[Weighty]

Every year right around this time, but especially when we set our clocks back an hour for daylight savings time, I tend to get Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) really bad.

It feels like jet lag, and things feel "off" for about 2-3 weeks or so until I reconfigure.

When I was younger, I never knew what was going on, I just thought I would get sick a lot and feel off in the winter just because. When I found out about SAD, it felt good to have a proper diagnosis/reason for why I was feeling this way.

Anyone else dealing with this?

What strategies do you have to help you cope or deal with this?

Do you wish we would just leave the time change alone and keep the extra hour of daylight forever?

[Ali]

I have never been a fan of the time changes... I don't get bummed out, I just get tired of feeling like everything is "off" until I adjust. Like, dinner time, what time of day it is during the afternoon as the light changes... it all feels wrong for a week or two until I get adjusted.

I DO wish the time would be left alone. I keep hoping they'll make that change, but year after year... we don't. (I suppose I could move to Arizona where they don't do it at all, but... desert. Ugh.)

I don't really experience seasonal affective disorder, but think it's because I actually like the change in seasons (barring the time change). I see a lot of beauty in every season, and despite the cold, I love the colors in fall, the crisp air and the smell of dead leaves, the snow and even the grey skies in winter... winter sunsets especially because of the colors they get against the brown and "dead" world... And then spring is back in no time.

So during the fall and winter, I'm in full-on cozy mode: warm wintery foods, soft blankets, hot tea, being snuggly on the couch while watching TV or in bed reading while it's snowing outside. That brings joy. I always look for the things that bring joy. Warm white lights and greenery that keep things feeling cozy inside no matter what it's doing outside.

And I'm a night owl anyway, so I don't mind the early dark. (I DO mind losing an hour of sleep when we move an hour ahead in the spring though... drives me nuts every year.)

[SummerDay]

I don't mind the seasons changing but I hate the time change. I've never understood it but that's a gripe for another day. I do get really tired and ready for winter to be over after the holidays are done though. That's when everything is gray, dead, cold, slushy, and just not nice anymore. Up until January there's at least festive lights and things that make it pretty, but once those all go away, I'm ready for spring and summer to get here.

I don't have a way of dealing with it other than reminding myself that the warmer months are coming back, more light will be coming back, and this is just the ugly part of the year I need to get through.

[Ali]

I get that. By the time spring is getting close, I definitely get antsy about it. At least where I live, the late winter is the "ugliest" as far as trees being brown, yards are kinda brown-ish and/or muddy. As soon as I start seeing buds on the trees, I get excited.

Right now though, I'm in my element... the weather's starting to get cool and the colors are in full swing. I LOVE the fall, and even winter. (I sound like I should be drinking a pumpkin spice latte while wearing a flannel, skinny jeans, and boots, I know LOL).

I guess I just make sure that I have things to look forward to no matter the season. I just got an oil diffuser for my office so I can have seasonal scents in the air while I'm working. Little things like that make me happy, and make things a lot more bearable no matter what's going on outside.

[Weighty]

Welp....here we are coming up on the day! It's about a week now and I am so dreading it!

One strategy that I started implementing a few years ago was to set my wakeup and bedtime 1 hour earlier.

This way, my body doesn't know the difference -- if it was 10 AM before the time change, but 9 AM after losing the extra hour, to my body, it's the "same" time.

What this allowed was for me to get the same number of daylight hours, and it really seemed to help with SAD and the jet lag feeling.

Then, when the time shifts back again in the spring, you take the opposite approach.

[Ali]

I ended up staying up later on Saturday night/Sunday morning, binge-watching Outlander ahead of the final season coming soon. LOL! I saw the time on my phone roll back to 1 am and I was like YAY keep going with the show, you got all the time in the world!

But now comes the part where I have to adjust to the earlier sunset, feeling like it's time for dinner even though it's only five o'clock...

I truly don't mind it getting dark since I'm surrounded by pretty lights and things that make me feel cozy and happy, but the effect it has on my perception of time really sucks until I get used to it. That's the biggest thing that irks me about it all.

How is everyone else faring so far?

[SummerDay]

Meh, I'm okay. It's been dark for a while and it's only 6:00. It's been messing with my perception of the day/passage of time. Like it feels later than it is. Well, probably because it IS. I hate this adjustment period. :/

[Weighty]

I'm happy to report that my "hack" is proving totally effective!

I am going to bed 1 hour earlier and waking up 1 hour earlier -- for my body, it's the same time, despite what the clock says, so there is no gap regarding getting natural daylight.

I then make sure to get outside and get sun on my skin for several hours during the day, which also helps immensely!

There has been no "jet lag" feeling, which is awesome!

[Ali]

Oh that's great about not having the jet-lag feeling!

Things are still good here, although my little electric fireplace in my office died so it's been a wee bit chilly LOL. I'll be remedying that over the weekend. I truly don't mind it getting cold or the seasons changing, or even the darkness coming earlier, but I do NOT like to be cold. It hurts my bones and joints after a while.