Summer SAD Vlog ☀️ Coping Strategies I Use for Summer Seasonal Affective Disorder 🍓
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- čas přidán 20. 06. 2022
- Chatting about how Summer Seasonal Affective Disorder affects me and the things I do to help with it - like sketchbook journaling and walking :)
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Completely understand and sympathise Ali. Throughout my childhood I was always told off for not enjoying myself on holidays, not wanting to join in on picnics or lay for hours in burning heat. Everyone thought I was just belligerent and grumpy, but like you, as an adult I realised it's not that at all. My main factor is heat and direct sunshine (I have very pale skin and can burn in a couple of minutes despite factor 50+. I got burnt very badly on holiday several times as a child - our Florida fortnight resulted in me spending 5 days on my own inside the hotel room to recover from burns on day two...) Then it's the humidity - and how much harder it feels to breathe. Heat and humidity are just so inescapable and that can make everything feel as though it's closing in and confining you. All of which leads to finding it hard to keep up concentration on work, lethargy, sleeplessness etc (plus, of course, most important of all, it can be too hot to knit/crochet/sew/weave and as that's how I spend every spare minute the loss of all that time is devastating!) When I was commuting the thought of those packed train carriages and buses made it even worse. Perimenopause is now adding some delightful extras especially very heightened pollen allergies that ravage my face and hands at the slightest exposure to sunlight. My long-term solution is definitely to pack up and head North when I no longer need to be close for family! I daydream about building a hermetically sealed cottage with built in air conditioning, a library and a craft room with wall-to-wall cubbies for yarn organising 🥵😍🧊
On my goodness! I never thought about this but it does ring true: too much light, oppressive heat and yes, expectations to have a "fun summer". It is real.
Sorry for the letter but I need to get this off my chest 🌻🌻🌻
I've been through 4 summers with you on your vlogs and it breaks my heart to know of your seasonal depression and the anxiety just before summer comes but we need to understand and support. I feel depression, anxiety and fears are emotions/feelings/conditions that people still don't take really seriously. My friend is totally terrified of cats and people laugh at her, I usually ask them, what's your WORST fear, usually dying or heights I'll ask them, did you feel anxious when I asked you, yes? That's the same feeling she gets, no comparison needed. Same with depression, what depresses you, being lonely or not being accepted, that deep sense of emotion or heaviness, no comparison needed. Just because a person feels mine is way worse, doesn't mean it is. Rather support and encourage to speak about your heaviness or your anxieties and to know EVERY SINGLE ONE on earth have a "thing" that causes negative feelings (and positive too 🌻💛)
32°C in UK is quite on the upper part of your normal temperature's, right? I imagine it's hot for your normal climate! Well at your sock knitting rate, no socks will be needed!
I love love love your vlogs, you show all aspects of life, what to read what you've seen etc An unapologetically quirky and beautiful person, KEEP UP THE ALI VIBES!
Thank you Samantha! This is so so true. “Heaviness” is how I describe it, it feels like a physical pressing down on me. So important to find the ways to cope the best we can and keeping talking about it ❤️
Thank you for talking about how you feel in the summer. I feel EXACTLY the same way about the summer months. I start to dread when the weather warms up, while it seems everyone around me is excited about it. Yesterday was the first official day of summer and all I was thinking is how fall is only 1 season away now! I get irritable in the heat and seems that I think about the heat alot, even though I try not to focus on it, but I just can’t help it. I totally related to the too much light and noise also. Waking up the sun streaming in really makes me anxious. I feel like I am the ONLY one who feels this way, so thank you for sharing. Fall and winter are that much closer now!
Ali, thank you so much for sharing. You are not alone. XX
I've been miserable ever since I moved to the desert ten years ago and until you mentioned it on your channel I only knew about winter S.A.D. People kept saying you'll get used to it and I never did. I spend every summer either hiding in air conditioned libraries or spending a fortune at movie theaters just to get out of the heat and out of the brightness. By the time the sun goes down I have no energy left to do anything else. Happy summer solstice by the way this is the longest day of the year which makes me happy because that means now the days are getting shorter. Yay!
Ali your art work is amazing!! I’m glad you have found an alternative form of creativity for the summer xx
Understand the seasonal affect stuff! Can relate. And I am a teacher with the summer off so the days must be filled with both useful chores and enjoyable activities ( not that I don’t need the time off from work). More importantly: how wonderful are those sketches!!😍😍😍
Let me start by saying I think you are amazing Ali. One of my pet hates is people on social media/small biz owners who use every reason under the sun (no pun intended) including health issues to justify poor service. BUT I absolutely love the way you handle this on your CZcams channel. You are an educator. By wanting to understand more about the issues you face in every aspect of your life, not just SAD, you are in turn educating us. Keep doing what you are doing. You are such an inspiration and I mean that sincerely. PS summer is my least favourite season too. I don’t feel I have summer SAD but can relate to many things you mention, including expectations, hands and feet (😳)….. Thanks again for your positive honesty x
totally get it....esp get the expectation of summer too...I also don't like summer clothes...much prefer autumn and winter x
Thanks for this Ali. I experience a strong aversion to summer too. I have a hard time, physically, in the heat. I am miserable when I'm overheated. Where I live, in Texas, summer is overwhelming to me. I dread it all year. Thankfully we are sheltered with readily-available AC. During the summer I feel trapped inside all the time, only venturing out in the early hours of the day. All errands are planned around the outside temperature 🌡 and I have to bring water everywhere I go. I could also mention more about bugs, crowds, etc, but I'll stop here.
