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 love winter. No-one expects you to be happy
I have bipolar and the majority of my depressive episodes start in August/September. Tell people you are depressed in spring and summer they tell you to look at the beautiful sun. Do the same in winter and they say "I hear you"

There is an overhang porch thing over the door that keeps me mostly dry but yes sometimes I do get wet. I have a shower after anyway and hang up the wet clothes to dry. No bother. Its invigorating.

I don’t like the sun or hot weather! Makes my skin itch, I have to cover my whole body when I go out walking. Makes me miserable! My ideal holiday is skiing :)

When you are hot, you cannot cool down. When you are cold you can put lots of layers on & drink hot chocolate 😁

I'm very introverted and while I struggle with darkness and prolonged rain, I prefer winters to... loud extroverted 'live life to full' FOMO summer zealots. Crowds and pubs spilling to pavements buzzing about all their summer plans.

Prefer long walks in autumn/winter in fresh and crisp air. Hate sweating (I pespire easily) and heatwaves like having the fan on to sleep. In winter i can layer up. I love ski holidays and curl up and read rather than summer beaches and suntand (ugh, mosquitoes and heat). DH and one of my DC (the summer born one) is a summer person.

Haha I certainly do not live in a massive house with crackling log fires, in an idyllic area! I've always lived in pretty small houses in bog standard towns tbh but for me, there's always been something quite comforting about grey skies and rain. Even as a kid, looking out of the window at a moody sky with pouring rain made me feel safe and secure. Probably because I was tucked up indoors and dry. But I even enjoy being out in the countryside when it's raining, it all just looks so much more dramatic and Wuthering Heights-ish to me under the black clouds 😂
I hate dark and cold mornings, especially if I have to travel to work in the dark, but still I always feel safer and happier when winter's on its way. Probably because I associate it with being a kid around bonfire night, firework displays and Christmas.

I like all the seasons. I think I just like that things change throughout the year and we don't have the same weather all year round (in the UK). I'm usually ready for summer by the time spring comes along and the same with winter when autumn arrives. I think it helps massively that Christmas is in winter and I bloody love Christmas! January is a bit of a comedown but I wouldn't say i find it depressing as such - more I'm just a bit sad that Christmas is over and back to routine

When you are cold you can put lots of layers on & drink hot chocolate 😁

@MillyLamb the reason that this thread was started is that for some people who really feel the cold this is not a solution. Cold people need a warmer ambient temperature. They will already be wearing three or four jumpers. All it does is restrict movement even more and doesn't warm hands, faces, feet etc.

People who feel the heat easily must never get that chilled to the bone feeling that cold people get, and being told "just put on another jumper" is such an irritating reply because it implies that they hadn't already thought of that.

If you feel the heat easily, just get an aircon unit/put on the fan/stick your feet in a bowl of cold water/wear looser clothes - but I bet you had already thought of that.

I prefer the winter as summer as a child was always so chaotic.
My mother was the neighbourhoods shit stirrer so the neighbours would hang outside near our house until late trying to start fights with her.
I used to hate it when the nights got longer and warmer and I used to love it when it would rain so they couldn't bang the door in or smash windows.

It's only since being in my 30s and being in a safe and secure home that I feel I can start enjoying summers. But they'll never take preference over winters as that was my safe space.

Yes and I don’t want to spend all winter drinking bloody hot chocolate! Bloody smiley face really winds me up. ‘Drink hot chocolate’ smiley face. Brilliant- someone has just found a cure for seasonal affective disorder.

I don’t live in the U.K. anymore, I live in Spain where it feels like the summer never fucking ends, which I actually hate. When I did live in the U.K., my favourite season was autumn/winter. I like from September-December, but always found January and February depressing. I don’t have great mental health, and lived in a flat with no log fire, or any sort of fire, not a tower block, but nothing fancy.

I’ve always like the dark evenings and mornings, because I’m a bad sleeper at night and it’s lovely at the weekend when you don’t have daylight waking you up at the crack of dawn and you can get some extra sleep. I like being in my pjs, warm socks, with a blanket over me watching films. I like them nighttime temperature at home to be low and feel really cozy with a thick duvet and throws.I like wrapping up in scarves and winter clothes and feeling the crisp air.

