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?

My favourite season is autumn, right up until the winter solstice. I find proper winter, January and February, a bit bleak. But the months leading up to Christmas are great.

All my hobbies are crafty things, perfect for sitting in a cosy chair in front of the fire. In the summer I feel guilty for being inside. And I often have fomo in summer thinking everyone is having summer parties and bbqs and taking the dc to various outdoor events. I do a bit of that but it feels like everyone else does more.

When everyone gets home in the dark, you eat a hearty meal and have the lights on, a fire, maybe a board game or reading on the sofa, doing some baking. I don’t feel I can do those things as much when it’s hot and sunny.

Plus, I’m not keen on heat even though I grew up in California! The leaves are beautiful, the low winter sun is nice, the crisp, misty mornings are great. I love wearing a coat and boots. It’s cool and dark at night so I sleep so much better. No dawn chorus walking me at 4am. No hay fever!

I also imagine that those who love snuggling under a blanket in front of a log fire after eating a warming casserole having just had a walk in the woods, all have beautiful houses in beautiful areas. I can't imagine people enjoying these things if they lived in a tower block in an inner city. I'm picturing stunning homes here

I love winter and the dark morning and evenings. I like wearing hoodies and leggings and generally much happier mood.

I love winter as I'm a hermit at heart and love the coziness of shutting out the world and sitting in front of an open fire. Although I'm physically very robust, I do suffer from depression but this is not affected by winter thankfully

I have shit mental health and am
not that robust but I like winter to the same degree that I like summer.

I used to live somewhere where winters were very short and it was basically sunny all the time....and I still had shit mental health!

I like winter because it's different to summer, and I make a point of trying to enjoy the change in season. Different things to look forward to. I make a big deal of Halloween, Bonfire night, Christmas etc. I like getting my woolly coat and boots out. I prefer running in the cold. I love cosy pubs (although more like getting cosy on the sofa since we've had kids and don't get out as much). Throw myself into cooking and enjoying more wintery foods.

Dark rainy cold days affect everyone.

The further north you get globally the more you see - at population level - problems associated with circadian disruption - addiction, low mood etc. Fucking about with the clocks exacerbates this - as accident and crime figures at clock change time shows. Nordic countries counter this by restricting alcohol and making their societies fairly flat in economic terms to try to make sure fewer people slip into despair. But we all feel a degree of despair when it gets dark for months.

Our perfect environment as humans is close to the equator. That's where we're from.

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?

Maybe? I’ve never really thought of myself as an over positive person who’s naturally so much happier than your average joe but I guess that could be one reason.
It’s just acceptance Imo, winter comes around so you might as well embrace it. The lovely bits are the build up to Halloween, frosty foggy mornings, Christmas, nice knitwear, hot chocolates, watching movies with fluffy blankets and hot chocolate.

I think I'm getting a low mood now. If I see the words Cosy, Snuggle, Hot chocolate, Open fire, Wood burner, Blanket, I will go a little crazy.

I see where you are coming from OP. But for my part, bring it on. Jumpers, blankets, boots, clothes that cover you up, frosty days, hot soup. I really don't mind. (I appreciate privilege to be able to put the heating on)
Those really hot summers do me in.

I'm always ready for the different change of seasons when they come around. I like dark evenings but not keen on the dark mornings. Looking forward to clocks going back next week.

I've almost always hated sunny/hot days, and have looked forward to the autumn/winter time. I like the thought of hiding in the dark- (though that might be to do with my autism). I am not a very cheerful person, quite the opposite actually 😂. I have anxiety, OCD, and depression- but I like autumn and winter because of Halloween/Xmas and knowing the plans of the weeks ahead in advance. In summer it's always a lot more stressful and anxiety inducing, as half of the time you don't know what's ahead. The heat/sun always makes me sleepy and puts me in a bad mood because I just want to hide at home!

I enjoy the mystery of the dark. There are fewer people out and about doing things, feels like the world is less chaotic and busy. I find the dark really calming. Winter is my favourite season because of it. I often think I could live further north in a country with even less sunlight. I would always opt for night shifts over days and am I chronic night owl as I just love the evenings.

The crisp morning winter sun can be beautiful though.

As for the cold, I enjoy wrapping up in warm clothes and feeling snug.

Have generally good mental health… promise im not a vampire!

Same here

I hate winter clothes...such a faff. In summer I live in dresses and sandals..I get dressed in thirty seconds! I hate the effort of having to wrap up. I especially dislike wearing boots, they take ages to put on. Then you end up with piles of coats, hats, gloves piled up in the hallway

I don’t have the greatest mental health (PTSD, anxiety, depression) but I embrace the winter. I like all of the seasons for different reasons.

Dark and cold mornings are great as I go to the gym at 6 so go and get warm! Before I leave the house it’s still and quiet, no one else is awake.

Dark evenings mean wrapping up (full waterproofs tonight) to take the dog out and coming home and putting on pjs and reading under a blanket. Just now standing in the kitchen cooking and it’s completely dark outside, I love it.

At least in the winter you can always add layers and blankets to keep warm- in a heatwave you just have to suffer!

See I go out more in winter, both for preference and because I feel I should - whereas in summer I will happily lie in the garden / sit by a window reading, while thinking Hello Sky.

I don’t think that’s a weird me thing though, winter is usually when you get main theatre and big cinema releases.

I like all the seasons and I like the changing seasons. Winter is good because the dark morning and night force a slower pace and more rest. I am always relieved when spring arrives though.
Constant rain makes me miserable whatever the season as every outside job is so much harder.

@Duckmylife see I think it's no accident that we all have our calendars busy, here in the northern hemisphere, during winter. We have to. Imagine if you had none of that.. ? No Xmas, no Halloween, no Nye, no nights out catching up with people "because it's near Xmas". And it's cold and dark. Looks a bit different, doesn't it?

I have had episodes of depression and anxiety on and off throughout my life, and I have PMDD and I like winter. I am always cold, even in summer in the UK there is rarely enough sunshine, but in winter it is acceptable to wrap up in lots of warm layers, and to light candles etc. Basically, I like the cosiness of winter. It might be dark outside, but indoors there are sparkly lights and warm blankets, and tasty spices, and Christmas and various seasonal activities to look forward to.

I like seasons in general, and the variety they provide, but I have to admit that I find early Spring really tough. It's cold and damp and my skin is always really dry so I get eczema flare-ups, and I probably have some kind of vitamin D deficiency by that point and I crave warmth, and it feels like such a long time to go until I'll feel warm sun on my skin again and the lighter mornings and evenings just feel depressing because there is light without warmth. If I could afford it and wouldn't feel guilty about the air travel, I'd go on a holiday somewhere really sunny every February.

@HP89 Yes!

It's about embracing the differences. Finding pleasure in what is on offer. So in summer I like the warmth, exposing my skin to the sun, eating in the garden, going to the beach, eating salads and growing my own veg.

In winter I like twinkly fairy lights, sitting in front of a log fire, eating sticky toffee pudding, wearing big thick cosy jumpers and socks and sheepskin lined boots.

I dont have the best mental health but mine is not seasonal and the best weapon I have to combat unhappiness is to find joy where I can.

I'm just ginger, pale, burn easily, get prickly heat, turn beetroot, have a raging thirst and can't sleep if it goes above 21 degrees so the summer is like my own personal torture chamber. That's why I love winter!

True! I just take it as it comes... And look forward to whichever time of year frightens me less 😂

I have very robust mental health and am happy in life. I do not love winter! I quite like the fact that we have different seasons but I can't bear being cold.