Fevre Dream and Sleepless Nights with a Touch of Reverse SAD

It's been a couple of weeks since I last posted and what a couple of weeks it has been!  I wish that was because the fortnight had been so wonderfully busy, but actually the opposite is true.  My recent exertions really took their toll on me; since I posted My German Shepherd Carer the day before I went to visit my family, I had to make another trip because one of my sisters had an announcement to make to the whole family (I'm going to be an aunt!).  Both trips were great, but the effects have been too much to bear.  I've been so exhausted and in pain; the slightest activity is having a profound affect on my health and taking a ridiculous amount of time to recover from.  More than anything, this has left me feeling so down; can't I do anything fun without having to pay for it and when the hell did my health get so bad again?


As if all that wasn't enough, I've barely been sleeping.  I think that is to do with the fact that the days are getting longer and spring is almost here.  It may sound strange, but I have reverse SAD (you can read more about in Melting to Death in the Sun: Life as a Reverse SAD Sufferer) so my favourite half of the year has just ended.  In an attempt to stop myself from totally sinking into depression, I decided to try and lose myself in fiction.  I don't get the chance to read for fun these days; when I do have some free time and energy to read, I tend to read mostly non-fiction books that are guides or manuals.

So far I've managed to complete one book Fevre Dream by George R. R. Martin.  I love vampire stories, but do not like historical fiction, however I enjoyed this book so much that it inspired me to write a book review, and that helped me to get back into writing again.  You can read the full book review on Squidoo but after I had written it, it got me wondering, what do other ME sufferers do to prevent spiraling into the ever threatening darkness that accompanies this illness?  I was lucky this time, I was able to read, but there were periods in my past where I couldn't read because the resulting headaches and eye pain was too much even for an avid reader like me.  Then I would listen to audio books or watch DVDs of my most beloved shows or movies.  

If you're an ME/CFS sufferer, is there something that you do to keep the worst of your illness pulling you down?  Are there people that help you?  Are there books and movies that bring comfort and distraction or is there something else that you do?  I'd really appreciate the extra ideas as I have a feeling I may need to branch out into a few other areas if my health continues the way it is.