Any advice for getting motivated with seasonal depression?

[Dan Q]

Community service.

What kinds of things work best for you?

I do a ton of voluntary work, but I don't find that any of it sufficiently moves me into a different headspace to feel helpful at combating the winter sad-times. Which is possibly because a lot of the stuff I end up doing is quite remote and technical: maybe I should do more volunteering that gets me out of the house, perhaps (though it's a little challenging because I live in the arse end of nowhere!).

[WaybackGuy]

I definitely recommend in person service. My experience has included habitat for humanity, engineers in action, local food pantry, stem events like public museum festivals or school competitions like science olympiad and future city, etc...

I'm kind of introverted so I show up and just focus on staying busy and finding work to do to help, but often end up meeting interesting people I might not otherwise meet. It kills the time and I get to do something good for others.

Just sign up for stuff and go do things, you never know what will come of it!

[haunted-cherries]

As the Covid lockdowns sapped my emotional energy and we drifted into the long, dark winter of 2020/2021, I came up with my own model for my personal mental health first aid: GEMSAW.

I'm not you, but that's what's kept me sane the last few years. Hope it helps!

Been meaning to circle back and say THANK YOU for this b/c it's been helping me a lot since stumbling on your reply (since these last few months of the year always seem so STRESSFUL xD), even more so while I mourn the recent passing of a friend. Thank you so much. ❤️

Seasonal Depression has been folding me like laundry, and it's taking everything I have not to give myself over to pessimism. xD IDKY, but oddly coloring books have been helping me lately? That and giving my mind something else to focus on, which alongside coloring books has been doing my end of the year sorting and organizing, going through stuff I don't wear/don't use anymore so that I can toss it or donate it. Hope one (or both) of these can help somehow.

To everyone in this thread, I hope the world is kinder to us all in the coming year. I know they say that having a bit of pessimism is healthy, but I also don't think it's foolish or naive to find a little happiness in leaving your corner of the world a little better than you found it. ❤️