S.A.D.ness

Feel flat. Moody. No energy. Want to eat, not move. Can hardly string a sentence. Together. Hate this weather.

I know that I experience a form of Seasonal Affective Disorder every autumn leading into winter. I realised how much I rely on the sun to keep me buoyant when I moved back to South Africa after many years at boarding school in England. I discovered that the great summers in Cape Town could keep me happy for several months of the year, but even so, the change of season and the onset of Cape winter rain (combined with thought of the looming exam period as a student) have always managed to get me down.

And the wintry weather we’ve had for the last two days seems to have brought on the S.A.D. again. R pointed it out to me last night – he hates this time of year too, but only because of what it does to me. He gets excited about red wine and weekends away without cricket commitments. I get irritable, depressed and painful to live with. Oh dear, I’ve got to find a way to overcome my urge to stay in bed all day and hide from the world when I’m feeling like this. So lifeless. Any suggestions?

HoneyChild

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Body talk

Well, it's been 5 months since I returned from honeymoon and I've put on 2-3 kg. Not too bad, I guess, considering I lost some weight from exercising a lot, not eating much and feeling pretty strained before the wedding. But I'm feeling a little uncomfortable in my clothes after the Easter weekend and think it's time for some discipline. Eat less, run more. Or my preferred variation: less lunches, more lunges. Should be back on track by my birthday in June.

Wondering if I should try supplements again. They have been helpful in the past, but can be so expensive. The last time I used them I decided they would only be a weight maintenance aid, not a weight loss tool, and I think that's a good principle. The real work should be done by me, and I do not want to become reliant on anything unsustainable. The beauty of reaching your late 20s is that you realise your body is pretty stable - you don't need to starve yourself or exercise 5 times a week to maintain your fitness and figure. I mean, who can realistically juggle that kind of body pressure once you start having kids and juggling a family with work etc? Again, that would be unsustainable - for me, at least.

On the other hand, you can't only eat junk, drink too much and sit on your butt either, and I've done a fair bit of all of those things in recent months. So I'm cool with that. It's normal and healthy, not obsessive, not lazy. I look forward to a little, private health kick as autumn approaches.

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