Dark days and nights!

Its getting to that time of year for me when i am literally climbing the walls. i absolutely hate the endless darkness and dullness. So far this winter i have not found it too bad as with all the snow there has been a good deal of background light, but recently i have been finding my morale slipping and today has been a bad one. Off to maplin in the morning to get a SAD light methinks.

Anyone else finding this??

Nope, I’ve started to notice the sunsets occurring later now so am looking forward to Spring making an appearance. Infact in a months time it will be light when I leave the office in the evening 🙂

Glass half empty ? 😉

I just keep thinking get February out of the way and it gets lighter. Hope your lamp helps you out.

Funnily enough I was feeling it really bad before xmas but since that’s out of the way I feel so much more positive. I was going to try one of those lamps from Maplin, they look pretty good.

I thought it was just everything going against me making me feel crap. Maybe the lack of daylight could be part of it though.

I’d forgotten about it.
I don’t live in the UK but visited over the festive period. Almost the whole time I was there I didn’t see “proper” day light. Also, how does it get dark at 15:30? That’s just mental.
I take my hat off to anyone who can regularly ride, on or off road, in those conditions and still love it. It was absolutely freezing, damp and dark on the good days and desperately freezing, wet and dark on the bad ones.
Those of you who can overcome those inhumane conditions for 6 months of winter, I salute you all.

Those of you who can overcome those inhumane conditions for 6 months of winter, I salute you all.

First, it’s not 6 months.
Second, if you’ve never enjoyed the beauty of a sunny, frosty morning I feel sorry for you.

Yes, it’s cold and damp sometimes, but overall I don’t think I’d rather be anywhere else.

i usually get a bit depressed/grumpy in winter, this winter is no exception.

so i sort of put myself into self-enforced solitary confinement.

i’m also capable of sleeping for 14+ hours a day; over the christmas break i was in bed by 10 most nights, waking up around noon, and still needing a good afternoon nap.

First, it’s not 6 months.
Second, if you’ve never enjoyed the beauty of a sunny, frosty morning I feel sorry for you

True, I was being polite and yes we have enough mountains near by to enjoy a nice frosty morning. Luckily we have nice sunny beaches to thaw out on afterwards. 🙂

yep role on february…is it going to be much brighter then ?
i supose dull days can get depressing but you have to try put it aside and motivate your mind…i just have to look at my bike and i feel i want to ‘get out there’..in which case i do when i can…

lol 6 months of winter…from what month are you counting ?
geez get wrapped up, get a light on your nogging and get out there..you,ll be reight…. you soon warm up when riding anyway-even if its chilly… 😉

elaine anne – Member
yep role on february…is it going to be much brighter then ?

This is a good link

http://www.gaisma.com/en/dir/gb-country.html

Click on the nearest place to you and see how the length of daylight changes in the short and medium term.

Winter normally makes me very depressed and down, but this time it has been different and I reckon it is the St John’s Wort that I have been taking. I still lack energy, get bored and can sleep for ages if I am allowed, like awhiles above, but at least I am not full of doom and gloom.

Was thinking about this while on the way to work this morning: coldish, blowing a gale, all the schools are back so traffic was terrible, and no public holidays til Easter (at least here in Madrid…)

Roll on April, I say.

Ha i am glad i am not the only one, although today i have noticed a massive improvement in my mood and im putting it down to it being a bright and sunny morning where i am, now i just need all the black ice to disappear and ill get out on my bike, 😀

I feel your pain mogrim. You could join in celebrating Dia de Andalucía, Febrero 28, as a small break during the bank hol drought. 😀

I think the key is to ride your bike more. I went out last night in the wind and the rain and felt much better for it. Aslong as your wearing some water proofs its not too bad. I’ll go out again on wednesday night, even if the weather is shite.

but the flip side of our latitude is those long summer evenings when it is still light at 11pm. Imagine having to use lights for evening rides all year round like they do in Southern California. That would get me down all year round…

I_did_dab – Member
but the flip side of our latitude is those long summer evenings when it is still light at 11pm. Imagine having to use lights for evening rides all year round like they do in Southern California. That would get me down all year round…

Agreed!

Winter is long and dark in the UK, particularly up here in Scotland, but the summer daylight hours are great.

Yup, it’s good positive.
I can’t stand the early nights in winter, but I much prefer it to getting dark at 6pm year round.

hmmm according to that link in just ‘2 weeks’ i get an extra ’35 mins’ of daylight, thats an extra 35 mins of riding then ! hahahhaha 😉

Ho hum – that ia GREAT link, I’ve bookmarked it straightaway.

It really helps to see how things will improve in actual figures.

what’s so GREAT about looking at a few numbers and graphs to tell you what you already knew?

I think humans (Scottish ones, anyway) are probably menat to hybernate.

I’ve spent years living abroad, Malaysia, Singapore, Oz and the endless heat and sun really did eventually bore me to tears.

I love frosty mornings and never complain about our changing weather.

GW – Member

I think humans (Scottish ones, anyway) are probably menat to hybernate.

i know i am.

sleeping for 14 hours a day is easy, i reckon with a bit of practise i could set my alarm clock for ‘march’.

i do get depressed in winter, but not depressed-depressed, i understand that it’s just a chemical thing in my head, i do look forward to spring, and that magical week in march when the gentle spring sunshine lifts the dark clouds of winter from my shoulders, but i also enjoy the process, the contrast.

“Some days wouldn’t be special, if it wasn’t for rain
Joy wouldn’t feel so good, if it wasn’t for pain”

50pence.

I have a huge capacity for sleep in the winter. Gettting up on dark mornings is definitely unnatural. The Northern hemisphere should hibernate IMO.

But it’s feeling springy at last. Yesterday was definitely lighter! I got halfway home without lights, at least till I couldn’t see the trail at all.