Post by Carolyn on Nov 9, 2002 14:16:24 GMT -5
I'm wondering how some of you are coping with these seasonal changes. Do you find they affect you more or less than where you came from? Do you have ways of coping? Is it much different than where you moved from?
I have never had a problem with darkness really. And I didn't find it a terrible burden living in Sweden. I found that by having lots of nice, green plants and bright cushions and bed coverings and such inside kept away any gloom and it was actually very cosy, with the contrast between outdoors and inside.
As to the cold, I have found the cold in New Mexico to be MUCh worse and Anders agrees. But then, we have enormous temperature variations during a 24-hour period. It's very dry, high desert and if the night sky is clear, the winter night temperature in Albuquerque can drop down to 6 but the next day, if there's no wind, it can get up to the high 40s. That huge change makes it much harder for the body to adjust for the winter season, I think.
In Sweden, generally during the winter the night and day temperature variations aren't much more than 10 degrees if that (Fahrenheit), so you are able to adjust better.
Also, I find it's really kind of a mental cheat when you look outside in New Mexico. The sky is deep blue, there are little puffy white clouds and the sun is brilliant. Then you step outside and a wind slices into you like knives. If I'm going to be cold, I want to look outside and KNOW I'm going to be cold.
ACtually, the coldest it has gotten while I was in Sweden was we had a few days at -20 C, which is about zero F, give or take, and with my Swedish Army surplus coat from Överskottsbolaget, I didn't find that oppressing, but then again, there was no wind blowing. We walked down to the lake near our home and walked out onto the lake several kilometers, since the whole thing was frozen over, and it was a pretty nice day. I didn't know till we got home that it had been so cold.
I have never had a problem with darkness really. And I didn't find it a terrible burden living in Sweden. I found that by having lots of nice, green plants and bright cushions and bed coverings and such inside kept away any gloom and it was actually very cosy, with the contrast between outdoors and inside.
As to the cold, I have found the cold in New Mexico to be MUCh worse and Anders agrees. But then, we have enormous temperature variations during a 24-hour period. It's very dry, high desert and if the night sky is clear, the winter night temperature in Albuquerque can drop down to 6 but the next day, if there's no wind, it can get up to the high 40s. That huge change makes it much harder for the body to adjust for the winter season, I think.
In Sweden, generally during the winter the night and day temperature variations aren't much more than 10 degrees if that (Fahrenheit), so you are able to adjust better.
Also, I find it's really kind of a mental cheat when you look outside in New Mexico. The sky is deep blue, there are little puffy white clouds and the sun is brilliant. Then you step outside and a wind slices into you like knives. If I'm going to be cold, I want to look outside and KNOW I'm going to be cold.
ACtually, the coldest it has gotten while I was in Sweden was we had a few days at -20 C, which is about zero F, give or take, and with my Swedish Army surplus coat from Överskottsbolaget, I didn't find that oppressing, but then again, there was no wind blowing. We walked down to the lake near our home and walked out onto the lake several kilometers, since the whole thing was frozen over, and it was a pretty nice day. I didn't know till we got home that it had been so cold.
