November depressing month?

Ahhh sorry to hear you got wet at such an hour Mollygo! Its good for us to move though, Before I got the dog I never went out and was severely depressed all the time. They do bring so much joy. Hope you warm up soon.

Fortunately mine is happy with the garden in the evening, being a smallish one.

OnwardandUpward, as I sit here at 23:04 drying out again you’re right about dogs!!

If you have a dog you go out every day in all weathers and it does you good I can't even begin to imagine my dogs face if I hibernated for even one day- and I'm glad I dont want to because it help to get daylight.

When you battle MH, SAD and other health problems , doing the thing you least want to do can help you the most. I'm also very odd and too old to change my ways haha

October is my favourite month but I love November and December and January and February and March … In fact it’s only in May that I start looking forward to October - I’m With Anne of Green Gables! I’m very odd in case you hadn’t realised!

I am getting ready to hibernate....hahaha

This is an old article, it's been a few years since I started to Hygge but it explains it in case anyone was wondering. www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-year-of-hygge-the-danish-obsession-with-getting-cozy

I especially like the bit where it explains that Hygge originates from a sixteenth-century Norwegian term, hugga, meaning “to comfort” or “to console,” which is related to the English word “hug".

I think this is why I like laying in bed listening to the rain on a stormy night...

Don’t find November particularly depressing to be honest. But hate January, seems to go on for ever, the dark evenings plus everything feels flat after Christmas and New Year.

Thanks Tiggy W.

I don't like the dark nights either, but August was just oppressive. I am so grateful not to live with that heat that I am trying to see the good in this month. I lit the room with candles last night as we had company, it looked so lovely. I'm very much into Hygge, which helps.

Ahh all we have is Geraniums in our garden now but I saw lots of flowers in other peoples gardens which I photographed on my walk. So much colour what with berries and Autumn leaves. It rained just after we got in from our walk, so I hope my timing is as good tomorrow!

OnwardandUpward - lovely pics! 👍
I don’t like the dark evenings in the Autumn/Winter, but at least they’re more comfortable than the hot nights of last Summer!
I like lots of lights (battery-operated🙄), flowers and colourful clothes in Winter. I know the flowers are imported, though, but it keeps people employed. 😕(We had home-grown dahlias and roses until last week.) I like to get plenty of fresh air and exercise while it’s daylight. 😎

Yes I definitely have SAD syndrome in November

I have always loathed November ….and as far back as 4 generations not one member of my family has dared be born in it 30 days…. Not one! And all the youngsters get warned …no November births!! 😀

The reason I think I hate that poem is that I hear people saying "Oh November is such a depressing month" as soon as it's November and I blame the poem and it's conditioning for that. If no one heard that poem perhaps they would not write off an entire month of their lives.

January’s my least favourite month - all the cheerful Christmas lights and decorations gone (anyone who hates Christmas will welcome that, I dare say! ) - it’s just dreary, and too early yet for spring flowers, except the odd snowdrop.

Having said that, though, it’s not usually as bad as I fear - we often get some quite nice days here in the SE - and of course the days are already getting noticeably longer.

Thanks Farzanah

Thank you for your lovely pics Onward.

I did say I hate the poem and I do.

You can't have a rainbow without rain, you can't have a summer without the other seasons and you can't have an omlette without breaking eggs. You just make the best of it and know it's only temporary. None of us will ever have this day again, I do know that, so I try to make the best of things.

@Argymargy Yes well, I didn't say buck up at any point did I? What I have said is that there are good and bad things in every season. I know that Seasonal Affective disorder exists, which is why it's important to get out for a lunchtime walk for myself and others. Choosing to make the most of what is a darker time of year. Perhaps if I did not have a dog to take for walks I would moulder under a blanket and miss out on the lovely things I saw? Dogs know how to enjoy themselves, at least.

I have really struggled over the past few weeks so it's good to know I am not alone.

I am lighting candles and using Neal's Yard Energy remedy to roll. Helpful to a point, but some days the gloom doesn't lift.

It's my Mum's 42nd anniversary soon, closely followed by my brother's.

I suppose all we can do is fight the gloom as best we can and make sure we are taking care of ourselves well.

December is my depressing month
I hate Christmas
Bar humbug me
I just come along for the ride
I love Autumn blowing away my cobwebs

I have two big birthdays in the first two weeks of November. Then it’s a lull, the calm before the storm of busy- that is Christmas. I understand what you mean. It’s almost as though time stands still. The sameness of nature and time, day in and out. Then suddenly it’s almost too bright, too busy, too much of everything.

Oooh the beach looks lovely Susieq62

I admit that I had to force myself to go out today, but I always feel it's been worth it when I do even if I get wet.

"I don't mean to be rude, want to explode the myth of "november" being a depressing month. Any month is depressing if you are depressed, but there are always ways you can reframe that experience and improve your MH. I choose to see the good in each day and to celebrate the small joys, whatever they may be."

Well meant, I'm sure, but the last thing a depressed person needs to hear is "buck up and just reframe yourself". Seasonal Affective Disorder is real and affects many people, who can't just "choose" to be happy.

We had a glorious week away in Northumberland last week and the weather was almost perfect . Today it has rained continuously and on our walk we were soaked to our knickers! November is totally unpredictable! I hate the darkness of it all and I have to really force myself to get out of the house. This was Warkworth beach !

I think how you think about something determines what you see in it.

For instance, here is a photo of all the beautiful things I saw on my dog walk at lunchtime today. Yes, we timed it just right because it rained when we got in- but the sun was there and it was warm and lovely.

In the summer I found it hard having to get up so early to walk the dog before it became oppressively hot, so I love midday walks this time of year when the sun is at it's best. There are good and bad things about every season, really.

I agree with everyone who likes November and the build up to Christmas. There is colour everywhere, the leaves, some days with bright blue skies, a pile of satsumas at the greengrocer. And we have two family birthdays this month.
I've never liked January or February, so cold and miserable, with all the celebrations over. Except for the birth of my son in January, but now he is no longer with us, so it's just sad. sad ,sad.Then I can't wait for Spring to arrive.