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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 19 of 19. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by tina on May 5, 2003, at 8:40:02
It's supposed to be 22 degrees (70's) today and later in the week. That's too hot for me. The farmer's almanac and meteorologists are calling for an excessively hot summer this year and I am finding that the very idea of that is sending me into a downward spiral. I can't take heat. I miss winter. summer is boring and populated. winter is peaceful and comforting. Summer is insects and west nile virus, parks filled with screaming kids and soccer games. Streets crowded with tourists and aimless 'cruisers'. My panic at the idea of summer inevitably coming is making me feel so depressed and anxious. WEight gain has convinced me that shorts are out of the question too. It's just too much.
Posted by lostsailor on May 5, 2003, at 8:49:37
In reply to I don't want summer to come, posted by tina on May 5, 2003, at 8:40:02
Maybe you should hibernate. Where are you that is a tourist attraction? Maybe me and the PB gang will come and sight see....
~tony
(actually, I kinda have a reverse SAD as well. The heat and forced gatherings kill me. YOU are not alone !!!)
Posted by Snoozy on May 5, 2003, at 9:09:32
In reply to I don't want summer to come, posted by tina on May 5, 2003, at 8:40:02
Yes, there are others who loathe summer. I think we should start a colony or two - one in the South for people in the Northern hemisphere and one in the North for people in the Southern hemisphere.
It just irritates me beyond belief when the weather forecasters talk about a "beautiful" day when it's going to be in the 80's. I start to wonder if I'm part of the same species.
Posted by mmcasey on May 5, 2003, at 9:18:56
In reply to Re: I don't want summer to come, posted by Snoozy on May 5, 2003, at 9:09:32
Hey Tina,
Yeah, I have problems with summer as well. Actually, my problems are with weather in general... it seems that I can never be satisfied. The cold dark winters depress me. Lately it has been grey and dreary out and that makes me depressed. When it is nice and sunny I feel depressed because I can't enjoy the nice weather like everyone else does, and seeing all the happy people outside having a seemingly GREAT TIME depresses me. I can't win!I'm more worried this year because I moved to North Carolina from New Hampshire last fall, and I'm not sure I can handle the heat of southern summers!
Posted by fallsfall on May 5, 2003, at 10:12:56
In reply to I don't want summer to come, posted by tina on May 5, 2003, at 8:40:02
Wear the shorts anyway. Your mental health is much more important than what anyone thinks of you. Just my opinion.
Posted by NikkiT2 on May 5, 2003, at 11:08:58
In reply to I don't want summer to come, posted by tina on May 5, 2003, at 8:40:02
I like early spring best.. when its about 10c.. any warmer than that and I just don't like ti much.. its OK when all you have to do it sit around and drink cold drinks, but as soon I have to move around in the heat I hate it.
But then I hate British Winters too... too much miserable rain.. not nice stormy rain but days and days of drizzel.. so you just feel uncomfortable and damp the whole time.
And then I hate the low pressures that come with better weather.. that awful appresive headachey weather.. my mood certainly correlates to changes in weather pressure..
One day I'll find some country with perfect weather and stay there.. New Zealand is looking promising!!
Nikki
Posted by Dinah on May 5, 2003, at 11:14:45
In reply to I don't want summer to come, posted by tina on May 5, 2003, at 8:40:02
I hate summer, too. Every year when daylight savings time comes I reflect that there is absolutely nothing good about spring. You lose an hour of sleep and summer heat is coming. I perk up again in fall.
Go ahead and wear the shorts. I'm not only overweight but knock-kneed too. I wear whatever I like and rejoice in the fact that I don't have to see myself. :)
Posted by Tabitha on May 5, 2003, at 13:18:11
In reply to I don't want summer to come, posted by tina on May 5, 2003, at 8:40:02
I hear you.. summer heat and sun is oppressive indeed. that awful lethargy.. the idiot tourists.. my most hated season too. sometimes I find it helps to just indulge heat to the nth degree, like find the most miserable possible activity.. Disneyland on the year's hottest day
but usually I just suffer and wait for its end.
Wishing you cool orange popsicles and kiddie pools to soak your feet
Posted by leeran on May 5, 2003, at 14:05:01
In reply to Re: I don't want summer to come, posted by mmcasey on May 5, 2003, at 9:18:56
I don't mind summer or winter since moving away from a place where the winters were horrible and the summers were pure hell. Hazy, hot and humid were the three "H's" of summer.
A few summers ago I went back and spent less than 24 hours of a scheduled three day trip. So, I guess I'm still in "grateful mode" where the weather is concerned. A temperate climate has helped my "seasonal dread" considerably; however, there is that gnawing guilt that I live in paradise (compared to my former environment) and I can still feel glum. The nicer the weather gets the louder my "What the **** is the matter with you? Snap out of it" mantra becomes.
