Winter isn’t coming, it’s here

Okay, as many of you will realise from my title, I’m a fan of Game of Thrones, I like both the books and the tv series, though with every season they become more and more separate. This post isn’t really about either, however, so sorry to those who have found there way here because of the GoT connection in the title.

I’m writing today about actual winter, that horrible thing that happens at this time of the year when the sun disappears, the clouds gather, it rains, the temperature drops horrendously and the rain changes to snow.

During this time moods drop and motivation can be hard to come by, just getting out of bed can be incredibly difficult, and you (or at least I) want to eat constantly. As a sufferer of mental health problems, this period of the year is even tougher for me to get through, and I don’t even have the advantage of a regular job, with a boss breathing down my neck, to encourage me to get up and do things.

I am currently unemployed, officially at least, while  I work on establishing myself as a published and successful writer. That means I have to get myself up and at the computer if I want to get anything done and make any progress, which is far from easy.

We’re currently in the early stages of winter here in the UK, and I am already going through copious amounts of coffee every day, along with lots of chocolate and other unhealthy snacks, in an effort to give me the energy to work. I also have to hug a hot water bottle to get warm enough to do anything – I’m really not looking forward to the arrival of full winter.

 

Commuters make their way over Brunel’s suspension bridge in Clifton, Bristol following a night of heavy snow across the UK. Up to 15cm of snow has fallen overnight causing widespread traffic disruption and school closures. 18 January 2013

I’m curious, and would really appreciate some answers in the comments, what do you all do, especially the indie writers and self-employed people among my readers, to motivate yourselves and make sure you keep working and get things done?

Sad is bad!

I have sad. No, you didn’t misread that, and you grammar Nazis of the ‘net don’t need to try and tell me those three worse are wrong; when I say ‘I have sad’ what I mean is that I have Seasonal Affective Disorder, commonly known as sad, also known as the winter blues.

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that comes and goes in a seasonal pattern.
SAD is sometimes known as “winter depression” because the symptoms are more apparent and tend to be more severe during the winter.
The symptoms often begin in the autumn as the days start getting shorter. They’re typically most severe during December, January and February.
SAD often improves and disappears in the spring and summer, although it may return each autumn and winter in a repetitive pattern.

Symptons

Symptoms of SAD can include:
a persistent low mood
a loss of pleasure or interest in normal everyday activities
irritability
feelings of despair, guilt and worthlessness
feeling lethargic (lacking in energy) and sleepy during the day
sleeping for longer than normal and finding it hard to get up in the morning
craving carbohydrates and gaining weight
For some people, these symptoms can be severe and have a significant impact on their day-to-day activities.
(source: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Seasonal-affective-disorder/Pages/Introduction.aspx)

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Fortunately I only have mild SAD, but I do also suffer from regular depression, as well as stress and anxiety and a few other things.

Why am I boring you all with this, I’m sure you’re asking; I woke up this morning in a major grump, before I even opened the curtains and discovered that the weather is pretty rubbish, not awful but still bad enough to affect my mood.

I’ve had some people say I just have the rainy day blues and it’ll be fine, but that doesn’t explain why my body goes through this before I’ve even seen the weather; I have to explain to them that it is a recognised medical condition.

Since I am  suffering from a major lack of sunshine, which is making it hard for me to summon the energy and the enthusiasm to do much, I thought I would find some sunshine, and here it is

It’s not much, but I hope it helps, even a little, all those who like me are having a bad day because of the weather. And now I’m off to shop for a sun lamp so I can get through winter in a better mood than the one the weather wants to put me in.