Seasonal Depression is for Squares | Series Intro on My Battle Against SAD

When we found out we were moving to Germany for our first duty station, we heard nothing but good things about being stationed here...

"Oh! You're going to LOVE the travel opportunities!"
"I miss Germany sooooo much!"
"The beer, the food, the festivals - it's all so awesome!"
"Just wait till you experience the Christmas markets!"
"You are going to love German bakeries!"
"You HAVE to live on the economy - German villages are so great!"

But never once did someone mention seasonal depression. NOT ONCE.  

Now you might be rolling your eyes at me a little, but it's no joke. Serious Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a very common problem in the KMC. (Kaiserslautern Military Community)

Americans move here from all over the world and many, like me, come unprepared.

Those who have lived in this area of Europe for any length of time will understand completely - German weather is SUPER dreary.

I had heard vague things about how it rains "a lot" or how the winter is "really bad" but no one really talked about what it means psychologically when you don't see the sun or blue sky for 14 days straight.

It does something to you man!

So welcome to the intro post in my series on seasonal depression! 

I promise, it won't be depressing ;-)

I really want to raise awareness about SAD and I want to share my story and offer tips that I've found to help me in the past three winters in Germany.

Growing up in upstate NY, I thought I was pretty hardy when it came to "winter blues." I got a little down when it was so cold my nose hairs froze or when the snow started melting into that nasty brown slush.

But I never really got depressed about it.

When I first got to Germany a kind friend warned me about winter. She said "just so you know, it gets dark at 4:30 in the afternoon... and the sun doesn't shine much from November to May."

I didn't believe her.

But she was right! Six hours of daylight would be hard enough, but then you add to that the fact that there is very little actual sunshine happening in those six hours... whew. It's a freaking recipe for disaster!

To give you an example of what I mean by cloudy, this picture is it.

I didn't edit the photo in any way. It was taken on Wednesday, January 7th 2015. This is what I will always think of when I think "Germany in the winter"... it's not that it's particularly cold or snowy, it's just grey.

To give you a specific hourly example, one of the winters I spent here was the "darkest" winter on record. Germans recorded only 100 hours of daylight sun for the entire winter. In contrast, New York State recorded over 300 hours of winter sun that year.

And if you're moving to Germany from an even sunnier State than NY, you are in for a tough time.

When I say it's crappy weather here, I'm not messing around. 

Living OCONUS is not easy, for a host of obvious reasons and for a bunch of not-obvious reasons that I've blogged a lot about. I have heard a rumor that military divorce rates are highest for those stationed overseas, and I have seen from personal experience and that of my close friends, that everyone's marriage experiences strain during an OCONUS tour. Sometimes I have wondered how much of this has to do with the difficulties of seasonal depression. I have even heard of women who had to go back to the States because the weather had them so depressed that they were a danger to themselves and their families.





But there's hope!

There are so many things you can do to fight SAD!

So please take my words to heart if you are new to the area.

Please read this series and share it with people you know who are moving here.

Pin it as a reminder to get the help you need when winter blues strike.





Get involved in this community and support others who are in need of it during the long dark winter months!

Remember in the bleakness of early February that Germany is an amazing place to live and yes, you will survive this winter. And the beauty of Spring in Germany will almost make you forget about the soul-crushing dreariness of Winter! Almost ;-)

Keep tuning in this week to catch all the posts in this series! 

30 Tips to Battle Seasonal Depression:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Wrap-Up
Pinterest Board

Though this series is written from a military spouse's perspective/experiences and specific to the Kaiserslautern Military Community, my tips for battling seasonal depression can help anyone out during the winter. No matter where you live, winter can be hard on all of us! You're not alone!