I have also tried to think of positive aspects to help me cope, and my favorite is summer food. Summer fruit and vegetables are wonderful here and I indulge all summer, making special dishes and desserts.
Hang-in-there, Ali. We'll get through this again. I applaud your efforts and in sharing your experiences. You're not alone in your summer SAD.
We can do this!
Your drawings are lovely! Thanks for sharing this information.
I know anxiety is terrible and especially if your triggers for it are up front and center. Hang in there! Right now i'm dealing with Covid going through our family. So far I'm negative but I feel like that could change! So my anxiety has been up! I so love your vlog and thank you for sharing your family, your hopes, your problems. It is comforting to learn about other people across the world having similar obstacles in their lives to get through!
The Terry Pratchett troll in the heat, that's totally me😅. Never thought about it like that. The heat is the worst thing for me, really. Hot and ever hotter days stretching endlessly ahead, inescapeably. Thank you so much for talking and informing us about this so honestly, Ali.
Ali, your honesty and vulnerability is appreciated! Watching your videos is like spending time with a good friend. You have created a safe place for fellow crafters to share their thoughts and feelings as well as the crafts we all love. Thank you for sharing your story and for being so authentic!
You are not alone in hating summer I hate it too, it is my least favourite season. Following the shadey spot in the garden so we can knit and sew without getting sweaty fingers 🤣. Roll on autumn when we can have the windows and doors open again! Beautiful drawings 😍 xx
Im so glad you have been able to find ways to cope with this, and even to see some positives. I loathe summer too, but not from a mental health point of view. Summer is exhaustingly hard work particularly worth small kids. Endless drinks and lots of suncream, heatstroke, sports days and all that rubbish. It's also always been a time of financial stress as gyms are so quiet over the summer months. No time or money for holidays or time off, kids asking why we don't go abroad. Plus I'm ginger so I either dress like The English Patient, or am sticky with suncream from head to foot. Add in living by the beach in a tourist hot spot and the entire season can #@!k right off. I'll be inside knitting, and sending you my love. Roll on autumn 🍁🍂🍁🍂
What a great video. Just as you've mentioned, when I stopped agreeing with everyones comments on how great this hot summer day was and started commenting on how much i'm looking forward to snow, and getting smiles from everyone, did i then make the switch in my head that i wasn't weird, it's truly just who I am. I much prefer the cold fall and winter months. Thank you for making this video and sharing your story. I love to draw and think I will add some of that into my summer routine to help pass the time. THANK YOU!!
Brilliant blog. I never knew you could get summer SAD. I despise summer. To the point where I dread it even in mid-winter and want to move further north where it’s much colder year round. I like your drawing and journaling suggestion and incorporating it with observations of the seasons. Thanks for that. Here in the states air conditioning is readily available but I still feel the heat.
Phew Friday was just horrendous far too hot and made me grumpy and sore. I love the autumn and winter and yesterday summer solstice I was thinking all day yippee the nights start drawing in now. When I went to bed at 10pm last night it was still light out and that annoyed me. I love the cooler months. Summer is just too hot, loud and sticky xxx
Thanks for sharing. I find blackout blinds and curtains a huge help. Use both to avoid light ‘leaking’ around the sides. It’s so important to get the right amount of sleep. I have them in the living room as well so that I can properly tailor my exposure to light, but that’s probably not as easy with the family. I am a Winter SAD but managing the light is essential in all seasons. I sympathise about the noise too: I once found a small abandoned, semicircular quarry in rural Ireland where somehow sound was excluded. I’d hear the sound of a single bee and nothing else. It was very odd and very wonderful. I still dream of that place…
It seems like you are doing a really positive job in trying to reframe your SAD. Taking the positives out of a situation, however small they may be, must be a help. I enjoy summer, but not the oppressive humid heat that comes with it. We’ve noticed we get much less of that in the south west though (so perhaps you could move down here with us 😂). Nor do I enjoy the increased noise levels and that is the thing that is likely to prickle and upset me the most. Spring on the other hand is when I feel happiest, with the promise of new shoots, warmer days, longer daylight hours and spending more time outside. Anyway I really enjoyed this episode and the insight into how you feel during the summer.
