Anyone else feel low and overwhelmed during summer but better in autumn?

[CateyeKate]

I despise January and February and spend those drawn out dreary months longing for spring and summer.

I adore springtime (not that we get much of it these days) and I look forward to Easter more than Christmas but over the last few years I am finding myself dipping into a kind of depression every summer. Obviously the horrendous heatwaves don't help. very few people enjoy roasting from the inside out but it's more than that for me. I'm finding the brightness of the day, let alone the heat just too overwhelming, I now need to wear sunglasses all the time and find sitting out in it unbearable and going anywhere during the summer day time just not enjoying at all. But as soon as evening falls I feel something lift/shift. I feel happier, more comfortable physically and just more at ease, I can't quite describe it but since I have entered my late 40's and now early 50's I crave something more settled and mellow seasonally, I look forward to September, October and November most of all and find this summer melancholic feeling goes by then and I start to feel human again.

Am I weird? Is this a normal feeling amongst some humans? Aren't we naturally supposed though to crave daylight, sunshine and vitamin d? All I long for are cosy rainy Autumnal evenings with fairy lights/candles, binge series, books and my hot water bottle.

I will say that the two things that I do very much love about summer is the fact my washing line dries in an instant (hate winter clothes drying) and my husband being very green-fingered will put on a beautiful display of pots and hanging baskets throughout the garden and it’s a joy to see from the kitchen window.

Have you not spent much time on Mumsnet? There's literally thousands of posters who feel the same way and hundreds of threads along the same lines the instant the temperature goes above 20 degrees.

I sleep so so well in the colder and darker months. I wake up every summer morning and feel as though I’ve slept on a cobbled street all night lol.

Yes it usually coincides with the kids going back to school…jokes.

I definitely prefer autumn and winter. Crisp sunny days, snow, fog. Getting cosy indoors with the fire on. I feel under pressure to do loads of stuff and be super productive in the summer but I think it’s naturally more acceptable to go into hibernation mode in the colder months. Plus I love all the colours, Halloween, Christmas etc. Just an all round better time of year imo.

Yes, it’s not much fun working and perhaps I might enjoy it a bit more once retired (hopefully in a couple of years time), I enjoy walking my dog in the summer evenings but look forward to much longer day time hikes in the Autumn and winter months.

Oh goodness 😮 what an absolute bore I must be to you.

I think as summer goes on there's a lot I start to put off like jobs or going to places because I don't want to do it in the heat. When it cools down I get a little burst of energy, I think it's a bit like what people who like New Year/January get when then talk about that "fresh start" feeling.

Exactly, I feel that everything is festive and cosy come September.

Feeling like this, against the social expectations to love summer, was my guilty secret for years. Then, ehat I thought was an unfortunate combo of eczema and prickly heat, was diagnosed as Polymorphous Light Eruption - literally an allergy to bright light. I get diarrhoea too after bright sunshiny experiences. The drained, low mood, exhausted antipathy to the brightness I feel isn't a rejection of the fun outdoor energy of summer, which I feel and love, but an actual physical reaction.

Do you get a rash, nausea or diarrhoea, along with your low mood and energy, OP, it might be worth looking into this.

I absolutely do, I thought it's just my sensitive pale skin and the heat exacerbating my IBS/functional dyspepsia. I've never heard of Polymorphous Light Eruption, I shall go Google it!

I hate summer. Hate it.
I don't cope well in the heat and when the dc were small it was a lot of effort to take them out/go on holidays.
We all suffer from hay fever.
It's miserable.
The heat makes people are so cross and short tempered, especially in cars.
Most places don't have a/c so going out is a chore when I have a/c at home.
I love the spring and autumn best.

Totally get it. In my case it’s because I’m Welsh. I thrive in cool, overcast and damp weather.

Extremes of every kind (too hot, too cold, too windy, too humid…) make me miserable. Except for torrential downpours and thunderstorms. Love those. They feel like home.

You’re too hot.

Definitely talk to your doctor. It can be diagnosed and treated, which doesnt remove the problem but does take the edge off to a significant degree

There was a thread on it earlier in the year, might be worth a read:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5534892-polymorphic-light-eruption-anyone-else?page=1

Yanbu I hate the heat of the summer and long for autumn, winter and spring.

Even my DH who is usually happy to lucky has been really grumpy in this heat and my poor dog doesn't know where to lay.

I agree, it's far from nice.

I'm with you there, give me a huge thunderstorm and pouring rain and I'm a very happy and contented bunny.

I love Autumn and Spring too 😊

Summer is fine if its not boiling and I love the garden in summer but I cant understand why my neighbours are out all day everyday roasting their skin off in their skimpies from morning until night. Have these people never heard of skin cancer?

To those struggling with bright mornings. I highly recommend the Gritin blackout sleep mask on Amazon, fairly cheap and very comfortable. Our bedroom has patio doors so the room is flooded with light. I either go to sleep with it on or pop it about 5am/6am.

i hate the summer, dread it each year. I really want to invest in air con if this is the new norm .

I feel low in the summer if the weather isn’t good. Like at the moment it’s so grey and windy. I love hot sun and heat. I was so happy the other week when we had that and now I feel gloomy.

My mood has plummeted since the weather has gone back to grey and windy all the time.

Autumn has always been my favourite as long as I can remember. Definitely not unusual

I like all the seasons but I will say my fave is late Aug into Sept and April into early May. It’s usually warm but not too hot, the sun isn’t as strong and it’s dark by the time I go to bed (up at 5 so try to go to bed at 9).