I find being outside in the garden intense

[vamper]

My husband says I'm a vampire... I prefer to be indoors with the curtains closed. I do enjoy the garden a little bit, but if it's too hot, I can't be out there for long.

Even under the parasol. If there's a breeze it's OK. But I do find it quite bright and exhausting to be out there for too long.

I'm happy to be in the sun when I'm on holiday by the pool or at the beach, as you can go and cool off properly. I prefer the pool as it's not as exhausting as the beach. But I mix it up and go to the beach for a bit sometimes. The whole day at the beach is a lot, but a couple of hours is fine.

I could never just go to a park and sit in the blazing sun for example. I used to be able to when I was younger. Am I just getting old ?

I prefer spring and summer. It's definitely my season of choice. But I do struggle with the brightness and heat if I'm sitting out for too long and prefer to be inside for most of the time. Right now the curtains are drawn because I'm keeping the heat out, but I quite like that it's a bit darker in here than usual. Bright light is just too much for my eyes sometimes

Am I a vampire ? Or just heading towards middle age. I'm not 40 yet.

@vamper - Completely understand. Tbh, it sounds perfectly normal to me as I swirl around in a family, and community that is ND (autistic, adhd, and associated eds hence hypermobile, bp problems etc), and, interestingly, my autistic son is the most vampiric of us all, and he too has an astigmatism! Will ask next eye check?!

Sensory overload (another key issue for most of us) is difficult to monitor outside. Can be more background noises, insects around, modulating our temp etc. All things that I thought were just bloody annoying, and now I find they all go with a while lot of issues that lots of people deal with. Not just me!

It may be an age thing - I used to be able to sit out in the garden sunbathing for hours on end. I've noticed when out and about with friends of my age (in our 70s) we need to sit in the shade or even indoors and no longer enjoy the sun beating down on us. It's sad.

Honestly, it gets just as bright here as anywhere else in the world when the sun is out. It’s about the brightness, not the heat. If you aren’t photosensitive you wouldn’t understand.

I’m always surprised when people comment that we get so few warm sunny days in the UK 🫤. I’m in Buckinghamshire and it feels like May to early September have been really warm/hot for the last few years.
Summer is my least favourite season in the UK - I love spring when everything comes into flower, the gorgeous colours in autumn (don’t mind the rain either) and love cosying up in winter. We live about as far as you can from the coast in the UK so I find summer quite oppressive.

I'm very similar! I like shade and cool. I wear sunglasses as soon as I'm outside. I have a pair in every bag. 😀

I will sit under a parasol but never directly in sun. I have very fair skin so am always worried about burning after burning badly as a child.

In the house, I like shade too and we have blinds to cut out the intense glare.

I'm a vampire with you 🧛‍♀️

I don’t like being in the bright sunshine either. I feel like I’m being slowly cooked.

I have a walled garden and thought I’d get some nice shade but nope, always burnt to a crisp out there.

I also add, I have specifically selected north east facing garden so I can relax in kitchen during hot sunny days, i would not be able to cook in south west facing kitchen.

I am the same op I hate being hot. I find it oppressive ans need to run in for a reprieve in the cool shade.

It was 26 degrees in my garden yesterday, and I’m in the North of England.

Granted, we have a sheltered sun trap, but it was very warm indeed.

l’m ok in the shade on holiday; I can’t stand the heat in this country - about 22 degrees in Uk is my limit. I’ve always been like this even as a young child - I hate sitting in the garden or park with a passion! I too get that dizziness thing a previous poster mentioned by mine vestibular migraine - similar thing though, issues with balance and bright lights. I used to think it was some “failing” on my part that I didn’t enjoy sunny days!

I think whatever you have, I have the opposite affliction! I only turned the heating off last week, and yesterday people were wandering around with shorts and no top! I had jeans and t-shirt on and had goosebumps when the sun went behind a cloud. I really hate being cold for 9 months of the year, it's a pain in the arse and ruins my enjoyment of things, no matter how well I wrap up.

80% of mnetters seem to hate heat/summer so I’m guessing you’re not alone. I think I’m part lizard as I love it… sitting in my garden drinking coffee all morning.

