Anyone else get a bit anxious at the change of season?

[Frreshbeddingcosynights]

I'll start by saying that I am longing for better weather, lighter evenings, flowers and leaves on the trees.

But there is also part of me that gets a bit anxious when Spring is nearly here.

I'm not entirely sure why. I think that I feel as though there's a lot of pressure to be outside having a good time and making the most of the weather. Which is often a big let down.

I get really really hot at night and it's so noisy with the windows open. Summer has always bought out more crime and antisocial behaviour round here.

Anyone else? Or anyone want to remind me of the positives of Spring/Summer.

Me too. When September starts creeping up I feel so unready to have colder months. I could happily live in summer all year round. It didn't help that last year I'd felt like we had such a shit summer too. In autumn it feels like summer is such a long way away again I hate it!

Really? Never heard of this transitional anxiety, nor has anyone else I know, so not sure how this is 'normal' in women

This!

how do you mark this transitional change? It’s so slow I don’t notice. I mean, I’ve woken up today thinking ooh nice and sunny, might put the washing out. But I don’t start getting worried it might be the start of spring, because likely it will be windy and rainy again tomorrow- does that mean we’re back in winter? Or I was wrong about the start of spring? Is that what we’re anxious about, the uncertainty?

or do we go with the 21st “official” season change day and it’s the date that triggers anxiety?

I don't really think about it too much. The seasons just slowly change. I do love the Spring though I always think it's like nature is waking up. I'm not sure why that would cause anxiety.

No, this sounds like crazy talk to me; I’ve been counting down the weeks to be able to work in the garden again. I finally feel alive and not held in miserable stasis!

February is the worst month. It’s been dark and damp for so long by February that it feels unending and spring is out of reach. I’m also skint after the raft of January birthdays running straight after Christmas.

Thank fuck it’s over for another year!

Oh 100 per cent. I’m hoping it’s not too dry and sunny today because kids will be on the rampage outside screaming until after dark. It’s the transition into the Spring that affects me. I look forward to the darker evenings because we don’t see anyone for months.

Linen trousers actually suit about 0.1% of the population. They're very "middle aged English lady making a failed attempt at chic on a Mediterranean holiday". Especially if white (shudder).

I know what you mean OP. There's an energy to the season which can quickly tip over into anxiety. It's great, it's optimistic, it's beautiful, but our Neolithic selves are screaming "GET OUT AND SOW THEM SEEDS AND DELIVER THEM LAMBS!! QUICKETY QUICK!" I'm suddenly getting insomnia again after months of deep winter sleep.

I feel the exact same. I prefer autumn/winter as I don’t feel like I should be outside doing something. I feel there is a weird pressure to be doing something and it makes me so anxious

Personally I love this time of year (very early Spring) and enjoy early summer, but by August I’m desperate for Autumn as I’ve usually got insomnia, anxiety, feel stressed and have summer burnout. Crazy to some but then I don’t understand those that struggle with Autumn/Winter. We’re all different. However I think if some people really do suffer with some form of seasonal SAD, be it summer or winter, or just certain parts of the year because of associations, perhaps a few nice days can get them anxious about summer as it represents their difficult time of year. A bit like having a panic about having a panic attack before it even happens. I get this when I’m flying. Makes no logical sense sometimes but you generally can’t control anxiety by being logical sadly.

This isn’t something I experience but it’s really interesting to hear others talking about

No, I love spring in particular. It’s a reminder whenever it rolls around though that I’m geting older!!

I have this. It's like a switch flips. Last week I started to notice changes in the tone of the light and my mood has been plummeting since, to the point I'm now not really functioning and have started having suicidal thoughts.

Some years are worse than others depending on how much sunshine there is during the transition. I don't dislike sunshine, it's that it makes the change in the colour of the light more apparent. I love the light on a sunny autumn or winter day.

It feels very isolating because people say things like, you'll feel better in the spring, the nights are getting lighter, everything feels worse in winter. I've tried to explain to people in the past but they look at me like I'm mad. On here posters often get piled on if they say they dislike spring and summer.

I get anxious in Spring, mostly because of my weight and i like to hide under my winter clothes and the thought of exposing my arms makes me feel ill. Usually by Summer I've made some peace with myself but every year I swear I will lose enough weight to stop the cycle but every year it's the same. Maybe a few lbs here or there but nothing drastic enough to not have ugly arms.

@TheFatCatsWhiskers1 They do get piled on. It’s like some sort of weird pressure to be grateful for the lighter evenings. The ball is out, much as I knew it would be. It’s just general arsehole where I live

Yes my take is it’s probably caused by a chemical change in the brain, just like a lack of light can do to some in Winter. More unusual this way round it seems, but still happens and you’re not alone. I’m very lucky, I don’t get depression, just anxiety and a manic feeling along with insomnia. Almost like I’ve binged on coffee/sugar and feel totally wired & over stimulated, plus it takes to the end of July to build up to unpleasant levels, but others may be a lot more sensitive. I’ve found good blackout curtains help as I can have darker cosier evenings even in late summer which really helps. Definitely speak to someone if you’re feeling really bad though, even Samaritans or something. Sometimes someone just listening, understanding and validating how you feel can help x

February is the worst month. It’s been dark and damp for so long by February that it feels unending and spring is out of reach

God, I really disagree.

January is awful. So long, so dark, so cold. And still skint and fat from Christmas 😂

February to me has been great. Slightly less cold, some flowers start coming up, and you can see the nights getting lighter every week. The start of Feb always feels like the hopeful pre-start to Spring to me.

And now it's March, well, my flipflops are out and my toes will be on display daily until the end of September again 😁

Or..they are ‘woman trying to be cool and comfortable’. Which is pretty much all a sensible person would care about.
Nice bit if ageism and classism alongisde your judgemental comment there.

I also struggle with how busy it is everywhere in Summer now, 10-15 years ago you could head out to a popular spot, event or National Trust type place and it be busy, but not too overcrowded. Now these places are horribly busy, car parks closed due to being full, and it all takes so much stress & energy to get there, then there’s massive queues for the cafe/toilets etc, so it’s not very enjoyable. Not sure if I’m imagining it, but it seems to have got a lot busier since the pandemic. For example, we have been going to a large local event which has about 3 or 4,000 people there every May for 15 years. Use to be able to buy a ticket on the door at the event, now the tickets are purely sold online and sell out in under 5-10 mins when released in December and they’ve increased their attendance numbers so more tickets available. Just a bit bewildered why it’s so much busier!

I agree with this - I also get anxious in Spring, not for any rational reason, and it’s interesting to know others do too. This could well be an explanation. Maybe the answer is to become more active at this time of year, start new projects and embrace the feeling?

I love winter time its the best time of the year dark at 4 bliss cold fog frost and i love storms rain all the weather MN hates i love.

I do like summer some of it but it dont like me its the start of many many migraines.
And its the noise of the kids in the holidays i dont mind noisey kids if its that sort of fun noise its the screaming and shouting noise i cant stand.

@BlumminFreezin - January is one long birthday party, so I’m too busy gritting my teeth for all of that to care. We have 8 major family birthdays in January. It’s a nightmare of a different sort.

In February I have the space to look around me and yep, still dark, still miserable, still too soggy to get outside AND I’m broke.

No, I'm always ready for the new season (no matter what season it is).

Not anxious, but I do get this odd momentary confusion sometimes when the season is changing of 'Hang on... are we going from winter to spring, or spring to winter?'

I get depressed in the summer. Didn't realise I wasn't the only one!