomy skies and the greyest of grey skies. Take a wee swatch at that elegant and youthful looking lady in the mirror, tell me you cannae help but be cheered at that beautiful smile.
Monday will always be wash day, as much as Friday will always be a fish supper.
Apparently suicides increase massively in countries where the sun barely gets over the horizon, in winter. I go a bit quiet towards the end of January if there hasn't been much winter sun, but as soon as the days begin to lengthen noticeably, as they are now doing, I perk up. Had a lovely day out in brilliant sunshine with only son today and feel positively glowing now.
I would move south in a flash if I had a private income.
David: wise words:)
Parsnip:It is a blessing to be happy about where you live - I feel the same.
Anon: ah good! Somebody's put the light back on. Now I can smile:)
Eryl: sun and son - what a great combo. Enjoy! My son comes this week-end - another reason to be cheerful.
Judy, nailed it (SAD) in the first comment.
I'm glad it's sunny where you are, at least. As for "Dunkirk Spirit," good show. I'm not sure what our equivalent would be. "Little Bighorn Spirit" doesn't have the same cachet.
Of course, good for Britain that in the final analysis, Dunkirk was definitely a "win."
Cheers.
Randall: Judy is a very wise lady and an excellent scrabbler:)
My interpretation of 'The Dunkirk Spirit' is keeping cheerful on board, as the ship slowly sinks into the depths. But that's jut me.
We have an awful lot of grey skies and rainy days here so I'm lucky it doesn't get me down that much.
It's a little bit off subject but I think it's important that everyone takes care to support their vitamin D levels when there's less sun around.
Sandy: quite right and when we do get sun it's OK to sit out between 8am and 10am and after 4pm - give or take - with suitable protection. We do need some sunshine, as you know.
The Suicide rate in San Francisco is quite high, they say...And many people feel it is connected with the weather there....Foggy, Rainy, Cold....much of the time. I have visited there back in the 1980's, quite a bit---and I knew I could never live there. It was quite depressing when the weather was like that.
Naomi:I didn't know that. It was warm and sunny when we were in San Francisco - for two days - and one imagined that was the norm. I can imagine Alcatraz in the fog.
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