I’m the same, I just don’t enjoy it at all. I was fine in my twenties but haven’t been for a long time. It’s not just my eyes (I have astigmatism too, but also cataracts), I just don’t enjoy it.

In response to posts above, I’m not overweight and I’m an outdoor person when it’s not warm and sunny - I’m happy being outside in cold, rain and snow. I’ve been staying inside as much as possible this past week.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with me - we all just like different things, surely? I see posts on here asking why people would pay so much to go to Center Parcs when you could go on a beach holiday abroad for the same price; personally I could think of nothing worse - we don’t all like the same things!

I can’t see anything if I am looking at something bright. It’s better with glasses obviously lol. The sky is literally a huge bright moving fuzz to me. I can’t focus and am always squinting

I struggle with lights at night too - car headlights fill my vision with streaks of light everywhere. I have cataracts as well as astigmatism.

I am exactly the same. I have photos of me topless in spain on a boat slathered in oil - I think it was ambre solaire? Now I really struggle in the heat, I don't tend to sit out in the garden these days when it's too hot. Anything above about 21 degrees and I deem that too hot. It definitely gets worse the older you are and I am 53 now. Last summer was horrendous when we had that heatwave, I moved house on one of the hottest days and honestly I thought I was going to pass out.

Hate this too! Prescription sunglasses help a lot but I actually even like wearing them indoors. Even brightness with corrected vision is overwhelming as then it’s so sharp 🤣

Wow. I never knew that. I have had a quick google and it explains why I have very photo sensitive eyes. I always wear sunglasses when it is bright. The upside is that they offer UV protection so my eyes have always been protected for as long as I can remember, so hopefully, I am at lower risk of conditions caused by UV light.

I can't bear to be indoors on a nice day. Not necessarily sunbathing, but just generally being outdoors pottering in the garden or going for a walk. It lifts my spirits immensely.

I’m the same. I long for sun but don’t actually like sitting out in it - I find it a lot.

In fact I’m often happier when it’s not sunny as I don’t feel the guilt of sitting inside!

What do you see when you look at a bright sky or a white wall? All I can see is swirling and nothing is in focus and it’s just horrible. I once had to paint a whole room white. I ended up wearing sunglasses to do it because I couldn’t see a fucking thing.

You might have blonde retinas, OP. Go to the optician and get a full eye test - the one where they do the imagining inside your eyes. It's more common if you also have light features generally - pale skin, blonde hair, blue eyes (but not necessarily).

To be honest though, there's not a lot you can do about it, other than wear sunglasses, but it's interesting to know if it's the reason for light sensitivity :)

I love the summer, but I'm still more of an indoors person. There's a nice sun on my balcony now, but I'm inside because it's easier. Changes in wind, etc. make being outside more complicated. For you OP it gets too hot, but for me it's sometimes too cold - a gust of wind makes me want my cardigan then take it off again, etc. It's easier to sit inside.
I also find the sun a bit bright, but I think that's because of my sinuses - my head hurts a bit because of hay fever.

I also like being on my phone/computer and you can't do that in the sun.

We have a beautiful garden and I rarely ventured out until we bought a decent gazebo and comfy chair and table set. Now I love it as the direct sun is blocked but I get the fresh air, natural warmth and sounds of birds and the waterfall in our fishpond.

It does depend a bit on location I think. We are completely private but near a road that carries increased holiday traffic mainly on a Saturday because it heads towards a caravan site. Plus we have flat next door and one couple row a lot. But when it's quiet, which is most of the time, it's been amazing this past week.

So, by all means stay in. I did and was very happy doing so for decades. But if you can make it your private space and comfortable outside then do.

Sounds like photo sensitivity

it’s not unusual

just do what works for you

hat and sunglasses should help a lot

Well, I also have astigmatism!

Does anybody else ALSO struggle with not enough light i.e. I'll be at somebody's house and they'll have a small light or none at all and it's not enough for me because it makes me really struggle? I also struggle walking around at dusk as I can almost see enough, but not quite and it's a huge effort.