Regarding shorts . . . I never feel like it gets hot enough here to humiliate myself, but I've entertained the notion this spring by buying a new pair of shorts that don't look as "Scout Leader-ish." Most days I help the tourist industry by wearing cropped pants.
Posted by gabbix2 on May 5, 2003, at 17:18:54
In reply to Re: I don't want summer to come, posted by mmcasey on May 5, 2003, at 9:18:56
Wow are there really so many of us?
I never knew. I dread summer, the long days I never know how to fill, clouds make the world seem smaller to me, cozier like a womb.
My anxiety skyrockets. My dr. doesn't see the logic in increasing my benzo dose. I've told him
THE DAYS ARE LONGER read my lips. I'M UP LONGER
most people are. On top of that the sunshine has always exacerbated my anxiety. He sees it as a ploy. Its so frustrating.
I hate this just gritting my teeth and wondering how I will get through another one.
And with each year its getting harder to be polite to people who say "Why aren't you outside its Beautiful?"
I know its just a thing to say.
but when you've had depression so long, and had people telling you what to do like idiocy is an inescapable comorbid disorder with depression its hard to tell whats just an innocuous conversation starter and whats a "helpful suggestion", to be followed by a loud whisper.. "well no wonder she's depressed staying in here cooped up all the time, I'd be depressed too"
Wow I think you hit a nerve Tina
Gee I used to be so nice. I think I'm going to be a really grouchy old lady. If I make it that far.
Posted by justyourlaugh on May 5, 2003, at 19:12:31
In reply to Re: I don't want summer to come, posted by lostsailor on May 5, 2003, at 8:49:37
tina,,
i hate the heat
i hate visiting
i hate wearing shorts
and showing my arms..
i hate the bugs
and killer bees..
i hate getting into a hot car
i hate we dont have air
i hate early morning lawnmowers
or the neighbour that does it everyday...i love how the sun sprayed a fine layer of tiny freckels over the bridge of emily's nose.
j
Posted by maryhelen on May 5, 2003, at 20:27:02
In reply to summertime, posted by justyourlaugh on May 5, 2003, at 19:12:31
Yes, I hate summer too.
My excuses for staying in and not going on the 'cure for depression' walks in the winter is gone in the summer. I, unfortunately, live in a beautiful neighbourhood (mind you I live on top of an Irish Pub at the top of a hill) but there is a boardwalk to walk to down the hill, that is so 'healthy' for me. I see everything that is 'beautiful'. After my dutiful walk from one end of the boardwalk to the other, which usually gives me a headache, I sit and have a cigarette and watch the 'happy people', I look at the boats and sailboats on the 'beautiful' water, I hear laughter and get more and more depressed because I am depresssed. This all done with the 50 extra pounds that I gained taking Remeron and never been able to get it off over these 2 years since I stopped. But, I'm told, exercise and diet is so good for you (never heard that before) and to keep trying. Well 2 years of this regimen hasn't shed a pound. I think I have a Remeron pill stuck inside working it's magic.
Then I have to walk up the 'healthy' hill which should be good for my cardio-vascular all the time thinking that I am going to have a heart attack.
No, I don't like summer, it is easier to be left alone and hybernate in the winter.
maryhelen
Posted by nhg on May 6, 2003, at 10:28:28
In reply to Re: summertime, posted by maryhelen on May 5, 2003, at 20:27:02
I live in so cal where the weather is perfect every day. i want to move away for various reasons, but when i tell people i want to move, they say, "but this is the best weather on earth" and I say, "so". sometimes i just wish it would rain. i never knew perfect weather would get on my nerves.
sometimes the appearance of perfection is more depressing than anything else.
Posted by Emme on May 7, 2003, at 6:16:43
In reply to I don't want summer to come, posted by tina on May 5, 2003, at 8:40:02
I sympathize with the summer season thing. Unlike some of you, I'm the original "frozen turnip" and I finally thaw out in the summer. And I like the longer days. BUT, my depression is usually worse in the summers! I see all the people out doing social, fun, summery things. Picnics, laughing in groups, playing volleyball, going to outdoor plays. And it's a pretty potent reminder of all the things I've lost and need to get back. Makes me really sad and really depressed. Actually, most season changes make me sad to some degree except for spring. They remind me of the passage of time and what has or hasn't gotten better in my life.
Emme is morose today.
Posted by mair on May 7, 2003, at 6:59:05
In reply to Re: I don't want summer to come, posted by Emme on May 7, 2003, at 6:16:43
I can identify with alot you've said. I struggle through the winter; If I can make it through the holidays relatively unscathed, I invariably get depressed March when I've reached the limit of the amount of winter I can safely tolerate. However, in my part of the world winter doesn't really abate until late April. The promise of spring with warmer temps and longer days really does lift my spirits. So maybe I'm best in the spring. I do ok in the summer (certainly better than winter) but I can very easily get depressed then too. Like you, I see the years slip away, particularly when my birthday comes in August and I start mourning all of my lost years. Also it does depress me to see other people on vacation or making good use of the nicer weather, while I'm working. At some point I'm likely to also get down about all the things I didn't do over the summer, - house projects mostly. I'm sure I establish expectations that are bound to fail. Of course then fall comes and I have to start worrying about the winter.
