Gloomy weather and ER

[Ready]

I know I have it better than most living in Southern California, but the last few weeks have been cold, windy and gloomy.

Today it rained all day. It's in the 50's and windy so no chance of doing anything outdoors. Normally I would have gone swimming in the morning then played pickleball in the afternoon. Then after a few hours rest I would walk downtown and get some dinner.

For those of you who live in cold weather climates, how does the gloomy weather affect your ER? For me it seems to completely knock me off track and makes me feel anxious and down. I can't imagine going through a cold winter for months on end waiting for the warm weather and sunshine to come back.

 

[IMATERP]

I was hoping to ER in April or May for the reasons you describe. By little choice on my part I accepted a buy out on 12/15/2017 and have spent some parts of the past 90 days twiddling my thumbs. More recently though, I have been able to develop a routine whereby my days are a bit more productive. I start my day with a trip to the gym and I try to partake in at least one hour activity with others in our community center.

Anyway, Spring is just about here and with the change in weather, I become much more active and "outdoorsy." In addition, I have a lot of spring cleaning to get done in preparing for our April Community Yard Sale.

I

 

[razztazz]

For those of you who live in cold weather climates, how does the gloomy weather affect your ER?

I spent most of my adult life in northern climes so it's "regular" to me. I liked the weather the two years I lived in Las Vegas even though I considered a little weird. I don't have to drive to work in snow or wind or extreme cold, so I can get around it.

 

[RunningBum]

I go skiing when it's cold, so I like it. If it's foggy, rainy, whatever, I'll stay in and catch up on things at home.

I think it's good to have indoor hobbies you can do on such days. Certainly doing something, anything, you like is better than working, no? Read, catch up on movies, whatever, it doesn't have to be a complicated hobby. I've spent a full day web surfing and playing games on my computer. Not that constructive, but I've stopped letting that bother me. I earned that "me" time.

The other thing I like is that often there are windows of better weather during the day. When you are on a set working schedule at an indoor job you can only go out when you aren't working, and for 9-5ers it's usually dark, and you don't have many hours to pick from. Being retired, I can pick the best hours of the day to go out. Even if it's bad all day and I get cabin fever, better to go out during daylight hours in bad weather than at night.

 

[RunningBum]

Yeah, that's another thing. Being home bound in bad weather can be dull. Having to commute to work in dicey conditions is a lot worse option, IMO. Keeps it in perspective.

On my worst days, I can always ask myself, "Would I rather be working?" I've never answered Yes to that.

 

[Walt34]

For those of you who live in cold weather climates, how does the gloomy weather affect your ER?

We've also lived in variable weather for all our lives so it's normal to us. I don't notice any depression or anything like that although we do cut out all outdoor activities. I've found that the band of temperatures in which I'm comfortable gets narrower the older I get. We do continue going to the gym in winter as well as summer and I suspect that helps, but otherwise we go into as much of a "hibernation mode" as we can since we both dislike cold weather.

 

[Music Lover]

I live on the Canadian prairies so the bad weather lasts 5 months. Most people just accept it and spend more time on their indoor hobbies. I practice bass and guitar more, my bands are more active and gig regularly, I read more, and (unfortunately) watch more TV.

If you don't have a hobby, winter can last a very long time...

 

[Ronstar]

Although I prefer to be outside, I have several indoor hobbies to turn to during periods of gloomy weather. My workshop is heated, so I could spend the whole winter playing in there if I have to. And gloomy weather is great for outdoor photography. But I need to get away for a while during the winter to enjoy hiking and biking.

 

[Ready]

If you don't have a hobby, winter can last a very long time...

I think you pretty much nailed it for me. All of my activities are outdoors, so I'm lost when I can't be outside. I'll have to start thinking of an indoor hobby to take up. I don't like movies or TV much. And I'm not good at fixing things around the house. But I'll keep thinking about it.

I know that the sun just makes me feel really good, and absence of it definitely brings on gloomy feelings for me.

