Depression mood swings depending on the weather?

[Rabbit33]

Is it just me or do others tend to find that there depression heightens when the weather is cold, dark and gloomy and then when the weather is beautiful, blue skies, nice warm breeze, suddenly you feel a whole lot better as if the depression almost left with the ugly weather?

I asked my Psychologist the other month and she said that some people are actually emotionally affected by the weather a lot more than others and it can make our depression worse during the colder months!
If so, does this mean if i travelled around the world, always surrounding myself with blue skies, warmer days and sunny atmospheres that i would concur my depression?
And, just my luck to live in Melbourne where in 1 day, we can experience all 4 seasons, Wet, Sunny, Windy, Dark, Sunny, Windy!!
No wonder I'm struggling haha

[Suet suet]

Hi Rabbit,

This absolutely applies to me.
I feel the same when it’s raining and dark like the overcast days, I feel more prone to depression. On the other hand, when it’s sunny and bright, I tend to be happier, better mood. I believe the weather does affect our mood in some way.

I love the crispy sunny day because we can go out and enjoy the beach day. sunshine brings us hope and more importantly vitamin D which lifts our mood.

I live in Brisbane so I don’t experience 4 seasons a day. sometimes though it can be super hot. Like yesterday 38C can’t stand the heat ....

[Rabbit33]

Oh no! 38 is a stinker! WAY TOO HOT haha. I enjoy the weather when it's round 24-28 degrees. Otherwise you end up being stuck in doors avoiding heat stroke and it defeats the purpose of it looking so beautiful outdoors :-(.

I'm glad i'm not the only one who feels this way. Not that i'm happy that you feel down when its cold and gloomy outside. But i wasn't sure if it was just me being a sook but it REALLY does affect my mood and my depression tends to be much much worse.

Hope you had a lovely weekend! 🙂

[timmy123]

Yhi rabbit33,

you mood swings like the weather!! Absolutely, I can relate. I usually feel low on rainy days as we have to stuck indoors. High humidity also means uncomfortable. I then can’t do the things I usually do such as going out to the park, hanging clothes outside, worrying my dog gets wet, can’t swim etc. All these little things combine and make me somehow depressed.

While on sunny days, you feel the butterflies come and go and say hello to you; flowers smile which opens your heart and you feel happy. I think it’s normal reaction?!

It’s just the extent that different people are more sensitive to the changes....

I hope you have a great weekend! ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️

[geoff]

Hi Rabbit, well the weather can change our mood, especially when it's pouring down and you're meant to be playing golf or have decided to mow the grass and what about when you've just washed your car.

If you have depression travelling away doesn't mean it will go away, it will follow you where ever you go and may perhaps be much worse.

It's not something you can just push away if however, you do get some relief by something special, that's always a lovely feeling, but it won't stop your depression, it will raise it's ugly head once again.

Geoff.

[Guest2910]

Hello Rabbit

This is an very interesting topic you have brought up which many also suffer from.

"Depression Mood Swings Depending on the Weather?"

You're not alone in this area. There's a depression called- Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A D) which actually affects millions of people globally. The dark gloomy weather can have a huge affect on your moods/depression. Its a genuine disorder reconised by the medical professionals throughput the globe

My suggestion to is - find out about it from an reputable source so as it can give you some insight why this is happening to you + what can be done about it

Some years ago, BB, had a handbook about "Taking care of Yourself" which emphasized the same point you had posted about moods + weather. It mentioned that those who suffer from S A.D. it was often recommend to have Bright Light Therapy which can be done in the privacy of your own home. Many tv news readers + others who need to get up at extremely early hours in the morning to go to work used this method each day so that the brain can get the right endorphins to have a happy disposition to last the day.

Now.... with world of technology going 24/7 scientists/medical professionals now claim that many folk are in sleep debt due to the bright lights of their devices.

Seems to be a catch 22 situation. So do what works best for you. Also there's no harm asking your psychologist on this subject which is the best person to speak about as they have studied + need certain qualifications by the Australian Medical Board of Psychiatry + Psychology.

Hope this information will help you.

Take care.

Looking forward to your next post.

With Kind Regards.

BBQ

[Rabbit33]

Hi bbq are hot,

WOW! I was always thinking, it's probably just me being a bit silly but I'm really glad i posted this now. Thank you so so much! I will definitely be doing some online research of my own into S A.D. and bringing it back up with my Psychologist next visit. You're very knowledgable. Thanks heaps 🙂

[White_Rose]

Hello Rabbit

I was about to post the same information as BBQ. Yes weather can affect our moods. The sunlight on our skin does all sorts of things, including giving us skin cancer. This is the primary source of vitamin D, it is a good sterilizing agent which worked well for those milking house cows. The bowls etc would be properly washed then put in the sun to sterilise.

When I was very young I remember having sun ray treatment. A group of children wearing nothing but their undies and goggles, possibly some type of sunglasses material, would sit in front of a machine to be bathed in whatever rays were considered beneficial. I believe I was there because of my propensity to get pneumonia every winter. I think they used ultra violet light which we now guard against by using sunscreen. Always a tension between getting sufficient sunlight on the skin to maintain our health and not overdoing it and getting skin cancers.

Not entirely sure what bright light therapy is but it may well be a successor of the sun ray treatment I had as a child with a different light length. Now you have got me interested in this. I must ask Dr Google.

It can be surprising what helps and hinders our mental health problems. Some of this traditional therapy has been proved to have merit and I think this is great. Relying on modern medications as we know can lead to the bacteria etc in our bodies becoming resistant.

Yes, I think BBQ's point about being in sleep debt is right. I have sleep apnoea which is also sleep deprivation but for a different reason. Hopefully I can do away with my machine now that I have lost lots of weight. The effects of sleep loss can be horrendous. The specialist I see said that in the 'old days' people were sent to lunatic asylums because of the incredible dysfunction they experienced. Bright light therapy and feel happy but watch out for poor sleep. Stay inside and feel miserable because we are not getting our necessary endorphins fix.

Glad you are going to check this out with your psychologist but I think your GP may also need to be in the discussion. Chatting with both may get you the best answer plus any treatment if necessary.

Mary