Thank you for your vlogs I so enjoy watching them. One thing you said about coping with sad was how you have come to accept it. If we accept the things about ourselves that we can't change we can somehow find a way to cope and adapt our behaviour to make it easier to live with. I think we have to learn acceptance though.😊
its truly magical to watch someone express them self, not only does it helps other but it shows how beautiful your soul is and how you touchs so many people that watch your channel. my s.a.d is in the winter and its only been this year that ive excited and started to embrace the season for what it is. thank you ali for just being you cheers
Omg. I have been in my bedroom for three days hiding from the sun! Down in spirit. First time I have heard someone else with this issue. SAD. Sunglasses rule! Thank you so much for talking and sharing! I was feeling very alone with it this summer! Late summer is worse for me! * my eyes are the trigger. super sensitive to light. photographer! the light in late summer makes me foggy dizzy depressed grumpy … need drapes over the shutters! Thank you so much. Tomorrow will be bright but I will know I am not alone.
I hate summertime, especially when it's hot. I hate the current heatwave. I don't think I ever looked forward to summertime except when I was a child and even then it was more for the holidays and the family swimming pool. Now I'm 45, we don't have a swimming pool and I just lock myself in until the evening.
I can so relate to your summer SAD. I feel the same way with noise and anxiety. I don't do well in the heat either. It makes me anxious and panicky at times. X
On my goodness I have summer SAD my anxiety is really bad in the summer but I didn't know it was a thing I thought you only got it in the winter, it's how busy it is that gets to me , crowds of people lots of cars busses planes the heat and bright night's also bother me, I have no interest in going on holiday to hot places I go on holiday in the winter and to places like Iceland and Greenland, I absolutely love the winter when the dark night's and cold come in , the snow puts me on a high I LOVE IT so thank you for letting me know I'm not alone
Loved this vlog Ali. I admire you so much, for not just ‘wallowing’ as I tend to do sometimes but actually looking inward and finding what was wrong and finding ways to make summer more bearable for yourself.
I am so glad you are talking about this. Like many commenters, I have always been looked upon as "weird" or "grumpy", etc., etc. in the summer. I do not in any way like the heat. My extremities swell up like balloons; I burn badly within minutes of being in direct sun (even with sunscreen); I have suffered countless bouts of sun/heat stroke. How I cope? I love being outtdoors, so I find shade where ever I can. There is a lovely little spot on the river near me that is completely shaded. I have to brave the sun to get there, but once there, I could spent hours enjoying nature in the cool shade. Your sketching and watercolour are just fabulous! I aspire to be able to do that as well!
Thank you Ali for a really informative podcast, you have just explained everything I feel in Summer, and yes it even interrupts my knitting but I have taken to cross stitch I. The hot weather and carry on knitting in the Winter, as my hobbies definitely help my anxiety, I’ve got up this morning too dull and dreary weather I am happy 😊
Thank you for being so honest and genuine. I can’t stand summer mostly because it is too hot for me (in California) and way too bright. It is too much of too many things. I find comfort and peace in knitting as it reduces my anxiety that comes with the summer months. All the best to you and your family.
Lynn from UK and just now I'm having to use my Hubby's phone mines playing up 😏, Wow living in California , not the best place to live if you don't like summer 😏☹️, tell me do you come from there originally ?, Take care x
Vacationed in 🏴 last month. Your days seem to stay light much later than ours (🇺🇸). Totally threw us off. Brain didn’t know enough to relax and prepare for sleep. I use AC and fans and ❤️ to listen to the wind in the trees behind my house. My pine trees 🌲 in the backyard smell nicest in summer because of the ☀️ on the sap and needles. Used to hate summer, but life situations have made autumn/winter holidays sad, so summer is becoming a preferred time. Hate being sweaty though. And any noise. And VERY sensitive to all smells, which is a vlog of its own. Wish I had an ounce of your drawing talent. Much luck coping with the season and trying to find its joys.
I can relate with you. I find the really bright sun light alllll day too much, I just want to hibernate in a dark cool room. I also find the noise level is too much for me. I am noise sensitive all year round but once we start leaving the windows open and people are outside talking I find myself getting very annoyed and grumpy. Thank you for sharing, it has helped remind me that I am not alone
Thank you for sharing this vlog. I struggle with summer too. I love being out in nature and my garden, so in summer I hunt out the shade ; and feel a lovely sense of accomplishment and joy in finding it 😀.
The amount of daylight is definitely a problem, I completely relate to that. I'm not an early morning person usually, but I find that at this time of year, setting my alarm to wake me up early really helps. It's cooler and the light is softer, so I can sit outside with my morning cuppa and enjoy the nature around me. It really helps me to appreciate the need for a summer season; similar to your observance of local nature.
Similarly I find sitting in the garden later into the evening as the light fades to twilight, helps my brain to calm and gently start to feel comfortable enough to sleep.....it's also a lot quieter at these times of day 🙂 X
Your drawings are really beautiful.
I agree that there is a pressure to enjoy the summer, and I do to a certain extent, but don't always like being out in the heat. I prefer dry, cloudier days. Having said that, I definitely suffer from the 'winter blues', and try to get out each day to get daylight. Your sketchbook journals are lovely! Thank you for sharing your experiences and coping strategies.
My Summer SAD is directly related to heat and light. I am light sensitive and wear sunglasses all year. The heat makes me anxious if I find it to be more than 75 degrees. I am thankful for blackout curtains and air conditioning.