Mair
Posted by Emme on May 7, 2003, at 21:33:59
In reply to Re: I don't want summer to come » Emme, posted by mair on May 7, 2003, at 6:59:05
Hi Mair,
I'm tired and my brain won't produce a decent message at the moment. But I wanted to say "I hear ya" to everything you wrote. I feel like I've got to get my buns in gear to make things happen so that I've got at least something positive to show for each season. Although really, I think that making it safely through tough seasons is an accomplishment for all of us.
Emme
> I can identify with alot you've said. I struggle through the winter; If I can make it through the holidays relatively unscathed, I invariably get depressed March when I've reached the limit of the amount of winter I can safely tolerate. However, in my part of the world winter doesn't really abate until late April. The promise of spring with warmer temps and longer days really does lift my spirits. So maybe I'm best in the spring. I do ok in the summer (certainly better than winter) but I can very easily get depressed then too. Like you, I see the years slip away, particularly when my birthday comes in August and I start mourning all of my lost years. Also it does depress me to see other people on vacation or making good use of the nicer weather, while I'm working. At some point I'm likely to also get down about all the things I didn't do over the summer, - house projects mostly. I'm sure I establish expectations that are bound to fail. Of course then fall comes and I have to start worrying about the winter.
>
> Mair
Posted by shar on May 7, 2003, at 23:09:03
In reply to I don't want summer to come, posted by gabbix2 on May 5, 2003, at 17:18:54
Or, my favorite:
> "Why aren't you outside EXERCISING, its Beautiful?"
>I love the fall.
Shar
Posted by noa on May 10, 2003, at 18:04:08
In reply to Re: I don't want summer to come--T and Gabby, posted by shar on May 7, 2003, at 23:09:03
I love sunlight. Spring is my favorite season for sure. And because I don't like extremes in temperature, I guess the fall is ok,too, but it brings the bees and yellowjackets, which I do not like.
I love sunny days so much. But sometimes a rainy day is a welcome excuse to stay in and lay low. And I suppose the rainy ones make me appreciate the sunny ones more.
I HATE humidity, though. Gimme a crisp sunny day, around 75 degrees farenheit with a slight breeze--AHHHH..... It can even be slightly warmer midday, as long as it's dry and not humid.
I used to live further north, where spring is a blink of the eye between a long winter and a hot summer. Now I live somewhere where the spring is a bit longer and it is lovely.
Summer for me used to mean panicking about body image. I guess it still does, but less so because I'm not so caught up in the youthful social scene, as I ain't so youthful anymore. One of the easy things about winter is being lazy about shaving my legs, and when summer comes, I have to deal with that---and I am follically well endowed, unfortunately, so it means attending to the matter on a daily or every-other-day basis if I am sockless. Ugh.
Fortunately, my work is a casual dress kind of place--so I don't have to deal with stockings and a suit or dress, which would be awful on those hot, sticky days.
When it is spring, I love being able to just get up and get in my car and go! No shoveling, no scraping, no warming up and defrosting. In winter, I have to add at least 10 minutes to the morning routine because of the cold weather.
My main depression is not seasonal but I do have an overlay of SAD. So, when the days start getting shorter in the autumn, I do start feeling some depression. I feel it most in energy level, and in difficulty getting up in the morning. The light box is my companion for about 8 months of the year. I have also had some summertime depression in the past, but I cannot say it is necessarily seasonal. Probably because of all the transitions that typically have happened in the summer. I do dread the heat of summer, but it is usually winter I dread more.
Posted by Snoozy on May 10, 2003, at 18:39:27
In reply to I don't want summer to come, posted by tina on May 5, 2003, at 8:40:02
Hi everyone - I'm so enjoying commiserating with others about the misery that is summer. I had a reminder of how joyous it is when I had my first of what will probably be many seasonal allergy attacks yesterday. So now I get to add another drug into the rotation for that.
And I'll probably be getting my (sigh) summer wardrobe out and putting away my beloved sweaters this weekend.
The humidity is what really sends me over the edge. I have the Weather Channel on constantly, checking the dew point (I don't even know exactly what it measures - but I don't want to see it over 60!) I probably don't even need to check it, as when it goes up, my headaches get worse (I wouldn't think they could possibly get worse, but they do!)
Last summer I went nuts trying to find a pair of shoes that weren't sandals or some other foot-exposing contraption. It's like they squirrel all the normal shoes away for fall (ha ha). I don't know - I have this thing where I think it's really weird to see someone's feet in an office building. On the street is one thing, but inside it's just weird. Anyone else have this feeling?
If anyone has any tips on how to get through summer, I think we should share them here. Thanks for letting me gripe!
This is the end of the thread.
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