How do you cope with winter?

[Wintercopping]

Posting for some traffic and advice.

Being in the UK for nearly 20 years; grew up in a country near the Ecuator with no seasons.

I wonder if I ever going to get use to the English grey skies and darkness; especially in winter.

I do meditation, yoga, take magnesium, vitamin D, have a SAD lamp. What else can I do? DH and kids don’t seem affected by it.

We can’t move for the moment; our jobs are here and would like youngest to finish school, currently in year 9.

Interestingly my husband grew up in a hot country with no seasons but he loves the seasons in the UK.
Though we met and lived in a country with far more extreme seasons for a few years before we moved to the UK. So he got used to it there as well.
I think a lot of people feel a bit deflated at times during winter, I know I do, but I'm also very used to it and used to getting out and about in all weathers.
I dislike the rain far more than the cold, because that does make me feel a bit more trapped indoors.
I think the only way to cope is to work through the mindset, try and find good things about winter and enjoy those. Try and get into the festive spirit. Book holidays over the cold months. I think we're going to try and go away in January.
(Personally I find January/February the worst because I enjoy the Christmas period)
I hate driving home in the dark etc. It's definitely a bit less enjoyable than summer overall but there's pros and cons to all the seasons.
My friends and I try to do a girls weekend away each winter, just cosy up at an air bnb, have refreshing walks and pub lunches. But if not just hunker down and plan games, catch up.
Trying to have things to look forward to might help with the humdrum of daily life?
But you're not alone, winter definitely does bring other people down a little bit.

Hibernating as much as I can mostly. I don't agree that fresh air is good for you whatever the temperature. Unfortunately being a runner I get regular fresh winter air anyway but God I'm always tempted to splash out on a treadmill every year.

Mulling over trying to ignore the clock change. I don't need it to be light when I wake up but I'd sure like to get further than mid-afternoon before I can't see outside.

Remembering that I sleep a thousand times better in the winter than in the summer, even if everything else about summer is more pleasant.

I also don't really mind it being grey and dark - I just mind it being dark at 4pm specifically. It's the cold and the wet I can't stand. I'll take grey skies if the temperature's 16 degrees.

I've lived here all my life and I'll never be used to it. I hate how it gets dark early. It's affects mental health hugely. I use a SAD lamp and take vitamin d. Once my kids are older I'd love to move somewhere warm and sunny or at least have more holidays!

Honestly just get into nature as much as possible with some good gear- fresh air nice walks, I find the more I’m inside the more I ‘feel’ it all

Sounds like you’re from Sg or Malaysia. Personally I hate the tropical weather (I live in SE Asia) and I can’t wait to get back to four seasons including winter.

Just came on to express solidarity, OP. I was born here and I bloody hate it, especially since we don’t seem to have seasons anymore, just endless grey skies, damp and darkness from October to March.

Lots of good advice here - I definitely think getting out in the daylight helps (plus D3 with K2 as a supplement), wearing bright cheerful colours lifts your spirits a bit, and a holiday somewhere sunny in the winter breaks up the gloom if you can afford it.

I also think lighting makes a massive difference, particularly if you’re north facing. Lots of small, low sources of light (lamps, candles, fairy lights) creates a much more cosy, uplifting atmosphere than having bright lights everywhere or (shock horror!) putting The Big Light on. Heavier curtains in a fabric like velvet can help block out that horrible dank twilight which gets earlier and earlier, and always makes me feel instantly sad and anxious. As soon as it starts I batten down the hatches and get all the twinkly stuff on, which stops me getting that horrible feeling.

If I need to travel/commute at that time I always have headphones with a good audiobook or music, plus make sure I dress so my hands and feet stay really warm. But after a lifetime of this I’m moving to a sunny country just as soon as I bloody can!

Oh yes, can definitely empathise with this. Winter is clear up time, put in Spring Bulbs, forget where they are, and have a lovely surprise in the Spring😁

Leaf raking is good exercise, lots of other things like this. So long as I can get outside at some point, get my joints working, my heart pumping, I feel so much better. We made a sort of workout area in our (big) attic during lockdown. It has three windows up there, and is great for using a bike on training rollers. Connect to cycling app, and we pedal all over the World. And I lost three stone!