Your description of your experience of Summer SAD sounds very similar to sensory processing disorder, which one of my boys deals with. I appreciate you talking about summer SAD and wish you success with all your coping strategies.
Thank you for your openness and honesty about having SAD in the summer. I write this as the temperature climbs to 38 celsius here in St Louis. We've been going through an oppressive heat wave and being inside so much really gets me down. It was the summer solstice yesterday, one of my favorite days, because it marks the end of the longer days here in the northern hemisphere, and we begin to turn back and make our way to the winter solstice, my absolute favorite day! One way for me to try to enjoy summer is to challenge myself to be outside despite the heat, humidity and light. I take my walks either in the morning or evening or try to sit outside in the shade in the park or at least step outside my office during the day to feel the heat. It's like I"m acclimating to it. My friends know not to ask me to go to the beach or swimming pool! I agree with you that acceptance of yourself is so important to lessen the anxiety. Thanks again -- it was great to hear you talk so honestly about something that doesn't get talked about much. We hear a lot about SAD in the winter when the days are shorter and the focus of SAD is always on the light or lack of it. But it's so much more than just how light affects us -- noise, heat, humidity are important too.
I think part of my dislike of summer is that it causes a disruption in my routine; kids are home all the time, people are on vacation and off of work or cluttering the roads and shops and, since I'm a routine-driven person this can be stressful!!!!
I totally get it Ali. I used to love summer when I was younger, but now, like you, I find the people noise unbearable. Even in the countryside, it seems that our neighbours can't do anything without machinery of some sort!
You are describing my symptoms to a tee! I count down the days to September and watch the weather forecast hoping for rain lol xx
Hi
I live in Canberra Australia and we get to 42degrees in the summer and minus 7 in the winter.
Watching a lot of British blogs I notice air conditioning isn’t a thing even though you seem to have very hot summers.
I’m not sure why you don’t have aircon and keep your house cool. If it’s hot here we close our windows and put aircon on. The hot air blowing into the house through open windows is a thing we avoid. We leave our windows open in the cooler morning and then close up as the heat rises.
That way you can knit and craft and avoid all the discomfort of summer.
The heat of summer drains me totally but strangely I had a stressful time with my mum a while ago and I seemed to need to stand in the sun all the time which is totally not a thing I usually like to do.
Love your sketchbook.
Cheers
Vicki
I suffer from noise anxiety 24/7/365. I've recently bought a sound machine and keep it on most of the time. It drowns out most outside sounds and has changed my life. I now feel a lot more relaxed. The fan noise from the machine is very comforting..
That's great Ali,!!!always felt like that,,too,,,,
We have a heat wave right now,,,,,and too much,,,,We don't have air conditioning either,!!!
No energy,,,,,Just blah!!!!
Hoping for a breeze today!!!
Thanks Ali,,,
Elaine 🏡🏡
And have asthma,,,and not good in humidity!!!
Bowled over by your amazing sketches! Very architectural! I wasn’t expecting you to have taken to drawing buildings - don’t know why! They’re so good 😊
I love yr sketching n painting style
Thank you for sharing this. I’ve never been a big fan of summer either but I’m trying my best to embrace it. My worries and anxieties are linked to noise - similar to you we’ve had bad experiences with noisy neighbours - and also what to wear. I was bigger than average until my mid-twenties and growing up pre-body positivity meant that I constantly felt very self conscious to show much beyond my forearms and ankles! It’s taken me a long time to feel brave enough to wear shorts and vests, but as I approach my fortieth birthday I feel like I’m finally getting there. Now to work on my noise anxiety…
Thank you again for sharing - the world does seem to promote that we should all love summer, but I’m definitely an autumn girl at heart.
I’m glad you could identify with this! It can be so hard when you’re struggling with a season that media seems to shout we should love ☀️ I’m happy to hear you’re more body positive! I only started wearing shorts 3 years ago! I love them now ☺️ Hugs xx
Thank you for your honesty and how you are coping. My issues are, summer sun light, mosquitoes/ bugs, heat above 78degrees F. I feel all of the emotions you feel. I must have room darkening curtains, it is common for me to be in a cool darkened room. Out of all the symptoms the heat is the worse part.
I get down in the winter especially when its dark and wet. If I can get out to walk I can usually cope but lack of sleep is my biggest factor Summer or Winter, Summer too hot to sleep, Winter too hot in bed and pain in shoulders all year prevents deep sleep so not much restoration. It brings my moods down and I can be a bit sharpe with people but I usually apologise and explain about lack of sleep but even having to do this is depressing. I think having noisy neighbours is the worst. Sorry you feel anxiety but glad you have found some coping mechanisms.
As I’ve aged (37 now!) I’ve struggled more and more with summer sad. People around me find it very strange as I grew up in Cyprus a Mediterranean country! However summer is not a joyful time of year for me, I struggle with the heat the light and also the noice like you Ali.
