Winter depression?

[Harry]

I always have to fight with it.
If I do not, I will drown myself in pity, single malt, and in myself.
Every morning I reprimand myself to stay in line, and not to fall out.
Have to repeat that lots of time.
And light therapy, that helps too.
What about you?

[The new erato]

Single malt and Allan Petterson. Helps you understand that however miserable you are, in reality you are a lucky man. Then shrug it off and move on. Good recipe.

[Harry]

Malt and Pettersson, that sounds to me a road to disaster. In times like this Pettersson is not on my menu.
I shrug the depression from me every time, but its not easy however....

[vandermolen]

Malt and Pettersson, that sounds to me a road to disaster. In times like this Pettersson is not on my menu.
I shrug the depression from me every time, but its not easy however....

My prescription would be Rachmaninov's Second Symphony. A friend of mine said that it always made him feel better when he felt down.

I wish you well.

[Harry]

My prescription would be Rachmaninov's Second Symphony. A friend of mine said that it always made him feel better when he felt down.

I wish you well.

It was a long time that I played that recording. They are the old EMI Previn recordings I have.
So yes I will try that Symphony today, and see if it cheers me up...
Thank you, for your kind wishes.

[vandermolen]

It was a long time that I played that recording. They are the old EMI Previn recordings I have.
So yes I will try that Symphony today, and see if it cheers me up...
Thank you, for your kind wishes.

You are welcome. I have put on that symphony myself, in solidarity (Ashkenazy, Concertgebouw Orch). I have a soft spot for the Symphony because it was my mother's favourite music (along with his Third Piano Concerto). I hope that it makes you feel a bit better.

As a Hay Fever sufferer I don't really mind the winter, although the Autumn is my favourite season. I hate very hot weather (In the UK, it is ok abroad) as my Hay Fever means that I have to be in a darkened room, like Miss Havisham in "Great Expectations".

[Harry]

You are welcome. I have put on that symphony myself, in solidarity (Ashkenazy, Concertgebouw Orch). I have a soft spot for the Symphony because it was my mother's favourite music (along with his Third Piano Concerto). I hope that it makes you feel a bit better.

As a Hay Fever sufferer I don't really mind the winter, although the Autumn is my favourite season. I hate very hot weather (In the UK, it is ok abroad) as my Hay Fever means that I have to be in a darkened room, like Miss Havisham in "Great Expectations".

Knowing the space in which Miss Havisham lived, I do not envy you.
That is a serious ailment too.
And that must not be a fine time for you.
In that respect my WD is minor indeed.
And the Symphony worked for me, I feel somewhat better.....

[vandermolen]

Knowing the space in which Miss Havisham lived, I do not envy you.
That is a serious ailment too.
And that must not be a fine time for you.
In that respect my WD is minor indeed.
And the Symphony worked for me, I feel somewhat better.....

That's nice to know I am listening to the slow movement at the moment; I had forgotten what a beautiful score it is. I may even go on to play my terrific Nikolay Golovanov (1945) recording later (oops, we are not supposed to discuss music here).

Here is a quote that I just, coincidentally, came across, which I rather like:

"Unrest of the spirit is a mark of life; one problem after another presents itself and in the solving of them we can find our greatest pleasure."  (Karl Menninger)

Maybe I'll add it to my avatar.

Jeffrey

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

Here in Vancouver, our winters are darker than what the vast majority of people in North America experience, but I actually enjoy the darkness a great deal. I get three weeks off of work at this time of year (tommorrow is my last day at work until a week after New Year). With the coming solstice comes a certain feeling of calm and quiet. I like to use my time off to meditate, listen to music, and read, and reflect. I've always been interested in the far north, the Arctic, and I think it might be fun to spend some time in a place where there is constant darkness for a few weeks. (I don't know, maybe it would drive me nuts)
.
Anyway, hang in there Harry! Music therapy is the best therapy for just about any type of depression IMO!

[Florestan]

My advice, Harry: replace single malt with port and Rachmaninov with Boccherini.

[greg]

And the Symphony worked for me, I feel somewhat better.....

great! 
unfortunately, you might have to think of other music, or other stuff to help you throughout the winter, but surely if you think hard enough, you can find whatever helps.

for right here, in Florida, winter doesn't really start until January, during November and December it's on and off coldness and hotness, which makes everyone sick. Yesterday I was surprised that it was cold outside, i totally forgot which months we were in! In February, it's cold all the time, pure torture, to us even though it's "just" 30-50 deg F most of the time, that's extremely cold in comparison to the normal 90-100 F weather we're used to. So Winter depression.... hm, i guess for me it depends on the year... i guess the last few years, winter hasn't been exciting as before (when i was a kid winter depression would make no sense to me at all) so yeah, maybe just a little taste of winter depression sometimes, but not much. I used to count down the days until Christmas but now i totally forget about Christmas (even though i'm reminded a thousand times a day) until ... ok, now that i look, it's next Tuesday!  wow, that's pretty soon......

[Josquin des Prez]

My advice, Harry: replace single malt with port and Rachmaninov with Boccherini.

Are we trying to kill him?

[Florestan]

Are we trying to kill him?

The simple joys of life haven't kill anyone, quite the contrary, they have revigorated many.

[gmstudio]

Winter is my "classical and jazz" listening time!  This is my favorite season for these styles. (There's something very unsettling about listening to Mahler when it's sweltering.)

For this reason, I find "summer depression" a more common feeling for me.

[Keemun]

Harry, I'm sorry to hear of your struggles with winter depression.  I don't have it myself, although I am susceptible to year-round depression.  My recommendation is that you drink a hot cup (or pot) of tea while listening to Bach's Mass in B Minor. 

[Sergeant Rock]

Winter is kicking my butt this year possibly because we had no winter last year and I'd gotten used to the light. It stayed sunny and relatively warm all through the winter months. The darkness and cold this year is really affecting my disposition and health. Music isn't helping at all.

Sarge

[Harry]

My advice, Harry: replace single malt with port and Rachmaninov with Boccherini.

That could work also Andrei!

[Harry]

Harry, I'm sorry to hear of your struggles with winter depression.  I don't have it myself, although I am susceptible to year-round depression.  My recommendation is that you drink a hot cup (or pot) of tea while listening to Bach's Mass in B Minor. 

Okay that worked for at least 5 minutes, my grin lasted that long.......

[George]

I always have to fight with it.

Me too, to one extent or another.

If I do not, I will drown myself in pity, single malt, and in myself.

Since alcohol is a depressant, it only worsens the problem. 

Every morning I reprimand myself to stay in line, and not to fall out.
Have to repeat that lots of time.
And light therapy, that helps too.
What about you?

Light therapy has been shown to help those with winter depression, or Seasonal Affective Disorder, as it's called by the professionals. I also take a lot of Omega 3 fatty acids for depression, in the form of Flaxseed oil and Fish Oil. These boost the mood and are good for your mind and body in many other ways as well. For fish oil, I recommend a high quality, molecularly distilled brand that removes any mercury or heavy metals. Nordic Naturals is superb. For flaxseed oil, choose a refrigerated form. I take 2 tablespoons every morning, either in a shake or right off the spoon with my morning cereal. I was depressed for many years and since starting this regimen 3-4 years ago, I haven't had a single serious depressive episode. If i get depressed now, it's short lived and not severe. 

[Josquin des Prez]

Winter is kicking my butt this year possibly because we had no winter last year and I'd gotten used to the light. It stayed sunny and relatively warm all through the winter months. The darkness and cold this year is really affecting my disposition and health. Music isn't helping at all.

Sarge

Wait, what about Global Warming?