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?

This
I love crisp walks at night. Candles and the fireplace on, curtains drawn, family movies and games nights.

I'd love to embrace the dark evenings and do all the snuggling watching boxsets or reading a book on a cosy chair but the reality is I just stare at my phone for longer.
In the summer, I'm out in the evenings. Walks, bike rides or at the park and off my phone.

I am definitely not a natural sunny optimist but I love winter too!

summer is actually my least favorite season.

if anything my mood lifts as the nights draw in and I always start to feel gloomy as they lighten. I am not sure why, but it happens every year.

No. That's something you've mostly made up in your imagination OP 😂

Here you have had many, many people tell you what they love about winter and why they hate summer. We don't all live in cosy houses with angelic children strolling happily through the woods who come home to a superb dinner and merrily play boardgames after. I think you're mixing it up with a Hallmark Christmas movie.

Love the winter clothes and the dog walking

I garden more in winter than summer

I walk WAY more with the dogs in the winter - happy to go for 3-5 hour walks as you don't get cold walking

In summer I'm dying after 30 minute dog walks in the 24 degree heat - I LOATHE being sticky

I like winter because I can cover more of my body, with ease and without question. So no, I wouldn’t say I like winter because of my robust mental health. I like it because I have raging body dysmorphia and an eating disorder always on the edge of ripping back through my life.

I love winter clothes and hats & scarfs. I think I like all the activities in winter like Halloween, my birthday 🤣 and Christmas. I love looking at all the Christmas lights on the way home from work.
I find summer lovely but I don’t do well in hot weather, I don’t have the colouring for it. I burn so so easily so summer is a faff having to put suncream on everyday and the shaving and fake tanning all the time. I think autumn/winter just look prettier.

I love the changing of the seasons, especially spring and autumn as they are so dramatic. We have horses so winter is pretty grim when it's snowy or icey but I do like evenings snuggled up at home, the tree up december and Christmas to look forward to. January seems a bit meh, but then February comes around and it's short and then March things start waking up again.

My least favourite month is probably august. I'm sick of heat, flowers are going over, always seems a wash out. Favourite month October followed by May.

I just assume they have better circulation than me 🤷‍♀️

I detest summer. Really detest it. I have grey photosensitive eyes and everything is just too bright even on dull days. I hate heat above 20*. Flies, sweating, can't sleep and too bright. Strange because I'm July born.

Winter is my happy season. I find everything comforting. I make my home womb like. I love rain, wind, cold, damp. Frost, snow and ice are a bonus.

I wouldn’t say I love winter per se, but I do love being indoors in winter: fire lighting, nice lighting, a good tv show or book. Even better if it’s raining beating against the veluxes. I think I just love being cosy.
equally I love a crisp winter’s day with blue sky and a nice bracing walk, all wrapped up warm.
I can’t say I love getting up in the dark when it’s wet though.

Winter is my least favourite season, it used to make me feel quite low but I learnt to focus on the positives and now I can survive it better. Things I like about winter include frosty mornings, winter food (stews, soups and crumbles), wearing big jumpers meaning I can be overweight and it’s not as noticeable 🤣. I find January and February the worst months, they feel so long and summer seems so far away. I can find positives in all seasons but winter is by far the hardest.
I have a few friends that love winter but hate summer, I guess we are all different, not sure it has anything to do with how happy we are with our lives.

No, I’m quite morose most of the time. Just don’t like bring to hot. I don’t find dark evenings particularly depressing.

I have excellent mental health year round

I don’t like how the summer can increase antisocial behaviour. I used to live by the seaside and the sun would bring out the worse in some people. Especially when booze was involved.

my neighbours spend every waking moment in their garden when it’s sunny, which they are allowed to do, but they are so loud that I can’t stand to be in my own garden.

The dark nights and rain provide Some respite from that.

I also hate the pressure to be outside when it’s sunny. I love walking and being outside, but I also like to stay indoors sometimes regardless of the weather.

I do miss being able to dry my washing outside, but that’s it really!

I have awful MH which is one reason I like the winter so I can hibernate a bit!

I am generally prone to depression and anxiety and I much prefer autumn and winter to spring and summer. I feel particularly depressed in summer because I'm not one of the happy beautiful people in their bikinis off on holiday or off to a garden party with their friends. I like to hide under thick woolly jumpers. I love to go for walks in the cold and rain in a thick cosy coat and wellies without passing another person rather than in summer when everywhere outside is packed full. The sea and beaches are so much more wild and beautiful in winter and I can have a proper walk on them without stepping round sunbathers. I love to come home on a dark evening past all the cosy houses with their lights on. I do live in a city and come home on buses in the dark and rain and I enjoy it. I like the cosiness and sense of solidarity. There are far fewer groups drinking and hanging about in the city in the winter. The parks feel more peaceful. I can bird watch without the leaves getting in the way. I can get my telescope out and watch the stars without needing to stay up late. I can see the planets shining on my way to work. Theres a hill by my kids school where the winter sunrises are amazing.

I used to prefer Summer when I was young as I was out all the time. Now I am coming round to the dark nights, my scruffy house looks better lit by candles and fairy lights, I love getting into my bed after it has been warmed by the electric blanket and with my heavy Winter duvet keeping me snug. If I was not worried about the cost of heating I think I would quite enjoy Winter these days, I was imaging how nice it would be not to have to ration the heating, to be able to have the heating on whenever I needed it but sadly I can't

I love winter before Christmas as I love all the sparkly lights. I hate winter after Christmas and find myself feeling suicidal each year from Jan-Late Feb.

I do like it when it starts going dark early. I have a very busy, and often outdoor, job so it signals that I can switch off and relax.

When it's sunny I feel like I should be doing something outdoors and useful. The winter makes me feel like I can relax and chill out.

Saying that I like it to be hot and sunny at weekends in Summer so I can go in the sea and do the gardening.

I like a rainy day to get the housework and DIY done.

Ideally I would control the weather to suit exactly how I felt and what I wanted to do 😄

Someone after my own heart . I'm planning my winter outfits and looking forward to making spicy pumpkin soup and bonfire night 🙂

My children have all grown up and moved out, Dh works away quite often, we have no heating and I couldn’t think of anything worse than playing a board game 😂

What do you do when you get in from your commute?

Can empathise with this, I have horrible neighbours and the dark and cold does bring respite from them having all the doors and windows open and screeching from 11am til at least 2am the next day.

I can cope with the cold but it’s weeks of endless rain that drives me mad.

Same here. Cold is no problem. 30 plus warmth is no problem. Incessant rain is soul destroying.

I’d say my MH is pretty robust. I prefer lighter seasons but take some enjoyment from the change of the seasons like getting my coats, jumpers and boots out, cosy lights and candles, winter meals and soups etc. I can’t bear this constant rain though.

I don't commute as I'm a sahm. To be fair I don't live either of those extremes...I have just an average house! No aga or log burner and I live in suburban london...so nice parks but no beautiful woodland! I mean I'm pretty good at sitting on the sofa watching telly whatever the weather. I just feel like I at least have more options in summer