I live on a boatyard on the upper Thames outside of Oxford U.K. and we have a hire boat company as tenants, so every summer so many more people descend onto the yard, more staff for the hire boats and all of their customers! So much noise and people! I try to stay away from it all and have found solace in my little garden and work. I have my own little nail salon at the yard to. And it’s my little haven, I can close the door and in between clients I knit and watch podcasts. This has really helped my anxiety and dislike of the busy summer months. We have also invested in air conditioning for my salon and our boat so I can cool down and the poor dogs can cool down too! I guess we all have to find our coping mechanisms and joyful moments to help get through the summer/winter months. But I’m sorely looking forward to autumn and winter. Happy summer solstice where it won’t be dark till 10:30pm 🥴😂
Very good informative vlog on S.A.D. I have periods of sad in all 4 seasons I crave light so lighter months suit me but air pressure& humidity & pollen ( allergies ) are not good
I find Autumn depressing I love the colours but dislike the the plants dying that creates mould spores another allergy & grey skies lower my mood
I just make the most of each season taking the best that suits me
my favourite place is cold beach with few folk listening to the waves wrapped up cosy an empty field or wood dog walking finding a seat to sit & listen or a gate to lean on & stand stare &sigh ( 3S’s) it’s not the distance I walk it’s what I see hear & enjoy
Ali you have given me food for thought 👍
Hi Ali . I so understand. but for me it’s winter that gets me down and I have to tell you its all the lovely CZcams videos ( crafting .a specially knitting crochet 🧶 and sewing ) all you lovely people who take the time to do this thank you ☺I’m a 60 + view who discovered CZcams during Covid and 🥰 I love it ! For me every day is a school day on CZcams and I learnt so much from all you young crafters. I’m lucky Iwas able to retire early and have loads of crafting time. So winter 🥶 passes so much quicker that and going to Florida for a month of it 😆🤣hi light of winter VLOGMAS 👏👏👏🧶.
I love autumn and spring but really don't like winter and summer. I don't think that I have seasonal affective disorder but I am not keen the extreme temperatures. I like planting seeds in spring and potting up my seedlings, I love tending to my plants. I don't have a garden but I have a yard, small tiled area at the back of my house. I love getting outside to look after my plants in summer but when it's hot it is too much for me. I am a ambulant wheelchair user, this means I can walk a little bit but need a wheelchair for longer distances than my street. I love the Christmas run up in winter but I hate the cold weather. I do tend to get stressed out about present gifting ideas. I enjoy wrapping up in all of my wooly knits though, and usually everyone else wants some. I really appreciate your vlogs Allie especially your positive outlook on your S. A. D. it helps me to concentrate on the lovely moments and enjoy what I can out of the rest. 😊💕
I'm exactly the same way. I invested in a good pair of noise cancelling headphones. That helps!
Thank you for sharing. Sumner has always been such a challenge for me mentally/emotionally. I really appreciated what you said about the pressure of “having fun and being busy”. The heat/noise/and light can really be draining.
Love the shared strategies that can help us all enjoy whatever season we are in. 💕
Hi Ali, I too, suffer from SAD in the Summer months. I grew up living near the beach and it never got hot that often, and I spent most my childhood Summer’s ice skating. My parents eventually moved to Palm Springs in California where the heat was intolerable. I never got use to the heat and the long days of Sunshine. I now live in Idaho where there are 4 seasons but the Summers are hot. I can’t stand the way my skin feels even in the A/C during Summer and I’m very noise sensitive. I do take walks in the early morning which I love and I knit/crochet in the mornings. My husband loves Summer, go figure. I’m looking forward to September!
Ali, have you thought of getting black out curtains. I brought these years ago so we could sleep at a normal time. Our bedroom at the time faced south. It blocked the heat and sun.
If you can’t knit, why not choose a couple of sewing projects, choose a day or two to go swimmimg each week.
Maybe start drawing your walks, if you get my meaning.
Maybe concentrate more on growing veg.
I make sure i try to enjoy all seasons.
I have planted mint around my chicken hutch, and its growing nicly. I pick it daily, wash it good, slice a lemon and in the frigde with cold water. Also cucumber and mint. If you peel your cue, lay the strips over your face , seriously does wonders.
Hopefully something here will help make your days a little dimmer 😊🙋🏼♀️🌻
I hate our scorching Australian summers. 45c + during the day and still suffocatingly hot all night. The days are too "shiny." Big hugs Ali 🥰
I have the more traditional SAD, with winter being my hardest time. However, it's a biological response to the lack of light, so in the summer my brain really enjoys the light except I *HATE* being hot! I like being cozy and having throw blankets on, and candles lit. October-December are my favorite months for coziness. Unfortunately, my dumb chemistry decides that late-November I should get really depressed. Isn't science wild?
I have a notebook with a page for each season. I have the season written out, and then all the things I love about that season surrounding it. I love visuals, so this is a great reminder for me when the dreaded depression creeps in. (:
I don’t get SAD in summer - definitely in winter esp January to March but I understand the HSP response to noise and the “too muchness” of summer noise and expectations of increased extroverted activities. I found that I needed to banish TV versions of what summer should be- i.e., endless outdoor fun- and accept my own version of what makes a good summer. Definitely knowing that I am not alone in my experience is a huge help in washing away unnecessary feelings of guilt for “not doing summer right”, so a huge thank you Allie for opening up these discussions.love from the state of Pennsylvania.