 

[skipro33]

During inclement weather, I will do several different things;
1. House keeping/clearing. Good time to purge and sell on eBay or craigslist stuff you don't want or need any longer.
2. Renovation/remodel. I'm upgrading kitchen faucet to one of those touchless ones this week end. Took me darn near a week to get myself up to speed on what's available, what's best and what would work for my needs.
3. Read. got a lot of books I want to read and re-read. Nice fire, hot beverage and a dog in my lap. I'll doze while reading too.
4. Binge watch programs I've been meaning to watch when the weather was too good to stay indoors.
5. Try new recipes. I fish ocean a lot, so I got a freezer full of fillets. Next on my list to try is something called 'poor man's lobster'. Made with rock cod. I couldn't wait for St. Patrick's day and already did my smoker corned beef and cabbage.
6. Fix up the RV. All season I've kept a list of what needs fixing, upgrading or just dumping in the RV because I don't use it. This year I'm dumping the gold panning gear and packing the metal detecting gear. Also got a night vision monocular at Christmas I am looking forward to trying out in the woods. I need to replace my rear view mirrors, upgrading to the type that have turn signals built in and 'puddle' lights that activate when the door unlocks to light the area under foot. Little things like program upgrade for the GPS and such.
7. Work on my guitar and uke skills.
8. Continue learning science. Been reading up on quantum physics written by a guy named Ken Ford, who I met one year at Lawrence Livermore Labs. Also Steven Hawking as some great layman books on relativity and physics.

 

[6miths]

I retired in April to take advantage of that first spring/summer combination. That said I think if one lives in the north you come to see the beauty in a fresh snowfall and enjoy things like skiing or skating or just hiking. The shorter daylight can be an issue for some. I find the toughest winters here are those that are a bit milder with sleet and slush.

 

[foxfirev5]

I don't get it. I'm ER'd and don't have to commute or go to work if the weather is bad. Likewise weather in the fifties is pretty sweet this time of year. Other than swimming I can do every activity I desire. Also, if you plan well financially you can go elsewhere when the weather is unbearable
No need to feel sorry for us unfortunates in the North.

 

[Scuba]

I think you pretty much nailed it for me. All of my activities are outdoors, so I'm lost when I can't be outside. I'll have to start thinking of an indoor hobby to take up. I don't like movies or TV much. And I'm not good at fixing things around the house. But I'll keep thinking about it.



I know that the sun just makes me feel really good, and absence of it definitely brings on gloomy feelings for me.

Ready, I agree with you. I absolutely hate rain and cold weather. These last few weeks have been tough. DH and I have gained wait with getting outdoors less often. I don’t like going to the gym.

Today I did laundry, worked on some desk work needed to support some volunteer projects, talked on the phone with relatives, and played games on my iPad. Got through the day but sure wouldn’t want to spend too many more days like this.

However I do agree with others that a rainy day stuck inside being retired is still FAR better than having to work!

 

[iloveyoga]

It's snowing here in Iowa now. I have used up all of my cold weather ideas, and I am ready for spring. We have better weather coming this week. BTW, we consider 50's to be outdoors weather, at least for walking and biking. The rain is a problem, but DH and I both have rain resistant coats. One good thing about living in Iowa, you can have lots of cute coats and boots! And I do hate the cold wind blowing in my face, but it is just something we have to deal with here.

 

[Newventurer]

I found it took planning for the down time. I now use winter to change the oil in the mower, motorcycle, generator, sharpen anything with a blade (mower, knives, etc), do the touch up painting around the house, clean out closets, organize stuff, walk on treadmill, reseal stone table tops and hearth stone, stuff like that. It’s not all fun but it all needs to be done and by making a schedule to complete it all condensed into a few months you can stay quite busy. Biggest thing is planning for it.

 

[Sunset]

....
For those of you who live in cold weather climates, how does the gloomy weather affect your ER? For me it seems to completely knock me off track and makes me feel anxious and down. I can't imagine going through a cold winter for months on end waiting for the warm weather and sunshine to come back.

The snow is bright and makes the sunny days great, but after the first few weeks that wears off.

We handle it by traveling South to FL / Caribbean cruise for 2+ weeks, really helps to break up the dreary time.

 

[Ready]

For me the gloomy weather is a double hit, because not only does it make me depressed, but it keeps me from being around other people. Most of my social stimulation comes from group sports activity. So not being out swimming or playing on the court also means not being around other people. That is probably what was hitting me the hardest yesterday.

I grew up in the Northeast, so I know what it's like to endure long cold winters. I moved to Southern California as soon as I could find a job here because I knew I wasn't going to be happy in a cold weather environment. I think I realized the northeast was not for me when I was still a teenager, so I've had a lot of time to think about it.

 

[O2Bfree]

Staying physically active seems to help me the most. As a teen, I remember feeling down in the winter, and that pretty much went away when I took up skiing in my 20s. After that, I actually looked forward to winter.

