I’m trying to figure out if I always have this much trouble with daylight savings time and seasonal affective disorder, or if I just don’t remember once the Springtime sun comes around again.
I’m having a really difficult time with the time change this year. Granted, it is also a busy week, especially with NaBloPoMo and a few other projects that seem to be coming to a head, but I feel exhausted all the time and like the time is getting away from me. It’s only 3:30 now but it feels like it’s 6 p.m.
Part of the problem is that the weather suddenly turned cold here in Los Angeles. It had been ridiculously hot in October (I’m not sure if I can say “unseasonably,” because I’m really not familiar enough with what it “should” be), until this past Monday, the day after the time change. Then suddenly it cooled down. It was as if, as soon as the time changed, LA weather suddenly remembered that it’s nearing Winter and, oh yeah, maybe it should be cold out.
So it’s been chilly and cool, and though we haven’t had much rain, unfortunately, it’s been grey and cloudy too. It’s depressing.
I should come clean and confess that I work from home so I don’t go outside a lot. It could be a lot nicer outside than I realize. But the view from my office window is pretty grey.
Perhaps if I did more to help it, like buy a light or go out for walks, it might help.
I also realize that my office, perhaps, doesn’t get light in the same way other rooms in the apartment do. The way it’s situated, I think it’s the first room to get sunlight pouring in in the mornings, which also means it’s the first room to get dark at night. With the time change, and sunset officially coming at 4:58 p.m. (good grief), that means this room seems to get dark around 3:30 in the afternoon. That’s ridiculously early for it to feel like nighttime.
I know as I adjust to the time change and the strange-feeling hours it will probably get better, but for now, it’s tough. I’m also glad that the weather seems more like it should, considering it’s November. I do miss seasons, living here in LA, so at least I can remember a little what they feel like.
So how about you, readers? Are you affected by seasonal affective disorder and our randomly imposed time change? How do you deal with it?
