I know heat as well. It is hotter here than it used to be, so if the planet is not warming up you sure couldn't prove it by where I live. It gets to be 117F here now in the summer. To my way of thinking anything over 110F is truly excessive.
I'd go for that any day!I recon people who have depression should get more hugs and more random presents, what’d you think, good plan?!
Thanks a bunch, Auriel! ♥♥♥@sunkacola some hugs for you, everyone should have a hug (except crocodiles and sharks cos that’s dangerous
never hug those things
)
) so I dread being unable to do anything for my birthday and envy the people I know with summer birthdays 
filled with my partners art supplies and my book and film collections. But it's a little couch with cosy blankets and cute fairy lights, I set a scented candle alight, curl up with a good book and my dogs and just escape for a few hours. The warm glow from the fairy lights, sun lamp and candle really help to make a difference but once I come out of that bubble I'm unfortunately back to square one 
sometimes it's nice to have a nice little area. I wish I was there now but I'm just up from a nap so I should really get some work done 
For me even a bit of natural light is better than nothing, plus the fresh air. And I keep forgetting to get out more, short stints regularly'd be good. Altho I get quite some "sun" by us playing 1h/d table tennis outside the whole winter, even when there's snow (which we can shove away) or ice on the table (which makes for extremely snappy playing, the bat has to hit the ball the moment it hits the table....): Makes for lots of laughs, I need that.
I've changed my image of the seasons here a bit now, don't know if that helps: We have a "light" summer, then a darker summer (warm, but days shortening), then a "comfortably dark" winter and then a sunnier winter (cold lengthening). I try to use positive images: Shorter days means sleeping better, less distraction...
I reckon it would definitely be a healing step in the right direction!
I'm also a fellow SAD sufferer (as well as year round depression) but same as Jemima, definitely gets so much worse in winter and I'm also a winter baby (maybe there's a connection here?
Also now jealous of Jemima and Sunkacola for escaping bitter and cold weather but very happy for you both too!
I have a sun lamp and it does work for me but I do realise they're very hit and miss with people. I also have a little reading nook in the 'spare' room. There's nothing spare about it, it has more stuff than any other room
Yes, perhaps us winter kids are a bit jinxed! It's good to know that a SAD lamp does work for you - I'll just keep flip-flopping on that one until I pick one up! You're so right that it makes a difference to have a space to escape to. Well done for strategising so well - even if you are surrounded with all of your creative stuff! I hope your work went well 
(That metapher sounds good, but I don't quite get it..., looked it up (thinking more of the footwear than gymnastics), pondered... but does that mean alternating between opinions (yes/no), in this case not sure if you really want to try it?)
It's a figure of speech that we say meaning going back and forth between options without deciding. I've always associated it with the shoes because the soles flap up and down, but I might be wrong in that assumption!
sounds like a fish out of water flopping around. Lol guess thats how I am in winter. Last winter I stayed busy with painting murals in my house. Obviously staying busy is basic advice but I'd recommend planning exciting things to do after the holidays. We look forward to the holidays and when they're done we don't have that next exciting thing to anticipate. I just spent the last few weeks super excited for my daughter birthday and I could actually feel my mood dropping on her birthday. I kept reminding myself I can be excited to use all the new stuff she got. With her that is. I wasn't riding her new toddler bike when she was at preschool. I promise. Funny thing is, I love when it snows. I love building snow things. We don't get too much snow here I suppose. Oh and ode to winter birthdays. Im the day before valentines.
I love this idea! Just got to figure out what kind of plant I am....Im a cactus. Seriously I need sun and never drink enough. If you take a cactus out of the desert 🏜 and put in antarctic and it wilts and withers and dies, do we now say that cactus had a disorder? No. It was just in the wrong environment. People are no different. We're living things and id guess the only ones that are subject to being born in the wrong climate. Imagine lions giving birth to dolphins in Africa.
You're so right. I was thinking the exact same thing - need something to focus on in the middle of that long dark post-christmas stretch. A February birthday is a nice one. I think I need to make up some new holiday, because we're not really roses and hearts kinds of people, so valentines doesn't cut it!
My house is pretty jungly, and it gives me a lot of pleasure. I always loved the idea of "shinrin-yoku", which means forest bathing in Japanese. They use the practice therapeutically and have conducted a lot of research on the health benefits of exposure to nature.
It's so frustrating how a lot of people react, but everyone here will try to understand and take what you're going through seriously.
) are you a new member? If so welcome to the forum 
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