Turning November Blues on it’s head! Weekenders 04 - 07 November 2022
 

Turning November Blues on it’s head! Weekenders 04 - 07 November 2022



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This time of the year, for many of us is dark mornings and earlier dark nights. Rainy and windy days which has us indoors.



We called it the Doldrums.



It can be easy to get dragged into the doldrums this time of the year.



Our brains could do with some extra stimulation perhaps to help.



So perhaps a new hobby, a new book to read perhaps.

Trying out a real life jigsaw. I haven’t done one for years except the ones online.



Painting a picture, I know we have one exceptional artist among us. I myself am not artistic sadly but get pleasure in looking at works of art.



Knitting, embroidery, and sewing are good hobbies for keeping hands busy and mind occupied.



Learning a musical instrument. There are good teaching lessons on YTube.



And of course cooking…my favorite hobby. :)



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Whatever you fancy trying, give it a go!

It stimulates the mind to try new things but also, very importantly it wards off the AV.



Happy Sober November, one small step at a time.





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If this is your first weekend sober, or many, come join us for support and chat...as we know the weekends can be a struggle sometimes. (We’re here all week too!) :)

Shotgun! :)

Congratulations on shotgun least! :c011:

Thanks Mags. I do get very down this time of year. The darkness really affects me and I feel more lonely than ever. Walks are limited, although up until today, it is pouring with rain and has been all night, with have had a beautiful Autumn.

I have my therapy session this morning. If I'm honest I haven't found them helpful at all and have been trying to end them but I'm too polite and don't want to offend Luke the psychologist. He gives me so many strategies that it makes my head spin. I get anxiety before he calls :lol:

He is referring me forward to long term trauma therapy due to deep seated issues.

My walk yesterday.

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Kaily, I understand. I didn’t like getting inside my head there was too many issues and ghosts. Though it was an emotional rollercoaster, but I did get to see where my problems came from.

I’m pleased you’re getting help with long term trauma issues. It hopefully will open up and release some of the issues, as they call them. :hug:
I love the picture. Tranquility at its best, whatever the weather. Keep going girl, you’re worth it. ❤️

I just lost my internet a few minutes ago!! :dee. I did what turned out to be right, tho I was just guessing - I pushed the button on top and when I did the light around the button started to blink. I thought, oh God I've broken it! No internet!! Son in law will kill me!! :dee. Gladly, the light stopped blinking and my internet came back on. :) :) :). Yay! Siri asked me if I wanted to switch to the phone's hot spot but I said no cause I didn't want to use up all my data.

Next time son in law is over here, I'm going to casually ask him, if the internet goes out, is there like a reset button on the router/modem that I should push? Hopefully that's what I did...

Great opening post Mags, as is always the case. ;). I used to get the winter doldrums like clockwork. As soon as the first leaf fell, I was depressed and didn't know why. :(. But I've noticed during my sober years, the winter time doesn't strike fear into my heart like it used to do. I think it's because I'm sober and also cause I practice Gratitude every day. :) :) :)

I got out my bowl of strawberries a while ago and got a fork to hold them and as soon as I opened the lid and that good strawberry scent came out, Billie was right awake and coming over to sit by me, not begging at all, just sitting very quietly and patiently....hoping that I'll share some of what smells so good. Billie loves fruits and veggies, always has. And she loves plain yogurt. I got some yesterday with my groceries and she wolfed it right down. :). With all the food I've gotten in the last two days, I won't run out of food for a month! :dee

Another sober weekend for me. :). They are so normal I don't give it a second thought anymore. Time was when I was very acutely aware of a SOBER weekend. It was sure to be dull and boring with nothing to do... whine whine... I had to call on my higher power, which is the embodiment of the Buddhist philosophy.

Well, Billie's been pottied and I even managed to do a third set of my exercises, all six pages of them. :). Nothing else to do so may as well go to bed. :)

Enjoy your strawberries Least. Must be wonderful after feeling off your food for a while. :)

In for the weekend….Thanks friends for being here and keeping me company! :Fall10:

Hello all,

In for a sober weekend. Right now day 33. Going to an American football game this Sunday with son and nephew. Will stay sober. This time of year is both relaxing with the shift from outside to inside activities but it’s the start of a “long” winter here in New England. As I get older I appreciate all seasons. Best to all with staying the course. Thanks to Mags for providing this thread weekly.

