WilliamHBonney said:
Lol Im already depressed, not sure it can get much worse. How do you handle the long stretches of light and darkness?
The way I see it, it's better to be depressed about the weather rather than something more integral to you or your life. I'm happy to blame the weather for any sour or finicky mood I have for the next several months.
As for the light and dark, it is a trip. summer is nothing short of manic. I like to say we have two-for-one days. You can work all day, and then still have a whole day left to go play, whether that be hiking or fishing or whatever. But it is disorienting. I keep forgettting to have dinner, becasue you always think it must be about seven, but in truth, it's eleven. It's great, but tiring.
by the end of summer, I'm so worn out, winter and hibernating starts to sound kind of good. I'm ready to slow things down.
The dark definately makes me want to sleep more, and not get up in the morning, but eventually it gets easier and your body adjusts (like it does to sleeping in the light.) The dark ends up being not that much different than outside. When I lived in Boston, it was dark when i went to work and dark when i came home. Once we get some snow on the ground, it will all feel better too. The ambient city lights and moon shine reflect off the snow and really make a difference. Plus we have lots of lighted ski trails in the city. i'm a horrible skiier but i do like to get out and run outdoors all winter. I think that helps me too in not letting the conditions get me down. I just don't let it stop me from doing things, even if it means wearing a headlamp for some runs. (they look dorky but do work.)
We're also lucky in that we tend to have clear skies. And since it is hard not to be up for both dawn and sunset, you get more than a fair share of gorgeous colors to watch. It's pretty spectacular.
I also play mind games and remind myself that by Christmas, we start gaining light. Eventually we're getting more than a half hour a week. Knowing it will change makes it easier. And of couse the other way to deal, i mentioned in my earlier e-mail: Hawaii.