How do you find happiness or enjoyment in winter?

[Incogg]

I'm already struggling with the cold and rain and dark. In summer, I often drive out to the countryside for a walk or to the coast for a swim in the sea. If nothing else I sit out in the garden enjoying the sun.
But for the last few weeks I feel like I get in from work, get some tea, and am then just wishing my life away until I can go to bed.

Does anyone else relate? And if not, how do you stay cheerful in winter?

how do you stay cheerful in winter?

I don't. I hibernate and wish the months away until late Spring. I hate everything about winter. I hate being cold, I hate being wet, I hate the dark, I especially hate the dark when I have to drive in it. I hate wind. I hate having to wear so many layers of clothes just to function. I hate blustery walks and hot bubble baths (I'm a quick shower person) and hot chocolate and snuggling under fucking blankets. I find it very difficult to make myself leave the house. I do like Christmas but apart from that there is not one single thing I like about winter.

#teamevilharpy
😂😂
And where the actual dock in the UK currently is "crisp"
It hasn't stopped pishing down here for weeks
more squelch than crisp

I run with my dog (canicross) so this time of year is the best. It needs to be down to about 5 or 6°c for us to really pick up speed as my dog is a lab, with a thick double coat. We don’t like running when it’s too warm. I don’t actually like the cold - I feel it a lot and have Reynauds so it can be downright painful. But I love to run with my friend, so that helps me to embrace it. (Plus good gloves…)

Get a hobby that comes into its own in winter, and you won’t dread it half as much.

Yes, this really helps me. I feel dreadful if I leave it until the sun is setting, or worse don't go out at all.

I dislike winter too@Incogg People talk about 'crisp weather' and snuggling up with hot chocolate and pumpkin spice latte, and dressing in cuddly scarves and gloves, and enjoying the moody dark mornings, and chilly romantic 4pm sunsets, and all the 'pretty winter lights.' And then there's the lovely roaring log fires (that no-one actually has in their house!) 😆

In reality, it's dark and miserable and cold and damp, people suffer depression and low moods, there's nowhere open to visit, (so daytrips are out of the question,) and the energy bills are much higher. Also, people are very lonely at Christmas, and people who aren't lonely and have families, are stressed about the cost of Christmas, and entertaining demanding in-laws. Then the roads are often flooded, and it's a nightmare trying to get to work, and to travel anywhere - like to relatives, or to anywhere you need to go! You can't even get a train as they will be cancelled too, because of the weather!

Give me Spring, Summer, and early Autumn any day of the week! I wish I could hibernate from the middle of November to the beginning of March. I never get this 'winter is so cosy' mindset. I hate it!

I go to Lanzarote for two months.

UK winter sucks. It rains all the fucking time and it costs a fortune to keep a house tolerably warm.

Couldn't agree more.

I don’t mind a walk by the sea in calm dry weather, but since it’s rained pretty much every day for weeks here, that’s not easy at the moment.

I hate winter and autumn isn’t much better. Spring with green shoots emerging and summer with warmth are much better as far as I’m concerned.

It would be great to go to the gym, but gyms are expensive and I know there’s lots of stuff online, but I find it really hard ( impossible) to get motivated to exercise at home.

If you can afford a holiday, I would say to get away somewhere sunny for a week . I would prioritise a winter holiday somewhere like the canaries over a summer holiday.

I am struggling a lot more with the damp darkness as I get older. Yes I do get out every day but there was nothing spirit lifting about the trudge around in the damp and dark today .

I agree that if you have young children, your time is more taken up with routine and making Christmas nice for them .

I will order some vitamin D, look forward to my February holiday in Spain and try to take some of the advice about attempting to enjoy the winter here .

I dislike winter too@IncoggPeople talk about 'crisp weather' andsnuggling upwith hot chocolate and pumpkin spice latte, and dressing in cuddly scarves and gloves, and enjoying the moody dark mornings, and chilly romantic 4pm sunsets, and all the 'pretty winter lights.' And then there's thelovely roaring log fires (that no-one actually has in their house!) 😆

Me too! All of this just feels like extra clutter to me, in a house where the walls are already closing in.
I really wish buying a few extra blankets and cushions and lighting a candle fixed things.

What works best for me is getting out for a walk on a morning as many days as I can manage. Having the right clothes to do it - thin layers, I hate feeling constricted. Getting daylight into my eyes. There's so much research on the importance of this.

Also the op mentioned sea swimming. It's worth giving it a try through winter as many people swear it helps.

Im the same OP, I hate waking up when it's really dark out, the cold makes me feel depressed and the rain is awful. I leave work and it's dark and rainy and the drive home is horrible because roads are dangerous and there's usually an accident or delay.

I try to walk my dogs in the beautiful countryside each morning and don't care if it's cold but almost every walk at the moment is ruined by the rain and I could cry (my dogs won't do rain and it's very muddy so not much fun)

I have a heated blanket on my bed, I drink lots of (herbal) tea, I go to bed earlier and then feel less terrible in the mornings.