You’re not alone Ali! Summer is my least favorite season, I don’t like the heat, the long sunny days, I tend to over heat and it takes a long time for me to cool off. I tend get my hair cut short because I don’t enjoy having long hair in summer it irritates me more that I have to constantly put it up and off my neck and shoulders. I’ve been going through early menopause since I was 21 years old I’m now 31 and summer has been worse for me ever since. I’m more irritable when its hot outside. My doctor said that summer like weather is good for me due to another condition that I have but I don’t like it at all 😑. I’m more of a Autumn/winter girl. I love the cooler weather! I also love it when it rains it cools everything down. I cope with summer by coloring in a book or reading/listening to an audiobook under a shady tree if I feel like going outside. I hydrate with flavored waters that I enjoy.
Hello from your friend who is most definitely not a warmie! For me it’s not the light, it’s the heat. I hate being over hot. I think it exacerbates my fibromyalgia and I end up too hot to function at all. I’m just an exhausted red blob. I also suspect I’m a bit allergic to the sun. I am very heat sensitive and prone to heat exhaustion/stroke and prickly heat. I’ve broken out in prickly heat in April before!
Agree with it all! Summertime is hard for me! Can’t handle the heat, brightness and the noise it’s all so overwhelming.Thank you for your honesty I’ve always felt like an odd ball because everyone always raves about the summer. I love Fall most of all! Thanks for sharing!
❤❤❤❤❤ Awwww I sympathise with you , I also suffer summer S.A.D too xxxxxx
Ali really interesting explanation and I totally agree it is difficult to join in when it makes you feel uncomfortable for any reason. How accessible is it to achieve a diagnosis on the NHS for this sort of thing. I know its not the same as a broken leg etc. but it is still a conditional which affect many people. I enjoy Autumn and Spring best and am much better warming up than cooling down, I hate being too hot. Take care xxx
So good of you to be so genuine and share your struggles in order to help others!! 🤗💕🤗
I watched your vlog yesterday, and I have been thinking about it ever since. I live in one of Montana's larger cities. Large is laughable inn regards to many places. So, I did a bit of quick research. Montana is 1.5x the size of Great Britain. Population wise, we have approximately 7 people per square mile and the UK has 660+ people per square mile. Noise isn't as prevalent here, because we are spread out. We are near forests and hiking trails, and escapes are just a few miles away. So, obviously your living situation is a trigger-not suggesting you move to Montana. Just taking the long way around to cheer you for finding creative and positive ways to deal with Summer SAD. You are also near sea level, and your high temperature and low temperature are closer together. Here, our daytime temps can be quite high (in Fahrenheit) and the night time lows can vary by 20 to 40 degrees. So, you know reprieve is coming. Again, I love the things you have done to mitigate your SAD issues.
I feel exactly like that in summer !! I rather prefer winter 🥶 colder months ….. thanks for sharing 📚💞📚
You have just described me in summer, and flying planes overhead don’t even go there, you are definitely not alone in this. Living in Australia is very bright,noisey and scorching for many months, my air conditioner or fan stops some of the noise, craft and early morning walks near waterfalls and rainforest near by help, this is the time of year where I prefer to slow down and find some quiet.(Christmas in summer🥵🤯just imagine)
I have felt exactly the same, it sounds all very familiair. Thanks for sharing❤️
Thank you for another wonderful video. I feel the same about Summer and always thought this was weird until I heard you talk about it. The light is too much for me as well as the hot weather. Luckily, I have access to air conditioning both at work and at home. Not sure how I could handle the Virginia heat without it. Best to you and your wonderful family ❤️
I completely understand. As I have got older I find noise unbearable. The Spring and Autumn months are my favourite. It’s good to find beauty in all the seasons. Stay cool sister! 😹
Thank you Annie! Totally agree, trying to find the best of of seasons 🍂 ❄️ 🌱 ☀️
Thank you for this vlog and sharing your thoughts! I'm completely with you on the light and the expectations of summer. I find also, living near London, the heat feels so overwhelming and intense and it's hard to escape it. But...I do like drinking iced teas and sitting in the garden at dusk listening to the blackbirds!
Thank you for your openess and that you have stepping stones to help yourself. I find walking helps.
