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?

I’m not totally anti-winter. But still as far as I can see the people who love it actually love the things they do to avoid it - blankets, hiding indoors from rain, heavy clothes. Seems odd to me

You could say that about a lot of things, though. People swim in summer to cool down, but could still say they love swimming in summer. Same with ice creams and cold drinks. People go on holidays to get away from the mundanity of their lives, but could still say they love holidays.

It doesn't really make a difference why we like the things we do in winter, we still like them.

Precisely. I have to say I am annoyed by the winter bashing. Well, not the winter bashing in itself, people like what they like. But why do people who hate winter find it so hard to understand that not everyone feels the same? I'm not the biggest fan of summer, but I don't go around telling people who love it how much it sucks. If I were to take the approach to summer that the winter haters do, I would say things like 'well how often is it actually SUNNY, rather than raining and miserable (I find that endless grey skies are worse when sunset is much later because you then have grey instead of dark). It doesn't make sense.

but I don't go around telling people who love it how much it sucks.

Loads of people on MN do. As soon as we get a couple if days of temperatures at 21 degrees there are loads of threads complaining about the "heatwave".

There are far more "I hate summer" threads than winter hating threads.

There are millions of things that some people enjoy that make others actively miserable, though. It's not limited to the seasons. Some people feel incredibly lonely and depressed if they spend most of their time alone, while others are much happier that way. Some people are absolutely terrified of heights while others feel exhilarated by looking at the view from the tallest building they can find. Some people cannot bear the feeling of being in deep water while others are miserable without their daily swim. Everyone's different.

For me personally, I prefer autumn and winter to summer. I tend to feel quite relieved when the clocks change. I like colder weather, I like winter fashion more than summer stuff, and I prefer dark evenings. And no, that doesn't mean I want an excuse to sit and watch telly under a blanket - I'm much more active in winter than summer! One of my favourite things to do on a dark winter evening is to go for a run, and I love a long walk on a cold day too.

I do like the fact that we have seasonal changes, and I don't hate summer or anything, but I hate being too warm and I tend to sweat a lot which I find embarrassing and unpleasant. I'm also very pale so I burn very easily and have to wear sunscreen all the time which I find sticky and messy. I'm also very allergic to most insect bites and am prone to prickly heat, so generally just not really built for summer. I don't mind warm weather on holiday, in countries that are kitted out for that (ie where everywhere has air-con and houses are designed to keep you cool with tiled floors etc) and where I don't have to go to work and do chores and so on, but if they were the only two weeks of hot weather I ever experienced I'd be fine with that. And even then I'd still prefer it to be dark by 7pm at the latest. I'd never go on a Mediterranean holiday in summer, only in autumn/winter.

To answer the OP's original question - no, I'm not a cheery and positive person with stable mental health! I'm an introvert with a history of clinical depression and anxiety. I'm not outwardly emotional or prone to sudden mood swings or anything like that (I'm generally a very contained kind of person) but I've had periods of mental illness from childhood onwards and I take medication every day.

It's interesting because my mum really hates winter and it definitely seems to affect her mental health; she always used to openly dread it when I was a kid. But somehow I never picked that up from her. My dad never moaned about winter but he definitely much prefers summer, and so does my brother. My sister just likes the change of seasons in general I think. But I've always found winter weirdly exciting. For me, it's just much more mysterious and atmospheric. I loved the spookiness of dark evenings when I was a kid and I still do. My favourite weather is basically a freezing winter mist that smells damp in the air!

You just described being cross about other people’s preferences while claiming not to be cross about other people’s preferences. This is a strange thread.

Again, what do you want us to do about this? And why are other people’s ‘unrealistic raptures’ a problem? Also, the winter hating group is considerably moanier than the summer hating group - as illustrated by this thread. To the extent that they take umbrage at anyone not hating winter with them.

