To wonder if those who love winter have very robust mental health or very happy lives?

[Comedycook]

So I was thinking about this after reading a thread about weather. Lots of posters saying how they loved winter...some even said they love the dark evenings and what really surprised me was the poster who said they loved dark, cold mornings. I assumed everyone hated these!

Now I'm not in a terrible place mentally and I'm not depressed but I do find the dark, rainy, cold days do affect my mood. When the evenings are warm and light I feel so much happier.

I'm really interested in how others don't feel that the winter brings them down and actually enjoy it. Are they naturally happier, more positive type people?

Some people get seasonal depression in the winter. I myself get it in the summer and thrive in the colder weather.

That’s true, but in a hot summer the horror is being unable to escape the heat. I find it easy to warm up with a hot drink or bath and much more difficult to cool down in summer. The real horror is trying to sleep on airless, humid, hot nights. God - I hate it.

I do have an auto-immune condition, though, which is worsened by heat.

Why is everyone saying hot chocolate and not red wine?

That’s like 2 days a year. The rest of the time is grey, miserable and raining

Different things affect different peoples’ moods. Just because someone finds winter depressing that doesn’t mean that everyone should. I dislike summer. I’m shy and socially anxious, I hate being seen. In summer I hate the expectation that everyone is outside, being sociable and enjoying the sunshine.
I find heat difficult to bear, more so as menopause approaches. It’s easier to warm up in bed in winter with blankets and pyjamas than cool down in summer. I sleep a lot better in winter.
I find winter energising. I can take the dog out for an evening walk knowing I’m practically invisible. Cold air brings a smile to my face and wrapping up in winter clothes to go outside is lovely to me.
I can do the school run all muffled up in hat and scarf with my head down in the dim afternoon light which is so much easier. In winter I don’t wear any make up and a red nose and cheeks are acceptable.
Scraping my car on a dark morning is much easier than trying to cool it on a bright warm afternoon in full bright view of the world.
Come late September I can feel my mood improving and anxiety lessening.
Not to mention casseroles, hot chocolate, red wine, fires, beautiful scarves, cosy pubs and all the other joys of winter.

🤣🤣🤣

Thank you - don’t the hot chocolate and cosy (vom) vibes brigade not have commitments like kids clubs etc that can’t just be abandoned because it’s winter and we need to get home and into our warm baths and pj’s?

@Moonwatcher1234 I guess winter is easier to like if you don't have commitments. I freaking hate it 😭

Yes exactly. I still have to drive my kids in the evenings to their various activities...I just have to do it in the dark, cold and/or rain. Tonight I took my DC to an activity then came home and did some laundry and loaded the dishwasher and emptied the bins. I don't have time just to snuggle under a blanket

I love the dark nights and dark mornings dont bother me. I prefer winter/autumn over spring and summer.

I've never had depression, though I've had anxiety on and off throughout my life. I would say over all that I'm quite an easy going positive person though.

I hate winter, dark mornings, dark evenings, cold, snow, miserable weather, lots of horrid winter bugs around! Boredom of being in the house more!! I could go on I am definitely a spring/ summer person.

Have you tried taking vitamin D? I honestly used to get feel the same as you & get SAD every year and now I don’t. I like the cosy feeling of winter personally

I think you might be taking it a bit too literally? Obviously people enjoy those aspects of winter life but we do have commitments and other things going on too , things are fitted in just the same as other seasons .

I much prefer winter to summer. I don't have a particularly happy life nor robust mental health. I mean they aren't bad, but certainly not great.

What I AM is an introvert. Winter is great for the introverts! Its dark so less chance if bumping into random people and have to make awkward conversations, socialisation expectation is less cause its cold and miserable.

I can get home, cosy up on the sofa, get the fire on, listen to the rain and wind with a glass of wine in quiet solitude.

Exception noted for Christmas 😁

I'm not depressed or sad, but the low light levels we endure in winter where I live does make me feel a little low, and having crap eyesight it menas that we have to have bright lights on in our house, not candles.

Mumsnet has a disproportionate percentage of winter lovers. In real life everyone I know dislikes winter.
We live somewhere that gets a lot of rain, so our winters are often gloomy and damp. Our winter days are shorter than those in the south of the UK.

If we had more brighter days I would find winter much easier to deal with, but they are as rare as hen's teeth.

