Surviving gloomy, grey skies

I just took a look at the forecast here in London, Ontario for the next week. Clouds, clouds, and more clouds. It's not that bad, though! It's only partly cloudy on Sunday and Tuesday. Unfortunately, I assume that by the time those days actually roll around, the forecast will have changed to fully cloudy.

Random fact: did you know that London is the cloudiest city in Ontario?

In past years, I've spent winter in a perpetual state of gloomy SAD-induced depression. I grew up in very sunny cities, so clouds don't particularly suit me. (I'm open to being enlightened on why their near-constant presence doesn't suck, though.) Surprisingly, it turns out that spending half the year trying to figure out how to make hibernation a reality is not a good way to live one's life.

This year, I'm trying some new strategies.

I've had a SAD light for many years now, but I've never felt that sitting and staring at it for half an hour did much for me. It's boring and a waste of time. But recently, I had the brilliant idea of putting the light next to my dresser and using it for makeup lighting. Now I can get my daily light therapy in while I do my makeup. Since once I have my makeup on, it would be ridiculous to try to crawl back into bed, the new process guarantees that I go outside.

I'm also trying Vitamin D supplements. Our bodies normally make vitamin D with exposure to sunlight, but sunlight is limited during winters at higher latitudes even in places that aren't covered with a thick, grey cumulus blanket. The Canadian government is now recommending that all of us take 1000 iu of vitamin D per day, but I do not believe this is enough. The studies I've read place the daily maximum at around 10000 iu, but even higher doses have been used. Some people take 50000 iu once a week, for instance. I have golden brown skin, so I've decided to supplement with 8000 iu per day for now, and adjust as needed.

Vitamin D supplements are available in pill and droplet form, and I'm using the droplets. They are easier to take because I just drip it into my tiny amount of morning orange juice, and my research indicated that our bodies more easily process vitamin D when it is taken with some oil. The droplets I use come suspended in oil, but if you're planning to go this route make sure to read ingredients carefully and consult your pharmacist or doctor.

I should note that I'm also on two antidepressants - Wellbutrin XL and Celexa. I've always had some trouble sleeping, so I have sleeping pills that I try to use as rarely as possible. (I was given a bottle of 30 pills last winter and I still have 20+ pills.) If serious medical intervention of this type is needed, do not feel ashamed! It is more important to take care of oneself than to get caught up in the shameful labels that society likes to place on mental distress.

I'm hoping that taking the above steps along with making sure I get outside for some exercise and eating healthy will get me through the winter and back to the glorious brightness of summer's long, long days. In the meantime, I've accepted that sometimes I need to go easy on myself, give my body what it needs, and go do something fun, but it's also really important to be firm with myself and not let the gloomy feelings take over.