PsA, Depression, and Winter

The days are getting shorter, it's cold, and your joints hurt. Little sunlight. I find myself more depressed during these winter months. Stuck indoors, wishing for bright sunny days. What do you do to fight the winter depression? Right now, I am reorganizing the closets. Keeping my mind busy. Also started a new book. You?

Winter is getting more and more difficult. Last winter was record cold for all of January and now we're having record cold in November, so I can't imagine what January's gonna be like this winter. Tonight it's zero Fahrenheit, which is about 15 degrees below normal.

It gets harder to tolerate the older we get. It's icy everywhere because the snow we've had so far hasn't been cleaned off the roads and sidewalks very well. If you don't walk with a tight a$$ you'll slip and fall for sure! You're just lucky if you don't get into a car crash because the roads are always slippery--sometimes like an ice rink and sometimes "black ice" that looks dull and is deceiving. You see a lot of vehicles in the ditch when there's black ice.

I'm wondering how many more winters like this I can take. We only go outside when we have to get somewhere, otherwise we're housebound. Even the kids don't like playing outside when it's this cold!

I guess I can be happy in the fact that it doesn't snow here, gulf coast, Texas. We get the occasional ice storm. But you can go out, it's just cold. And cold here is 35! We are used to the humidity and the heat. Our winters are also wet. Not snow, just ice and rain.

I do think this winter is going to be colder. We are already cold and last year we were still warm at this time. Maybe I need another new hobby :)

Haha Sybil.... well... it might :P

I could use another one…hobby, that is!

GrandmaJ, sure! A hobby, huh? ;)

Reorganizing is usually on my list to keep busy but I sometimes find I have trouble getting motivated. A new book sounds good to me.

I'm out several times a day with my dog. If it weren't for that, I'm sure my days would be a lot more difficult.

I try to get outside every day if possible, and if not, I try to let as much sunlight in as I can!!!

My kids and I are putting together activity boxes for days I'm not feeling like doing much. We've started a Harry Potter box (cream soda, butterscotch sauce, and marshmallow fluff for "butterbeer," chocolate chips and a frog mold to make chocolate frogs, and we have ALL the movies, and a sorting hat, and wands ...) and are planning on doing more.

I have a stack of books I'd love to read, and lots of projects to keep me busy. We just got approved for our "Operation Church Mouse" project through Thrivent Financial to gather supplies for our church and to make sensory bags for church members with sensory processing issues (including my Aspies), so I'm making up an amazon.com wishlist and getting "team members" together to see how much we can do with the $250 seed money and the generosity of others. We're going to sneak the stuff into church, along with mouse cut-outs and a note, to surprise our pastor and the congregation. We have lots of homeschool projects as well.

In the winter I need to make sure I get out at least a couple times a week, or depression sets in big time. We do church on Sundays, Tuesday Night Sunday School, and I bring three kids to Puppet Team on Friday evenings. Homeschool co-op will start back up in January, which will be wonderful. And I'm blessed to be taking care of my friend's 2 year old, so I get to chat with her a couple times a day five days a week. :)

Actually, amielynn, hubby too! Just kidding.....but my hubby is not the "house husband" type, if you know what I mean. I'm so happy my married daughters didn't fall into the trap of doing ALL of the housework, MOST of the yard work, and ALL of the taking care of the kids. Yesterday, after I lugged 8 bags of groceries in--the second time in less than a week--I reminded my husband of how he has promised for years that as soon as he retires (this coming May) he will do ALL the grocery shopping. So, starting in May if he doesn't do ALL of the grocery shopping, we will suffer without food because as of May 1st I will turn that job over to HIM, among a few other jobs (I hope). And then--maybe I can enjoy my hubby and hobby more!

amielynn38 said:

GrandmaJ, sure! A hobby, huh? ;)

GrandmaJ, I was blessed with a house husband. He's great picking up the slack. We did hire a part time house cleaner. I couldn't keep up with the house work anymore and I felt bad making his days off cleaning days.

Nym, Sounds like you love what you do and that passion is what keeps your spirit lifted. Good for you!

Dini, sometimes I have trouble getting motivated... so, I empty everything out of the closet! I have no choice but to organize and put it back. It drives me crazy to let it sit on the floor. lol!

Things have improved little but I have been walking more. Helps the joints and allows be a bit of fresh air. I need a tropical beach vacation. Somewhere warm and sunny. Little coconut drinks with tiny umbrellas. Who's with me?

Drinks with umbrellas served anyplace warm enough where socks aren't required--I'm there!



amielynn38 said:

Things have improved little but I have been walking more. Helps the joints and allows be a bit of fresh air. I need a tropical beach vacation. Somewhere warm and sunny. Little coconut drinks with tiny umbrellas. Who's with me?