Lights on as soon as you wake up in the morning, if you have a woodburner lighting it in the evening makes it feel cosier. Morning coffee or tea as a pick me up and maybe some snacks.
I basically look forward to Christmas to get through but it is very dark and gloomy.
If you can afford a holiday in January I recommend it after the Christmas season has ended.. Probably the worst month.
You just live with it, I definitely noticed I feel a lot perkier in the spring.
Also frosty but sunny winter mornings can be nice for activities and walks if you wrap up warm.

Well I do a lot of moaning about it; it’s shit isn’t it op.
Do you have any relatives overseas you could visit?

I used to hate UK winters and feel really down at the prospect of it being months until Spring. Then I decided I didn't want to waste my life feeling miserable for a quarter to a third of the year! So much of it is about mindset and leaning into Winter since you can't change the seasons.

So now I do all of the hygge things that Mumsnet seems to hate. Candles, lamps for low lighting, fairy lights indoors, blankets, warm bedding, hot chocolate. The whole cliche of getting cosy. But it helps if my house feels comfortable and somewhere to relax in.

Spend some money to get the right stuff. A really warm winter coat, a hat and gloves that you love. Knitwear that you enjoy wearing. I agree with a PP about bright colours....my Winter coat is hot pink and makes me smile.

I wrap up warm and go on walks during the daytime. I go to the gym or do yoga at home when it's dark.

I focus on comfort food. Casseroles with lots of vegetables, spicy soups, food that feels hearty. I also take my vitamins.

I find really good books, TV series and podcasts. I go to bed earlier and rest more. I view it a bit like I'm hibernating like the rest of nature does.

Find things to look forward to. Book a holiday, plan things for Christmas, plant bulbs for the spring, go to a bonfire night display. Go out and socialise with friends.

In Spring and Summer I focus on the garden and making that nice, we have BBQs and I sit outside with a gin and tonic. In the colder months I focus on the house and making that feel lovely. Get decluttering, we go for pub lunches, go to the cinema with friends, I drink red wine and treat myself to trying a different bottle with DH each weekend.

I absolutely love Winter so I can't help but as a PP said I think the trick is to lean into it and see it as a friend rather than an enemy. The thing I hate is rain, and that can happen at any point in the year! That really does make me miserable, no matter how much I try and reframe it as necessary.

Every season is beautiful in its own way - as a Pagan I love the slow turn of the wheel of the year with the animals hibernating and the seeds in the earth waiting for the call of spring.

Using and eating foods that have been bottled or preserved during the times of summer plenty reminds me that this will pass. I take the time to rest, recuperate, do crafts, mend things about the house, plan Christmas, spend more time with family and friends, write, listen to music, podcasts, go to the theatre and cinema...

Winter is hard to get through, but there is much to love about it - frosty mornings, feeding the birds who can't reach the worms as easily in the hard ground, a hazy light sun in a cold blue sky, long walks wrapped up with the promise of a hot drink at the end of it. I live by the sea, and the colours of the water in Winter, endless shades of greys and blues and greens, heal my soul.

As Yule approaches I give thanks for the lengthening days and look forward to Nature reawakening again after her sleep.

I love the myth of the Cailleach, the old woman of winter. I find it a way to be able to romanticise an otherwise dismal time of the year. She's linked to Corn Dollies and the belief that the last person to reap their crops would be responsible for feeding the Cailleach all winter as a house guest. There's so much mythology and many tales that make Winter seem more appealing than the reality!

Weekend trips to south Spain, personally. Obviously not every weekend, but gives you something to look forward to.

I think forcing yourself to go out for a walk really helps with motivation. It wakes you up, releases endorphins and just generally gives you energy to get stuff done. I wouldn't survive winter if I didn't have a long walk each day.

Move to the sea- the light is so much better and gives th.e illusion of less darkness generally. Appreciate you probably can't do this.

I hate winter, always have but I live in Cornwall now and it's a bit better as it's not as cold ( we rarely get frost) and walking along the beach or swimming in the sea year round improves winter a bit.

I live by the sea, not in the UK, but I’d miss not having the sea with the waves freeze over and the pier not being caked in ice..it’s beautiful!

Winter, while it may not be cold at the moment for many, is a season of early darkness in the evenings. That psychologically shuts me down somewhat and I tend to hibernate a lot.

I cope well with it all though and know that Spring is not far away after the Solstice.

However, I absolutely and controversially probably - hate the run up to Christmas and the forced jollity of that season and the New Year. Just me maybe, as it is a frenzy and a very spendy time too especially for those under financial pressure. It also tends to mean family stress, hosting, arguments, expense etc. Not for all I know, but for many.