I like the festivals at that time of year - Halloween, Bonfire night and I love Christmas, especially the lights and loved iceskating at the beautiful rinks around London. I prefer winter fashion. I prefer eating soups, pastas, stews etc. I love that you don’t feel like you need to be active all the time. You spend more time chilling at home, at pubs and restaurants, than the endless summer activities that require so much energy and you feel guilty if you spend time at home. As an adult I’ve never had my own garden, so definitely makes you enjoy the summer less. I’m 💯 team winter, but up until the end of the Xmas holidays only, then I feel thoroughly depressed am waiting for better weather.

Not to sound namby pamby but I do find joy in every season, I feel like you’re ready for the change, after winter seeing the budding flowers, fresh light mornings but equally after summer the nights becoming darker, time to get cosy, light the candles, fire, settle into a good box set, decorate the house for autumn/Christmas, the dinners I cook changes. Try red lights, I have a few red night lights and it helps with SAD. Try and embrace it, change the scents of your cleaning products, cosy up your home, hunker down for the winter and before you know it we’ll be in spring again! Also.. there’s still some gorgeous winter sunny days so get out and get the best Vit D on the market on those days, cold water therapy if you have any nearby lochs or anything? I’m in Scotland and there are loads of groups that do this here.

You don't get any vitamin D from the sun in winter.

Mumsnetters seem to own a lot of candles. I have some in case we have a power cut.

I'm one of those people who takes ages to warm up. I got chilled right through on Monday and didn't feel very well that evening despite jumpers, hot drinks etc. I can cool down much easier than I can warm up.

I can cool down much easier than I can warm up.

Same here. I don't think the summer haters get this.

And I’m the opposite and can easily understand why those who aren’t like me prefer the summer.

It’s not hard to get it either way, just people’s personal preferences.

I never ever light candles in my house. It amazes me so many people do. It's a huge fire risk. I have battery operated lanterns in case of a power cut

Weather is so horrible in London today. Not particularly cold...just so grey and drizzling. How this can lift anyone's spirits is beyond me. I genuinely feel like my life is on pause until spring

I have both real (natural soy or beeswax) tealights and LEDs. Both have their place. Real ones are always in pretty cup shaped holders which cover the flame and out of reach of pets/ children. LEDs can be placed anywhere in any transparent container.

I think there's too much focus on it lifting spirits. It doesn't lift my spirits, it's just neutral, which is an improvement on summer which often lowers my spirits.

I think this is why many people talk about the blankets, hot chocolate and soups.
The weather is crap. There's nothing we can do about it except embrace it and do things that we wouldn't do in the summer.
So, put a positive spin on it.
Wrap up warm and go out anyway.
When you get back in, warm yourself with hot drinks and food then relax with tv or books.
Less misery that way.

@Comedycook I have candles all year . Garden citronella ones for sitting out after dark and I’m an adult so I’m ok with flames and not leaving them unattended.

Absolutely @Draconis

Planning the garden for next year
Feeding the birds (who always come to the feeder very quickly... slim pickings for them in the winter)
Walking the dog in near peace because most fuckers stay in when it is bitter and wet
Christmas, birthdays
Reading the books I got for Christmas, birthday
Opera/ballet trips as finances allow
Snuggling up with kids/dog/other half in front of the fire

I love living somewhere with all four seasons properly demarcated (having lived in places which don't). Always feel disappointed if there is no proper snow that year, but fortunately that rarely happens.

It's the opposite for me. I feel genuinely happy when I wake up and it's all dark and cold outside. I love early dark evenings. I love the cold outside. Love all the things that happen in Winter too.

I'm not particularly unhappy in Summer, just don't enjoy it. Not a fan of the heat, the light mornings and evenings. We're all different.

I don't think you need a beautiful house to enjoy relaxing in but having a clean, tidy home with some nice touches and lights definitely helps.
I like to do a big declutter and clean this time of the year so the house is nicer for winter.