What time of the year do you find most difficult?

[OliveCrab]

Christmas is always a stress.

This summer was perfect for me

Jan, feb and march are all grim months - takes forever to get to April, when at least things start to get better weather wise again.

November and February are fucking miserable

I find the first three months of the year to be a bit of a slog. Especially as I have a dog so have to confront the elements and mud every day.

I also find unbearable heat to be… unbearable.

I don't like hot weather and it only gets dark for a few hours where I am so I feel like I get less sleep so summer is the time I like least. I love this time of year the most autumn and winter. I really like Christmas especially from Christmas Eve onwards as for me Christmas only really begins then. I don't mind the prep but I do sometimes find shopping a bit stressful as I don't enjoy that at the best of times.

november
the clocks change
its dark
christmas is stressful
january and february too, icy

Winter. I enjoy Christmas, but after that it's just bleak until spring.

i might feel differently if i didnt have to drive to and from work, i really need to finish earlier so i dont have to drive home in the dark and rain,

January to early March. Cold, skint and not much happening.

November and December are my least favourite months. I hate the run up to Christmas, the stress, the chaos, the excess, the Christmas music on every radio station and all the Christmas stuff on tv and in the shops. Everywhere I look and everything I hear - Christmas.
It’s cold, grey, wet, miserable. Can’t stand it when it barely gets light during the day in mid to late December. It’s peak S.A.D. time for me.

November and December. I love Christmas though, and it's a huge relief when the Christmas holidays arrive (I'm a teacher).

Me too. We had a few days when it got up to 30 which was horrible but other than that it was really good in Kent.

Now that I'm single I find winter very lonely.

Summer.

The heat is one thing.
But the pressure to try and give DD a 6 week holiday of memories and making the most of the weather and holidays abroad etc.

And people calling you miserable and a fun killer if you dislike the heat or if you don't drink alcohol or if you don't enjoy sitting in beer gardens listing to idiots talking bollocks.

I find all that way more stressful than Christmas tbh.

Autumn. I hate the dampness

November & December, feels so long and dark with added stress about Christmas. I love Christmas itself but the whole build up and non stop stuff makes it stressful.

Summer. I hate the hot weather, everywhere is busy, and we’re always short staffed at work. I like the current time of year- getting colder and outdoor places are empty.

I struggle between what was DM's birthday (early September) and the anniversary of her death (late October). I think I'm thinking about her a lot more in this period, plus the days are drawing in, it's raining, we're all adjusting to the DC being back at school, we inevitably get ill and it's just shit.

Once it starts getting festive I'm ok again, strangely, despite the fact that we're also missing lots of family members over Christmas.

This. I try and embrace it, but it only works up to a point.

I absolutely loathe January to Spring. Dark, wet, cold, aaaages until decent weather or a respite from twigs and mud everywhere. Plus, everyone is skint, fat, trying to diet and/or not drink, and generally miserable. If I could ever afford it, I'd book a holiday every February to look forward to, but that'll never happen so I'll be staying a miserable cow for the foreseeable future!

I don't mind Autumn these days. Used to be my favourite season until the small children years hit - I hated it then for ages because the Christmas prep, the financial stress, the endless bloody illnesses and juggling work all felt harder with less light and worse weather. Now they're older I'm just starting to like it again, even the run up to Christmas (got married on 1 December last year so that helped!).

I don't take time off work other than the odd day here and there (self employed and skint) - except for the week between Christmas and New Year, so I do like that too!

I can't bear November. The time from the clocks going back to winter solstice is just too dark, damp, dank and miserable. I've learned to appreciate the Christmas break and time with the family but since my mum died it's never been my best time. It seems to amplify loss, and is also far more labour intensive than any other holiday.

January is better because the house feels fresh and tidy once all the decorations go and I can watch the days drawing out a little more each day.

Spring will always be my favourite time.

January, it’s cold, Christmas is over, feels forever till spring!

August, it’s often warm but really wet and muggy here, kids are off and everywhere is so busy and expensive and it’s hard to entertain them!

January - all the cheerful Christmas lights/decorations gone, just a long cold wintry slog until it warms up.

But it’s never as bad as I dread, and once the spring flowers start appearing in February, they cheer me up a bit.

Same here , they are nothing months to be gotten through before signs of spring

I allow myself the misery of January. It’s dark travelling to and from work, I’m usually studying and willing the snowdrops out. I try and push myself out of it for February as I can’t spend two months of the year down in the dumps about something beyond my control and is so predictable.

By 1st February it’s light at 5pm and there’s a feeling that the worst is over. Half term is almost here and it’s a short month.

Once I retire I intend to jet off the third week of January to somewhere light and warm.