I’m in! Hope everyone is well x

Hey MantaLady :)

how are you going?
D

Manta, great to see you!

Kaily, those weeping willows (?) are such nice trees.

Still have spare time that used to be taken up by either drinking or being badly hungover each evening that I would like to fill with something other than working late or watching TV. Also trying to transition out of working my life away.

Runnerf, I hope you enjoy the football with the boys. Good stuff!

Least, there are a decent amount of strawberries grown in Florida, but the ones from California are usually tastier.

I am in for a sober weekend. Mr. A will still be out of town so I will find something to occupy my time.

I'M IN! Glad to see you, Manta. I hope you are doing OK.

I really dislike winter. Where I live, it gets very cold and the winter seems to last forever. So I do struggle with the blues a bit at this time of year. It's better than it was when I was drinking, though. I have some little hobbies to keep me engaged, and I try to go somewhere warmer for a week every January. Having that to look forward to does help. This January, it will be Sedona, Arizona again. I went this past January and decided I needed to go back. I'm trying to convince my man friend to go with me. He wants to, but he's been terribly depressed and can't quite commit to it. He went to the doctor and got put on an anti-depressant recently, so I'm hoping he feels better soon. I think I'm noticing a small difference already, but I know it takes time.

Excellent opening post! Thanks, Mags.

Thanks to our Mags the Magsnificent for another great Weekend thread and topic.

I remember, when living up north, how gloomy Winter could feel even on sunny and crisp days as I never found the cold to be exhilarating. We are loving our new year round sunny and warm environment but, wow, those occasional tropical events can certainly turn things upside down and sideways.

mantalady, hope you are well.

Kaily, I hope that you have a positive turning point (an aha moment) in your therapy.

least, you sound so much better 🙂

MLD, hope that your man friend finds that turning point and feels better soon, too.

I think we may have found a light in our disaster recovery tunnel here - a roofer that will replace our 57 missing roof tiles (where they landed is a mystery; they are heavy 9” x 17” concrete tiles) and repair the close to 100 cracked tiles. It will be costly and out-of-pocket but our deductible is close to $10,000 so our outlay if we go this route will be less than if the insurance company agreed to replace the roof (a process that could take years). We have learned that our insurance carrier will be not be renewing policies in our state, regardless of claim history, upon expiration of same. It has been reported over the years that insurance carriers leave our state over exactly what four roofing companies are telling us (that we need a new roof; that a repair would look dreadful as your existing tiles have faded and the new tiles will be strikingly different in appearance than the original tiles; that they have retained attorneys who get what we rightly owed under our policy; etc., etc.) and that this scenario results in outlays by the insurance companies not only for the roof but in attorneys fees. What these roofers don’t tell clients is that the new tiles will fade over time and become visibly consistent with old tiles and that the adhesive used to repair cracked tiles will last for decades. It is a nightmare situation with insurers leaving the state in droves and we don’t want to be part of the problem if a repair is workable. Sorry for the run-on rant.

Have a great day, all.

Thanks Mags. I'm IN for another sober weekend.

.
Time flies whether I'm having fun or not. So, might as well have fun with it.

The onset of Winter Doldrums can be a tough one, and I don't have any magic solution. Mebbe I'll port in some endless Vid of sunny Beaches, and watch the Surf roll in on TV so that I'm transported elsewhere. Come mid-December, we're back in the SoCal Desert to see my Sister, and then go off to near Palm Springs CA to intermittently sit in natural Hot Springs for a Week.

Right on cue, Ma Nature is dumping some light Snow on us here. But, it's only ~24 Hours-worth, and almost no accumulation.

This Season makes for some clear Skies, as the recent Sunset below attests.

Aretha provides some funk motivation in this one. Thanks, Mags...

'Rock Steady' ~ Aretha Franklin ~ Live 1971


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Thank you Mags, I'm in for a sober weekend too!
I hate the cold and dark as well.