I love your honesty. I've felt similar feelings around the expectations of summer. I used to feel it more when my children were young and I felt this intense pressure to make it an amazing experience for them. Thankfully I enjoy summer much more now that they are grown and those pressures are gone. I also think I would be absolutely miserable if we didn't have AC. I seriously don't know how anyone deals with the heat without it, my heart goes out to you! ❤️❤️❤️
I totally resonate with what you’re saying. I don’t have SAD but have had ME/CFS since 2010 and find summer really tricky both physically and emotionally. Physically because the heat can cause a flare of symptoms : pain, poor sleep, lack of energy (all because it takes more energy for your body to keep cool than it does to keep warm for which you can also put on any number of woolly jumpers, socks etc whereas you can only take off a certain amount of clothing for the summer 😱😂) lack of energy also creates more brain fog, poor word recall and poor general brain function. My immune system has also become more sensitive so I can’t sit in the sun because I now burn very easily and get prickly heat and heat stroke easily too. Emotionally, the same as you, noise is a stress factor as noises that are too loud or go for too long can trigger ME symptoms and the expectations of being ‘busy’ and ‘doing lots of things’ I find really difficult because with just the heat alone my energy levels are depleted without trying to do other things and some mornings all I can do is get up, washed and dressed and then try and do the daily housework slowly in the afternoon and then back into bed by 7.30. In my old life I would be out walking in the evening but not now and would also be out daily walking as I loved to walk. I’ve had ME along time now and have greatly improved as I used to be in a wheelchair and pretty useless but now I’m back at work in a reception class at my local school two and half days a week and am able to have a social day meeting up with a friend for a coffee nearly on a weekly basis. To help with sleep I use ear plugs to tone down any noise and an eye mask to block out the lighter mornings otherwise I was finding I was awake with either the first bird song or as soon as the sun started to rise (I have an east facing house). I tend to knit with cottons or sew patchwork on the warmer days and read physical books (tend to be more audiobooks when I can knit) in the summer and I also have treated myself to some ‘paint by number’ kits to do on warmer days too. I also find meditation in an evening really good for calming my nervous system, just 5 or 10 minutes or if I’m too tired I’ll do some focus breathing for one to two minutes (this has also greatly improved my sleep as I find now, when I wake in the night it’s easier to calm my mind and so I can get back to sleep quicker than I could before I started meditating) I’ve also found using a HRV tracker on my watch really helpful as it shows how ‘stressed’ my body is and i the know to either ‘pace’ myself more carefully or to practice some more self care if numbers are low. I also love to sit, either outside or in my conservatory, and watch the bird on bird feeders whilst I drink my morning coffee and I find this is a lovely and calm way to start my day especially if it’s too warm, for me, to be outside later. Thanks for sharing your experiences and ways that you cope with summer SAD as it has helped me not to feel like such a ‘broken’ person and it helps to know that others are feeling similar things to me and that I’m on my own. We are all unique and unique is not wrong or broken, just different and still amazingly beautiful and individual - I’m waffling now, please forgive me as I blame my prei-menopausal ME affected brain 😂🤣😂 Thanks again for sharing and for two brilliant channels that make me feel as though I’ve got a friend out there with your lovely videos and blogs xx
Summer has become my least favourite month. Since I started working nights years ago, it's so hard to sleep during the day with the heat and the dreaded lawnmowers! Our hospital is always too hot too and the menopause hasn't helped. Your vlogs inspire me to make the most of all the seasons. I even have the Almanac you recommended. I'm trying to get out for walks when it's not to hot. Also, one of the things I do like about summer is flowers, so I've been doing more gardening which seems to help too.
Thank you so much for speaking about S.A.D. I too suffer from 'summertime sadness'. I do not care for anything summer has to offer. It's too bright, too hot, and as you say and which I believe the worst part, too noisy. To me the noise is deafening. I wear noise cancelling headphones, which in the summer makes my head sweat. Oh boy what fun! Sorry for the rant. 🤭
Counting the days until Autumn/Winter 🤗💕
After a CZcams break this summer, I finally have the time and energy to watch your podcast again.🤗 So nice to hear about seasonal depression. I feel exactly the same in the summer. Can't wait for colder weather and fall.🍂
Ali your drawings are fantastic!!! Your watercolors are gorgeous..you should put some in your shop or make note cards and sell them. Hope your SSAD is getting better. Love your videos. Keep at it girl!! 💕
I get you Ali! I did agree with what you said but as you know I am the winter SAD, but I’ve decided that really my favourite seasons are spring and autumn because they are the best, 3/4 summer 3/4 winter not full summer or winter! But obviously that’s not reasonable or possible just to have two seasons! Also it does not matter which season I do not cope with noise or crowds of people very well, large gatherings of any sort and never have. So we march and and like you said learn coping mechanisms. I really love your sketches you have a real talent, maybe if you do some sketching on your walks you would vlog it again like last year, so enjoyable. 🌞❄️🌥. Suze. 😻 xxx
This was really interesting to listen to your thoughts and anxieties on the Summer months. It must be very difficult for you. Thank you for honestly sharing your problems with us all xx
Thank you for articulating so beautifully what SAD feels like! Amazing video, thanks for sharing.
Loma and I definitely feel there is way too much to do during the summer. Fun events we want to go to, but usually have too much to do around the house.