Also, here in the PNW we self-medicate with lots of coffee.

 

[NYEXPAT]

I am blessed in that we do not experience inclement weather. I was up in Florida a few weeks ago and it rained twice in the two weeks I was there. That was a royal pain but we spent the day in a local mall and picked up some nice bargains.

 

[Music Lover]

I think you pretty much nailed it for me. All of my activities are outdoors, so I'm lost when I can't be outside. I'll have to start thinking of an indoor hobby to take up. I don't like movies or TV much. And I'm not good at fixing things around the house. But I'll keep thinking about it.

I grew up here and winter has been part of my entire life, so finding something to do is a requirement if you want to remain sane. Therefore, most people structure their activities according to the seasons. In summer everyone does as much outside stuff as they can and in winter, people switch to the indoor activities and ignore winter.

Because winter lasts so long, no one is caught off guard by a few gloomy days...plans were already in place.

 

[MRG]

It's been a warmer winter, not as much snow and snow activities. Our road has been muddy this year so we've been doing more gym activities. Running, and weights. There's a nice salt water pool, but I'm not much on swimming laps.

Not to bad for cloudy days, we get a lot of sunshine. We generally go to the river a couple times weekly, either walking the dogs, or at the hot springs. We were down there yesterday, tourists are showing up, we'll adjust our schedule for a couple of weeks.

 

[W2R]

It's not cold here in New Orleans today, 71F in fact at the moment. But gosh is it gloomy! Outside it's heavily overcast, almost as dark as night, with 80% chance of rain and looks like it's going to rain cats and dogs any moment.

I LOVE IT!!! Changes in weather are so much fun, as long as there is no resulting property damage around town. Gloomy, rainy weather not only adds variety to our lives, but also makes the grass green. Heavy rain is like a shower, washing the neighborhood and cars so when it is sunny again, everything looks so clean and shiny.

When we go out to lunch today, we'll probably choose someplace close by and avoid driving in any flood prone areas in town, just in case. And tonight, if it is still raining, the comforting, gentle sounds of heavy rain will send me right off to a deep sleep.

 

[38Chevy454]

I grew up in CA, San Francisco bay area, with generally mild weather most of the time and decent amount of sun. I have lived around the country for work in various climates, and traveled a lot in all kinds of weather. Now I live where it is colder, more grey and less sun in winter. It does affect me, I like to be outside and have more sun. Won't say feeling down or depressed because of the colder winter, but it does make me feel better on sunny days.

We walk the dogs a lot, and still run errands around about the same during winter. I also have a large detached garage where I work on my old cars projects. So not a problem with things to do, it just changes a bit in winter.

 

[RunningBum]

For me the gloomy weather is a double hit, because not only does it make me depressed, but it keeps me from being around other people. Most of my social stimulation comes from group sports activity. So not being out swimming or playing on the court also means not being around other people. That is probably what was hitting me the hardest yesterday.

I grew up in the Northeast, so I know what it's like to endure long cold winters. I moved to Southern California as soon as I could find a job here because I knew I wasn't going to be happy in a cold weather environment. I think I realized the northeast was not for me when I was still a teenager, so I've had a lot of time to think about it.

You're in Southern California, right? How many gloomy days do you really have? If being cooped up for a few days has really got you in a depression and you can't find other indoor social activities, you seriously might want to talk to your doctor about depression. I'm not making light of it because it's a real thing. You've already done a lot by purposefully locating in about the optimal place for winter and sunlight, and you're still having issues. That doesn't seem right.

If I'm wrong about the weather, please correct me.

 

[copyright1997reloaded]

I live in the cold, dark north east. This week we've gotten two snow storms of over a foot each. Outside of the unpleasant "digging out", I've also gone downhill skiing once and cross country skiing three times (not including today, might go outside soon).

Inside, spending some time sitting near the fire while grading.

I w*rk full time (second career, I FIRE'd in 2009 from I/T and now teach college computer science), but my at the job work days are only M-W, so that leaves 4 days a week to play when desired. (Many students are shifting to on-line classes, I teach more on-line classes that physical classroom classes.) I still work almost every day doing grading and other things associated with the classes, but that is flexible in terms of when I am doing it.

I think the key to living in a place like this is to embrace what is given. If I were to stay inside just because it had snowed or was cold, it would be a very long winter indeed.