I cope with all that by legging it out of the country around the 15th December and get back mid January. To a place where the weather is nice but not roasting at all, and where Christmas, while celebrated is very low key.

Then when back, the nights are getting a bit of a stretch and Spring is practically here. Yes I know I'm lucky and I am grateful. I don't know how I would cope with being here for Christmas/New Year, but I did it for years so I suppose I'd survive!

Hi @Wintercopping I sympathise hugely, it's chuffing grim at times and winter sun may be the only way to properly lift your spirits.

But this thread might help get you into the winter vibe -

The Nigel Slater Christmas Chronicles Readalong 2024 www.mumsnet.com/Talk/christmas/5193723-the-nigel-slater-christmas-chronicles-readalong-2024

However, I absolutely and controversially probably - hate the run up to Christmas and the forced jollity of that season and the New Year. Just me maybe, as it is a frenzy and a very spendy time too especially for those under financial pressure. It also tends to mean family stress, hosting, arguments, expense etc. Not for all I know, but for many

I hate it too. So much pressure and stress made worse by the lack of daylight. Awful month.

Log fire, glass of red wine and a good book. Bliss.

What do I do?
Put the heating on
Wear clothing appropriate to the weather when I go out.
It's a bit rubbish when it's dark on the way to work and dark on the way home, but not to the point that I feel the need to deliberately do something to compensate for it tbh.
I live in Cumbria, so the weather is shit for most of the year anyway

I think some people never fully adjust to it and struggle every winter, no matter what they do, my parents couldn't cope with it after 40 years and moved abroad.

At this time of year it's dark when I go to work, dark when I come home, I don't see daylight for up to 5 days in a row but I'm the type of person that enjoys it, I could easily live further north and would love to experience the polar night in the arctic circle, endless darkness for 4 months.

I take high strength vitamin D from September onwards, keep myself busy and enjoy all the cosy things that come with the colder months.

My experience is travelling without children, but I’ve seen people with children of all ages in all of the below countries, including in deep caves (a bit extreme in my view), on snorkeling trips etc. I was amazed by how comfortable and happy the children were even when not in places with water slides and…whatever else children need on holiday :)) :

Thailand - is popular for a reason. It’s cheap (esp if you don’t mine eating in local restaurants etc) and safe. I went there several times, we hired a car last time and travelled throughout Thailand. Without a car you can do a few days in Bangkok (it’s easy to use public transport once you get the hang of it) and then fly to one of the islands. The north is ok but only if you want to hike to remote villages etc, which may be hard with children. The more popular islands are more expensive. I went to Koh Lanta last winter, glorious. The entire 3 weeks holiday, car hire, food and accomodation came to £2,000 per person based on 2 sharing (including a little resort right on the beach).

Vietnam is perhaps even cheaper and really interesting (if you like visiting floating villages etc so nothing fancy) but more difficult to get from north to south unless you fly.

Philippines is my favourite because i love island hopping, lots of snorkeling, anything on and in water (especially in the Palawan area). Glorious rice terraces up north but not green in the winter.

Sri Lanka is also very nice, the area where the tea plantations are is so beautiful. There’s a train journey in that area which is stunningly beautiful. Saw elephants on the road, monkeys stealing our breakfast in the little ‘jungle’ place we stayed in, peacocks everywhere. I still remember eating an icecream at a small temple and seeing, with the corner of my eye, how the monkeys gathered above me, closer and closer. I genuinely felt like pray being stalked by predators 😀. I wisely handed my icecream to one of the monkeys who proceeded to lick it just like us humans do. Or monkeys begging from humans with their little ‘hands’ cupped just like human beggars and making little noises. Adorable and a bit disturbing in equal measures.

Cambodia is worth going to if you want to see Angkor wat, but I think it may be a bit too hot and exhausting for small children.

Myanmar- hmm, lots (too many) temples to visit but maybe not for small children.

In comparison, I found South America more expensive, felt a little bit less safe (perhaps I just prefer the Asian culture more), I didn’t enjoy the food as much. Mentioning this is another location where it’s HOT in the winter.

Check where is the right season - wet/ dry

im off to Borneo this winter, can’t wait!

I could easily live further north and would love to experience the polar night in the arctic circle, endless darkness for 4 months

Just the thought of it makes me feel depressed beyond belief

But it doesn’t feel as dark with all the white snow.