Does the weather affect your anxiety/phobia?

[stopthissong]

Hey guys,

It's very overcast and drizzly here in Sydney, Australia and it is driving me INSANE. Waking up to rain
makes me very anxious and depressed. I love the sound of rain at night but during the day without any
sunshine I just find myself getting easily anxious and constantly on guard more than usual. Is this the
same for anyone else? It's probably particularly affecting my mood because we are coming out of a
glorious summer... I know many people love the cooler months but I love the sunshine it makes me way
happier.

What's your take on it?

HOW CAN I CHEER UP? haha

Hope you're all doing well x

[alex.j]

Winter does it for me I never get sick in the summer, nor do I see a lot of sick people. In the winter, everyone around me is getting sick and it makes me go crazy.

[kaiilyn_23]

Absolutely! I live in Vancouver, Canada. It's rainy here most of the year, except in the summer. Even then we can still expect a few showers. It's amazing how amazing I feel when it's sunny out. I spent a week in Arizona visiting my dads family, and of course it was sunny and warm. Had little to no anxiety or qualms, even though I was away from home, in an unfamiliar house.

There's Seasonal Affective Disorder (also known as SAD), in which you can purchase SAD lights that act as a replacement for sunshine. They've been immensely beneficial to some sufferers, but I don't know how common the gloomy weather is in Australia and if it would be worth the money.

I don't know what to suggest, other than make the best out of the rain - read some books, watch some movies, and drink lots of tea! You can read about SAD (seasonal affective disorder) here, and here are some of the symptoms - difficulty waking up in the morning, nausea, tendency to oversleep and over eat, especially a craving for carbohydrates, which leads to weight gain. Other symptoms include a lack of energy, difficulty concentrating on or completing tasks, withdrawal from friends, family, and social activities, and decreased sex drive. This and the fact that noro is a lot more prominent in the winter is probably why so many of us struggle so much during the colder months. Sunshine is so important!

[Hannah A.]

When its warm out in the summer I get more anxious. The heat makes me feel sick and gross... And in turn that makes me anxious. I love rainy days. I can go outside and just sit out there and get wet, its refreshing. Helps me to calm down.

[khernández99]

My favorite seasons are Spring and Summer, because you can do things, and in the summer there is no school. (Until mid-August.) :/
Storms are good too.
Usually when Fall/Autumn (whatever it is called), and Winter makes me worried/paranoid more.

[Sjg333]

I always feel miserable and anxious on rainy grey days too! I'm in the UK so one minute it will be terrible weather and the next it will be beautiful so there's not much planning of things to do! I've heard that S.A.D lamps are really good too, I don't have one but I did used to use a tanning bed which always made me feel more positive after standing in some rays for even just a few mins, I imagine the lamp would give the same effect.... I also used to have a habit of turning the heating right up and just lying next to the radiator with my eyes closed to feel some warmth and pretend I was actually in better weather somewhere nice 😝

[andee]

YES YES and YESSS! I am here in never ending wintry, cold, dreary Connecticut and I am sooooo fed up of our weather. It's the end of March, which is supposed to be spring, or at least heading in that direction, and we are stuck in the 30s and 40s...COLD. The whole winter has been extreme...I just can't take it anymore!! There is still piles of snow and everything is just ugly looking. Plus I've had 3 colds and am still worried about all the lovely viruses that are circulating. My anxiety goes way up in this weather and I am losing hope of ever seeing green grass, sunshine, and feeling warm again. I sooo want to move. Nothing to do but try to hang in, I guess...sighhhh....