I hate the lead up to and pressure and financial drain that is Christmas. I want to eat cheese and drink baileys till it's all over.

I just get on with normal life. It really doesn’t bother me at all. I still do fitness classes, swim, theatre, restaurants with friends.

I do get out & walk every day. I need exercise & fresh air. Otherwise I feel lethargic and low.

Good warm waterproof clothing and get out for a walk or outdoor activity, you appreciate coming home to a warm cosy house with hot drinks and homely food, so much more 😊

My horse has to come in to his stable every night in winter, and I love the routine. plus the sitting about outside drinking tea with the other people down at the stables. it freshes me and wakes me up.

What about visiting a different city on a weekend and staying over, it's something to look forward to.
Book a holiday somewhere warm.
Go visit friends or go for a swim at the local leisure centre.

Dumplings help me.

Bread pudding too.

Lots of comfort food stodge basically

And make the most of the sunshine when we have it.

I think it helps if you like the blazing colours of the leaf changes, crisp cold, fungi and wrapping up warm.

I enjoy the contrasts of a hot chocolate or cup of tea in the street at a Christmas light switch on, or jumping into cool sheets straight after a hot bath.

Like others have said, find things you like about winter and lean in to those.

I read more and watch more films with the kids in winter. Cooking's easier because a lot of it is one pot or one pot plus pasta or rice or potatoes.

There are loads of events happening in the run up to Christmas. Keeping busy helps.

I commit to staying indoors and accept that there will be no happiness or enjoyment outdoors. I still leave the house, moaning all the way, to exercise and carry on normal life, but when outdoors I'm solely motivated by the thought of being indoors again. Fuck winter.

What crisp weather is that then? Even in the odd five minutes when that happens it’s vile and cold. Not nice to be out in. Then it rains again.
the evening isn’t linger. It’s the same length, only it’s now dark for most of it and cold for all of it so it’s impossible to do anything with it. If I want to curl up with a book in summer I can. In winter I can’t do anything else. How is that a plus?
I don’t have heating on at night anyway. But I don’t think ‘turn the heating off and be cold’ is quite the sell of winter you think…

Can’t you do that in summer? In more comfort?

Pretty much everything I do for fun in the winter I do all year round. It’s just more enjoyable in the summer. Choir - comfy loose clothes, put sandals on, go. Church is warm. Band. As above. Theatre. As above. Walks - light clothes, no need to carry a waterproof, no cold nose, no cold hands. The infamous ‘curling up with a book/film/box set - do that in summer too. Except I’m warm and it isn’t costing me a fucking fortune to be so.
Winter sucks but I just carry on.

I absolutely hate this time of year and struggle with the shite weather and it getting dark so early.

This year I’ve been making more effort to get out and about - I tend to get home from work, sort out dinner and then vegetate in front of shite TV.

I’ve joined a knitting group one evening a week - we meet at a local coffee shop for a couple of hours.

DH and I have started a pottery class one night a week at the local art centre.

Weekends I’ve been making a massive effort to get out with the dog for a walk. She’s not long had a cruciate ligament surgery so she can’t go far and she can’t go off lead yet, so we have a good meander along the beach or the woods.

Comfort food - stew and dumplings (I love getting the slow cooker out and feel all productive when I come home from work to dinner pretty much done.

I’m a sucker for a candle and a blanket.

I quite like crafts so knitting or crochet that I can sit and occupy myself with while sat watching shite TV

I kind of get into a mind set of not wanting to go out again once I’m home in the winter so trying to make more of an effort to get out and see friends/cinema/quick drink in the local pub/go away for the weekend

I feel for you OP, I find no joy in winter at all and hence emigrated to a warm country 15 years ago 🤪

Outside time is key I think. You can still sit in the garden - blankets and a fire pit or patio heater. I love doing that and looking up at the stars.

I’m trying to do a few things:

• baking cakes, and eating them with a cup of tea - outside if possible.
• more exercise - walking and running
• reading more books
• watching more relaxing/uplifting tv: gardening, nature, travel, cooking etc.
• Sweeping leaves (slightly for the sake of it as small garden!)
• Making plans/researching places I might like to go either at weekends over the weekend or next year when spring finally comes.

I enjoy it personally so find it hard to relate. Christmas is my favourite time of the year so I’m a fan of December in general and I like Halloween too so had fun a couple of weeks ago with DC. I like the cooler weather, warm drinks, lighting candles when it’s dark early and feeling cosy. I make sure I keep exercising so my mental health stays in check, I still try to go running when it’s light if I can or I’ll run at the gym at work if not.

I suffer with low moods this time of year. But as boring as it sounds a walk does help. I walk the dog first thing in the morning even though I don't want to but I do feel better when I do.
I like jigsaw puzzles which also sounds a bit shit but I really find they pass the time!
I definitely think booking a few things in help too. I can't afford a week in the winter sun so even just a day trip somewhere or a show something for each month until it warms up.
A sad lamp is supposed to be good, people have them on at their workspace buy haven't tried one myself.