Your definitly not on your own and i totally sympathise with you. Im not a summer/hot weather person, ive always thought it was since having my daughter and being a bigger size (16/18) now, used to be a 10/12. But actually thinking back to before i had her i have always felt uncomfortable in hot weather, like whatever i wear im uncomfortable, i feel like im melting and always bloated. And sometimes get headaches if its too bright. 😫 Ugh. I love the idea, of drawing for grounding yourself, being in the moment- your drawings are amazing! 🤩 and definitly agree with feeling a pressure to have a good time through the holidays when all i want to do is sit inside where its cooler. My daughter is oppersite she loves the sun, so i still in the shade, luckily for us we live in Derbyshire so our suns alot cooler than it is where you are. I love snow and christmas best, altho slightly dissapointed with what snow we got this year. Thanks for sharing your vid. ☺ xx
I feel this way about the winter holidays. It’s how I feel. Not a judgement on my family or friends. Something I work on.
I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses. We didn't grow up with all the pressures of the holidays. Honestly, I don't know how people deal with all the un necessary pressure of the holidays...Even television, the holidays are crammed down peoples throats..
Lots of love to you for your bravery in discussing this. It's important and people will really appreciate knowing they aren't alone.
First of all, thank you , second your sketchbooks are amazing, wish I could draw like that you are so talented. I like spring/ autumn but cannot sit outside in the sun, I like gardening but it's really annoying when things need doing but its sunny. Some people think I am weird, "oh but its lovely out there" And like you I cannot abide "loud" We have a pub at the back which never was a problem until they changed the car park into a seating area ! grrrr anyway rant over. Lovely podcast as always.
I happen to love all the seasons, each for their own beauty and what I do in those seasons. I particularly enjoy Spring because as a gardener I anticipate what my garden will look like, if my efforts from last year will be fruitful. I do not love excessive heat so after 18 years in very hot north Texas I am thrilled to be in Portland, OR although with climate change we do have a few warm days. I am so impressed with your efforts to be positive, how hard you have worked. And I appreciate how open you have been. I hope you find moments of joy this summer Ali.
Hi Ali,
Thank you so much for being so honest and vulnerable. I’m sure your vlog will be a huge help to lots of people who find the summer months difficult to manage. You have obviously done loads of research into Summer SAD and have been very sensible in seeking strategies that work for you - and using your creative skills. I hope you have a special summer where your SAD doesn’t detract from the joys that summer days can hold. 😘
Thank you so much for all your discussions on summer SAD over the years. I have it too and everything you describe I feel and understand. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area just for cool foggy summers. We do have some bright hot days though, yesterday it was 100 degrees farenheit and I just melted into a puddle on the floor. Most of us don't have air conditioning in the bay area. I do love gardening and I try to focus on that during the summer months. The garden really brings me joy.
Thank you that was so helpful
I loved this vlog, it felt very soothing! I just found out about summer SAD, and I also seem to experience it with heightened anxiety. I have very low noise tolerance, and it's very hard to get away from it all during the summer! As you said, the expectation to have a fun summer feels overwhelming... I have found myself waking up and wishing for rain most days 😅
Thank you so much! The last few days here have been hot but cloudy, which I find easier to cope with (less light). Stay strong and find the little things in summer! Fingers crossed for rain soon xx
Summer SAD is something new for me. I think a large part of it is transitioning routines. Also, summer should be fun, but my life by design is not one of party, outdoor activities, and gatherings. The worst part of the day is between 4:00 - 7:00 pm... sends me over the edge
I grew up in a mountain resort where the summers where there for a minute. I always wanted to live in a warm place to enjoy sun. I got to live in South Texas where temperatures between 35-40C are to be expected starting in late May up until early October. We have no sidewalks down here to go around unless one wants to faint 1 mile away from home. I am really sad during summer, but it’s been like this for the past twenty years and to complain about it is futile. It is what it is. My folks back home are complaining for too much rain, but when is hot they are complaining for too much of that. There is never good, unless you find a good side of things the way they are. Summer is hot and fruits get ripen and sweet. So is for the wheat and all grains and all that. hooray for the summer!
Ali, I so get it! I never thought about SAD being a summer thing, but it is. I live in Birmingham, Alabama -a part of the deep south. Right now we are experiencing a heat wave with temps in the high 90's F - about 35 degrees C with a humidity level of about 90%. No rain; just lots of muggy. I find it very hard to cope with the heat and the bright sunlight in a climate where everyone is "supposed" to love the summer and a trip to the beach. It's oppressive. Thanks for sharing your SAD journey with us! Such a wonderful thing to see someone so transparent about this struggle.
Thank you for expressing what you know about this topic! I am curious about the kids and Dan, and how they tend to adjust to the seasons and in what way(s) they have begun to understand/support how needs change in the s.a.d. times, especially b/c you and your sister (and many of us) find that this can run in families - if that isn’t too personal for the family to share. Thanks again🌱
Very interesting chat. I totally agree with all you said. I am very fortunate where I live in Scotland it is rarely too hot. It just always stays just nice. Now I am retired I can get away from noise as well. Come & live up in Scotland. Thank you
Hi Ali, I loved this vlog. Your sketch books are beautiful. My sad is in winter I don’t cope with the cold my pain levels go up my skin starts to crack.and low light equals low mood. So I cope by crocheting and sewing. Wishing you well for your sad season. Julie Tasmania Australia 🌞⛄️❤️