It's literally just that much of Britain in the autumn, winter, even spring and summer can be grey, wet and depressing and the environment (or the streets like this where most live who aren't rich) isn't exactly a great place to improve your mental health.
All there is to it really.
To be honest maybe I got it a bit wrong, I think look at the photo below, that's more representative of this place - I actually think looking back I probably misjudged the joke, I think it was almost a joke of a joke, saying about the bottom photo looking so bad yet in this kind of weather and lighting it almost does look alright.
Ngl as someone who lives in California I love days like this and they genuinely do improve my mental health, sunny days give me migraines and sap my energy
I remember a year when we had 12 minutes of sunlight between January and march. It was horrible. At first you don’t really notice because the weather here is often grey, but after weeks of only grey between the longer nights everybody got moody and depressed.
Also an issue is, in the winter especially the weather is like this and it goes pitch black so early on and is pitch black when you wake up, you have very few hours of actual daylight and even then it's covered in clouds.
But the grass is always greener - we had a ridiculous summer where I was for the first time begging for some of this kind of weather, purely because of how stupidly hot and humid it was - and again, in the summer, we have very few hours of night time and the sun rises very early and sets very late.
I'm on the west coast of Canada... grew up here, it gets pretty wet at times. I absolutely adore the rain, the only time I feel completely at peace is while laying in bed listening to the rain at night. Bonus points if camping and hearing rain on the tent.
was gonna echo this living in the central valley. today is overcast and breezy (decidedly NOT raining though) and my stress level just dropped. sun sun and more oppressive sun and heat for months unbroken since april is draining. im telling my boss idgaf whats on the calendar, the first full day of rain I'm using whatever leave credits i must to enjoy the increasingly-rare sky water. everyone speaks about this brewing el nino in a hushed panic, and im gesturing broadly at the dwindling snowpack, maybe itll help the state's water crisis?
I guess why many from hot places enjoy going to colder climates, the same way where people from colder climates enjoy hotter climates.
The ideal is to have a decent mixture - but the UK is like this so much of the time, and you see the sun so little - that it really does start to make you a bit depressed.
Even though we had so much sun this summer I can't say I miss it too much.
Same for me. I can't stand people having the attitude of "It's a horrible day today" just because there's clouds, or even some life-giving, much needed RAIN.
Rainy days genuinely make me happy, look and smell better, and make me excited to go for walks.
during the rest of the year, do you get sun sometimes at least? Like if I look up and see there is sun for an hour per day can I go walk in it then? Considering moving from socal to south sound area and the only thing that has me worried is the sun.
Hahahaha have you seen the Portlandia sketch about sun seekers? It's a pretty accurate representation of our sun patterns the rest of the year. People break out the shorts when it hits over 60°! There's plenty to walk in as long as you're okay with overcast, and over half of our "rain" is actually a light mist, which is why the stereotype of the stubborn umbrella-less seattleite exists.
I have driven into places like this in England in the Fall. This place hits different when you’re a tourist, not depressing. More like astonishment because it’s all new.
As someone who lived in England for my childhood and early adult life and now live in California, it really is a meaningful difference to your mental health.
As a Texan I completely agree. We haven’t had measurable rain where I live since the beginning of spring. And we hadn’t had rain 6 months before that or something.
My favorite days in the world are 55 degrees and rainy. I could never get tired of it.
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u/misterblobbysgrandma 1d ago edited 11h ago
As a Brit I can explain this.
It's literally just that much of Britain in the autumn, winter, even spring and summer can be grey, wet and depressing and the environment (or the streets like this where most live who aren't rich) isn't exactly a great place to improve your mental health.
All there is to it really.