@LusaBatoosa I really don’t care if people dislike summer and like winter. I don’t understand why, and their ‘reasons’ don’t make sense to me, but whatever floats your boat. I do object to people telling me I can just put a jumper on and I’ll be fine - you think I haven’t thought of that? Or one poster saying I’m being ridiculous to suggest being cold might affect my concentration (but being hot affects theirs).
Maybe winter haters main more because we get approximately 10 months of cold/damp/dreary weather every year and only 2 (at best) or sunshine and warmth. We’ve got more to moan about. But actually, have a look at mount hot weather threads as soon as the sun comes out in summer - it’s not just us.

There are so many more threads on here that moan the minute it goes above 18 degrees. That’s what we all take umbrage with. This thread is actually unusual…I have been given a short thrift on many a ‘oh it’s toooo hot’ thread. I’ve never seen one discussing how shit and long winter is before.

If you live somewhere where you only enjoy the weather for a few weeks per year (and for much of the rest of the year you actively dislike it), surely you should be considering moving?

Ah yes so simple! I moved to the South from the North. That helped a bit.

One day I’ll definitely spend half the year in a different country.

@Delatron I'm in Los Angeles at the moment- every day around 27 degrees so far but cool in an evening - heaven to me!

I did only for people to be shocked how I love it in SE England because it’s supposedly always rains and it’s grey. Yet, every time I visited (NE & SE England) before I moved (winter and spring) it was sunny more often than not. Even having lived in this part of England over a decade, still think there is way more sunny days and not as bad compared to other parts of the country but I understand that’s due to dealing with extreme weather and temps and being equipped to handle them, but not dealing with them anymore.

I really don’t care if people dislike summer and like winter.

Cool, then I wasn’t talking about you and there’s no need for this exchange.

Maybe winter haters main more because we get approximately 10 months of cold/damp/dreary weather every year and only 2 (at best) or sunshine and warmth. We’ve got more to moan about.

Again, there is exactly nothing winter lovers can do about that. And you can moan as much as you like. I certainly don’t mind. However, if you’re going to moan, then complaining about other people moaning is a bit hypocritical.

Sounds simply wonderful!

Not only were you talking about me, this post is in reply to a post where you quoted me.

Same here. I like the changes. Looking at my recipe books to see what I’ll cook for different seasons, candles and baths (with gin and audiobooks) in winter, sitting in the garden till late drinking rose and barbecuing a lot in summer. Spring has the garden and the countryside really coming to life and for me, my healthiest, most energetic time. Autumn is when I start to recover from the heat fatigue of summer and can run further than a couple of miles.

I hesitate to say this as I’ll probably get people jumping down my throat, but maybe mental robustness does play a part. Being able to enjoy things you can’t change and find the joy. And no, I’m not judging those who can’t, for whatever reason.

I like the changes too and enjoy each season.

I love the different clothes & different activities.

I'm missing my summer clothes already. Probably because I didn't get much wear out of them this year.

We have one dry day out of the next six

My favourite season is autumn, when the evenings and mornings are darker, the leaves are still on the tress but turning orange, and you can layer up.

I like warm comforting food like roasts and soups, having a hot chocolate, baking, getting snuggly watching films and feeling cosy in the house when it’s cold and wet and windy outside.

it’s also the run up to Christmas, with Halloween and bonfire night, so lots of lovely things happening.

I like January and February less. They’re cold are stark and not much going on to look forward to. March is a change, and by then I feel like there are hints of spring.

I'm the exact same, but according to the moany people on here, I don't actually like autumn/winter, just the 'things people do to avoid the cold'. No! I love everything about it! The way that the air feels cool and crisp in the mornings, the smell of woodsmoke, the way the leaves tumble down in a perfect spiral, the way mist makes buildings look spooky and gothic. As well as all the hygge. Absolutely can't beat it.

I also agree. I wonder how many of the winter lovers are walking to work / school in all weathers?

I’ll tell you something else I hate about winter. Everyone wanting to put on the Big Light. DP I’m looking at you. I literally cannot think straight with the big light on.

You can't appreciate summer without winter and vice versa. It's the change that's the best bit about it.

I always have the big light on. I can't see well enough without it.

We don’t have a “big light”.

@BitOutOfPractice I hate the big light too!!!! There are lamps people!!!! 😂