Dark
I love that everyone is doing all this thoughtful, inspirational Reverb10 posting. I’d almost like to participate, but I feel like I have been pinned down by these short dark days, praying for the solstice to swing by and bring back the light.
I’m a winter wimp. I live in a relatively southern location where it barely gets a hint of cold. Heavens to Murgatroyd, I have BANANA trees growing outside my window. With bananas on them.
Don’t tell me to get a light box. I have a light box that I am supposed to use for the 2 hours after it gets dark, say from 5 to 7 pm.
Anyone who actually has a life might find that funny. Oh, yes, those quiet hours from 5 to 7 pm when one can just pause and sit and let a blue light shine on them instead of drive home or go to the gym or do errands or make dinner. Not gonna happen.
Every year I say it isn’t going to be that bad. Every year until November 20 or so, when it hits like a ton of dark.
People says Jesus is the reason for the season, but me – I’m just living for the Solstice, waiting for the daylight to come back to me.
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Suebob's Red Stapler 
At night? Really? I’ve been using mine in the morning all along.
See comment to Mir – it just depends on what KIND of SAD person you are.
Warning: Assvice ahoy!
The typical recommendation with a lightbox is to use it first thing in the morning. Using it in the evening can actually disrupt your sleep cycle. I generally use mine while doing the early-morning email check. (It’s not about total hours of light, but about quality/intensity of that light.)
Shutting up, now.
Oh, Mir, you’re not full of assvice. It’s just that the light box I got came with an online assessment about habits, moods, when I get up, when I go to bed etc and it diagnosed me as needing the light at night and was full of dire warnings not to use it at the wrong end of the day. So.
Yeah. I’ve never understood the concept of the nightly news running at 6:00 or whenever it runs. I mean, who the hell is home to watch it then?
I too am breathlessly awaiting the solstice, for the same reason you are.
I guess I could put my life on hold for 8 weeks or so…but something tells me that isn’t going to happen.
I so hear you. It’s even nice and bright here, but the sun rises so late and sets so early, I feel like I’m wilting.
I find myself thinking about going to bed at 8 pm. Boy, what a big ball of fun I am.
I don’t think I’ve ever commented here before, but this brought me out to say “me too”. It made it slightly better when I realized that I get depressed every October when the light went away, but I still just grit my teeth and bear it until winter solstice when I can at least tell myself the days are getting longer even if I can’t see it yet. This is exacerbated by the fact that this is always the busiest time of the year at home and at work, and I find it so stressful that I have come to dread the whole holiday season. There, I said it: This, the holiday season, is my least favorite time of the year because no light + stress makes me unhappy.
And Minnesota is so far north…have YOU tried the light box? It really does work for some people and you can get them for under $100 on Amazon.com
i’m so with you on this. i’ve actually thought about getting one of those lamps for my cube at work. it’s so dark and cold… moving back to the frozen north is NOT helping. we can do this – it’s less than a month away!
I used to drink my way through it. Sigh.
I totally understand why people, ancient and modern, Eastern and Western, have celebrations or festivities or something at this time of year. Starting in November, the world goes dark at 5 p.m, the cold wind picks up, blowing dead leaves and dust into the air, and death looms behind every cadaverish smile. No, of course I’m not depressed. How could you think such a thing? But I’ll rejoice on December 21 and welcome back the light.
Amen. And so mote it be.