About Me
- Kristi
- The Boy, 2 Muttleys and I have finally realized our dream of living 1 mile from the Lindt Chocolate Factory. Leaving Atlanta (the World of Coke) for Zurich (the World of Chocolate) hasn't come without challenges, incredible fun or giggles. Follow along as I chronicle our adventures as we acclimate to this new Swiss lifestyle.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Got SAD?
The place I was almost committed to two weeks ago during a particularly rainy and cold June day. The good news is that it is located in our neighborhood so the Boy could have visited me quite easily.
Seasonal Affective Disorder - aka SAD - A mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter or, less frequently, in the summer (or SPRING but we will get to that in a moment).
Kristi's Definition of SAD - Weather, regardless of the season, that makes you want to punch the cute and cuddly Sesame Street puppet Elmo. Not that his voice doesn't wear on you after a while.
How SAD came to be, on rainy day 101 years ago, in a cold, dank Mental Health office:
"Hey Chuck, we really need a mood disorder with the acronym SAD or people will start to think we are too serious. We really need to spice up the mental health industry and play with our words more"
"Not now Felix. This torrential rain really has me down in the dumps and I am not motivated to do anything. Eating chocolate has even become a chore."
Chuck then proceeds to yell "Eureka!".
I always thought SAD was hooey. I survived my first Zurich winter with flying colors, only one hysterical outburst of crying without a reason, further proving my theory that it was some bored mental health professional's stab at mental health acronym humor. I was prepared though, mentally and physically, for the challenges of winter's weather.
Then it was time for spring and I expected clear skies, sun, warmer temps and the smell that comes with a thawing ground. It didn't happen. It seemed Zurich was under an angry cloud for 3 months straight and this time, I wasn't prepared. I did OK for two of the three months but when it became June and it was still raining, still 50 degrees, well then the crying spells and fist pumping at the sky commenced in full force. I got SAD. So much so that my spring jacket was about to become a straight jacket.
When you are dealt a blow as an Expat, like really crappy weather, how you choose to deal with it will determine your success. I tend to overreact a bit more here than I would in my former home because I have a heightened sense of "What if I fail, does that mean I am not a good Expat? Does that mean I suck at this change thing?". I realize my shortcomings, corroborated by my Swiss Vet who gives me a free mental health session every time I bring my dogs in: "Kristi, du bist zu Nervos. Calm the hell down...it isn't good for the dogs".
The crying spells turned into motivation. I finished my resume, booked meetings with friends, went to the gym more and you know what happened? SUMMER:
This is no Simon and Garfunkel bridge. This one is over happy water.
Dust off your epi-pens. The flowers and bees are out in full force.
It is hot enough now so Dooley stops every 5 minutes to do this.
The kids are now riding their scooters to school instead of swimming there.
The funny thing is, now that it is hot as all get out, the complaining about the cold, wet weather has turned into complaining about the hot weather. Satisfaction is NOT a human trait. I am happy though and willing to be uncomfortably hot if that means summer is here to stay for a while.
This post was written for AffordableCallingCards.net, a community linking Expats and soon to be Expats. In addition to being a great source of Expat information, they offer affordable calling cards, keeping you connected.
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4 comments:
Kudos to you for making it two MONTHS with that crappy weather. I didn't even make it two weeks before I came down with a raging case of SAD.
Caitie - I barely made it for 2 months. It seemed each week I would think to myself "it has to be warmer by next week...the sky really can't have that much moisture in it...". Growing up in Upstate NY, I know cold weather. It snowed in May on my graduation day in Plattsburgh NY so I am familiar with crazy weather. BUT JUNE? Hey weather, get your damn hands off June.
Haha. The town I came from in British Columbia is classified as a desert. We still obviously get a lot of snow in the winter, but summer seriously starts in April, and by June it's an all out fight to the death at Wal-Mart to stock up on A/C units and fans. I'm not used to rain that lasts longer than a day, so I really wasn't down with the two weeks of crappy fog and chill. I seriously can't complain though, because you guys had to put up with it way longer!
i know how you feel. wisconsin winters last, on average, 7 - 8 months, which is just ridiculous. snow and cold through march is fine, but come april i start getting antsy. by may i am downright desperate. and june? i am ready to sell any of my children to whatever god or devil can warm it up around here. last summer was the coldest on record (we were wearing jeans and sweaters in JULY), and we finally got hot weather this summer, and everyone is complaining! i keep telling everyone - it's been TWO YEARS since we've had weather over 80 degrees, and it will only last 2 months, SO SHUT IT. i am loving every sweaty minute of it. because come september, we'll be under threat of snow any day and we'll be complaining until the following june. love it while you got it, folks.
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