I prefer summer for loads of reasons, but basically I like the opposite of what most people have posted on this thread.
I want light and airy, not dark and cosy.
I want to be able to move freely in light summer clothes rather than feel constrained and bundled up.
I prefer to be outside in nice weather.
I prefer salad and lighter meals to stews.
I prefer tea to hot chocolate.
We don't get the relentless heat that Londoners seem to get in summer.

Autum/Winter time is lovely it’s cosy and there’s things to look forward to like .. well kids going back to school 😂 Halloween & Christmas and all the other things to do this time of year.

For me it feels like things are back to normal I dunno if that makes sense to anyone but I know what I mean, more routined and feel more settled.

I love spring time it’s my favourite time of year but never been too fussed about Summer it seems all over the place to me.

I like winter, dark evenings feel cosy, it's no longer weird that I'm wearing my oodie (I wear it year round, yes, all year. It goes on as soon as I get in the house, it's pure comfort (I'm ND)), Christmas and the build up to it is lovely

But the rain drives me mad, obviously that's not limited to winter but it seems so much more of a PITA in winter - our coats and shoes take an age to dry, feel the cold more when wet and it just seems relentless. I would much much rather have snow on the ground all winter than rain.

For me I've always loved autumn the months I love are September through to December, mainly the later October December stages. I think it's nostalgic, all the memories as a child going on walks and doing activities around Halloween, bonfire night and Christmas but I've always been the kind of person to love the cosy dark nights, it makes me feel safe and happy. I light my candles have a cosy film on, I just love it: and I love the dark mornings. I love waking up before everyone else, having my dressing gown on, opening a window so it's cold but I'm cosy with a hot brew gradually getting ready. I hate summer, hate the heat, hate the expectation to go out and do things, hate not finding anything comfortable to wear, the days seem to last forever and ever I just can't stand it. I never have, I've often thought I have sad but for summer months because I dread them every year and just count down the days for autumn. I'm also on medication for anxiety that I had after my first child ( suffered with postnatal anxiety ) and I can suffer with the anxious feelings and thoughts but it's mainly during the summer time. The cold dark winter day and evenings just make me happy!

Different for me because Australian winters are very mild compared with northern hemisphere ones, but I love not being woken by the sun ridiculously early, not having to deal with blazing heat, and being able to wear my knitwear and boots and hats and scarves.

ETA I am not an outdoor person, the beach is hell on earth, I hate being hot and sweaty and having to ward off flies and mozzies - give me late autumn and winter any day!

I used to love autumn and winter (well, September-new year. January and February has always been rubbish) until I had my DC. It was my favourite time of year and I felt like I thrived in the colder, darker months. I loved the colours of autumn, the smells, the crispy leaves, the ice as winter took over, the Christmas lights - all of it.

Then I had my DC and he proceeded to get ill with every little bug and virus going from the second week of September until April and my immune system tanked at the same time. He’s a teenager now but every autumn and winter since then has been spent looking after a poorly child and getting ill myself every few weeks. It’s completely miserable and I loathe it. I can’t find anything to enjoy about the season now, even the things I used to love and tainted by the misery of feeling unwell constantly. So I would say that people who like who meter not only have robust mental health but also a robust immune system because I fail to see how anyone who catches all the autumn and winter viruses can like it.

I love winter. I quite like feeling a bit cold, and before we lost our lovely dog earlier this year I enjoyed walking him in the rain. I’ve spent a few Christmases away and very deliberately chose places that are cold and dark.

I love the contrast of being outside and freezing then coming in and warming up.
Plus we have Christmas in winter and there’s something really lovely and cosy about seeing fairy lights on a dark morning or evening.

While financially we’re pretty stable now, that wasn’t always the case but I’ve always felt the way. The only difference money has made is that I can warm up faster now because heating wasn’t always an option previously.

Also, I have a house that’s probably smaller than average, no aga or log burner and I don’t drink red wine (or particularly enjoy a casserole for that matter).

I personally have never really understood the love of summer or the popularity of hot holidays - the brightness gives me migraines, there are insects everywhere, I get sun burnt if I’m not careful, anywhere nice outdoors is packed, people are sweaty and there’s a relentless pressure to be busy and to ‘make the most of it.’

After the winter solstice I know things are headed in the right direction so I actually feel a bit better even though many people find Jan/Feb grim. Then the snowdrops come out around/just before my birthday.

I don't mind the winter days where you get some sun and it feels really fresh
Unfortunately the area I live in doesn't get snow, we just get rain. And more rain
Plus winter is expensive and I I can't afford to keep the place as warm as I want it

I feel slightly better in January as Christmas is over and I hate Christmas. Plus the nights are very slowly getting longer