Has Moving to a Warm and Sunny Climate Made You Happier?

[Shono]

I lived in Perth for about 3 years. Lot of sunshine there. At least 8 or 9 months of sunshine.

I left because my visa ran out and I over stayed my welcome as I didn't want to return to Ireland. Ireland was still effected from the 2008 recession so I didn't want to go home . If I could of stayed I would have but some part of me is glad I didn't stay because the whole covid thing over there was disgraceful.

im from canada

 

[KindlyCutTheCrap]

I lived in Perth for about 3 years. Lot of sunshine there. At least 8 or 9 months of sunshine.

I left because my visa ran out and I over stayed my welcome as I didn't want to return to Ireland. Ireland was still effected from the 2008 recession so I didn't want to go home . If I could of stayed I would have but some part of me is glad I didn't stay because the whole covid thing over there was disgraceful.

Ah, that's why the stats find the main cohort of illegal immigrants in Australia are Brits & Irish who outstay their visas

 

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[AppleTree]

I will definitely say that being under the sun will definitely make you more motivated and energized. Even if you don't have access to sunlight, vitamin d supplements or a sunlight lamp can definitely help.

 

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[Pain Brain]

View attachment 52323
Maybe I'll stay here in the UK, as you can see I'm enjoying every minute of it. ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍

You look like you are having fun. Might come join you. UK is nice this year.

 

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[Paul David]

You look like you are having fun. Might come join you. UK is nice this year.

Yes if you’re a penguin!

 

[Everyman]

I thought about making a Phoenix pilgrimage as others have done here but my fiancé does not want to move and she has a extremely high paying scripted job in healthcare that she loves.

Well maybe she can move her job to somewhere more sunny? Doesn't have to be Phoenix. There are so many nice places in the US. Or moving is out of the question?

• Not every place that gets cold gets snow.
• Not every place that gets cold has mountains anywhere nearby.
• Many people can't do winter sports because of f*cked up knees. And if you have healthy knees but have never done any winter sports, you'll probably promptly F*ck them up permanently if you're older than 30-40.
• Doing sports in cold weather sucks. You'll be cold, then you'll sweat, then you'll be cold and hot at the same time and you'll hate your life.
• Doing winter sports doesn't change the fact that it's cold, dark, and miserable.
• Yes I hate winter.

This is true too. A lot of good points about different things. I wouldn't recommend taking up skiing to someone who doesn't do sports daily. Esp. cycling helps strengthen knees and those muscles.

I only mentioned what helped me and still helps - finding fun and ways to reframe it in my mind - it makes a huge difference to me.

You reminded me of this commercial (not you personally, this is about all of us). You can hate winter and it's ok. I sometimes feel hate too.

View: https://youtu.be/obdd31Q9PqA?si=CtlevD5OzZbfNQNH

For me it's not so much the cold but more the rainy gray dark days. It's been raining the past 2 weeks in the netherlands, constant. We get some daylight between 9-5 and then it's dark again. Today for the first time in a while the sun was out and the effect on my mood is incredible.

A friend of mine is spending 9 months in Valencia, spain. I'm going to do the same next year, be there from october-april and then get back to the netherlands when it gets to hot. I looked it up once and it is on of the places with the most sun hours in the world. (Or at least in the parts where i would consider living)

I get it. It is even darker in Ireland. But I get it how miserable it can be.

--------------------------

I am working on reframing it so the weather doesn't control my life as much. In the end, I get it, it does. But we also can do so much more than we think and feel, even in the most shit conditions.

----------------------------


Moving to less sunny, more wet and darker climate made me 'happier' It can make us happier, it can make us sadder. Depends....

 

[Paul David]

I dread the weekends during this time of year.

Woke up yesterday around 7.30am as usual, could hear the rain and wind outside and I honestly couldn't think of anything to do so I lay there and spent some time looking at shit on my phone and snoozing on and off until I could take no more.

Got up, got in my car and drove 30 mins to a seaside place (it was windy and rainy still) did a lap of the town and drove back home. That killed an hour of my time.

Came home had some lunch and as the rain had stopped I went for my usual daily walk (10k steps). Wasn't particularly enjoyable as it was still windy. That killed another hour and half of my day.

Pretty much did nothing for the rest of the day, got some crips and chocolate to cheer myself up then had a quick look at skyline webcams and seen a beach full of people in Spain so turned it off as it wasn't helping my mood.

All you do this time of year is wish your life away waiting for better weather, there's literally nothing to do unless you're eating or drinking (and I'm doing dry January so drinking is out of the question).

Bored, Bored, F*cking bored.

 

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[Paul David]

Honestly wake up every morning and hate every day.

Can't wait for our two week summer in July.

Weather is absolutely depressing.

 

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[UK_Mike]

Honestly wake up every morning and hate every day.

Can't wait for our two week summer in July.

Weather is absolutely depressing.

Yes, but on the bright side it's lighter earlier in the morning, and later in the evening. It won't be long, I'm just starting to see that it's heading towards better weather. Rain is irritating, I was going to an event this weekend but it's been cancelled because of flooding.

 

[Paul David]

Just moved from Ireland to Malaga, Spain. Jeez, such a different feeling. This is life! Love Ireland like my mother but I can’t spend too much time with her
UK & Ireland have difficult climate to deal with, especially when you’re coming from continental Europe like me. Humidity, very unpredictable weather. Staying in the home most of the time because it is miserable outside… this is not fun for me. This is not life…
In Spain I try to spent most of the time outside. In Ireland I could barely do 5k steps. In Spain I do at least 15k daily.

Yes and lucky that because you're Irish you can move to Spain without any restrictions. Not like me because of the idiots who voted for Brexit.

 

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[David Fitz]

Just moved from Ireland to Malaga, Spain. Jeez, such a different feeling. This is life! Love Ireland like my mother but I can’t spend too much time with her
UK & Ireland have difficult climate to deal with, especially when you’re coming from continental Europe like me. Humidity, very unpredictable weather. Staying in the home most of the time because it is miserable outside… this is not fun for me. This is not life…
In Spain I try to spent most of the time outside. In Ireland I could barely do 5k steps. In Spain I do at least 15k daily.

How are you finding Spain? Me and my girlfriend are moving there in a few weeks. We liked Malaga when we were there, such a clean city. We're going to check out Alicante this time.

 

[Paul David]

And to make it worse you have all those broke carpet cleaners bouncing their payments haha

In all seriousness, sounds like you need to move. This is how I felt living in Ireland.

Yes exactly mate that's certainly not helping!

It wouldn't be fair on kids at moment aged 14 and 16 this year to move, if anything it will be when they've left school now.

Even the cost of living here is ridiculous as you know. It costs us £280 a month on school dinners for two kids.

 

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[JordanK]

Correct. Although in US you guys are spoilt for choice as you can move to a new state with completely different weather and still be in the same country speaking the same language.

To move out of the England to somewhere warm requires a complete change of country and language and there's all sorts of restrictions in place because of Brexit. Although you can get digital nomad visas in some countries.

Any Irish or Northern Irish born ancestry? Might have already asked you earlier as its my defacto answer to all british people now! We’re giving away hundreds of thousands of passports to British at the moment.

 

[Paul David]

Any Irish or Northern Irish born ancestry? Might have already asked you earlier as its my defacto answer to all british people now! We’re giving away hundreds of thousands of passports to British at the moment.

haha not that I'm aware of unfortunately!

 

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[David Fitz]

Correct. Although in US you guys are spoilt for choice as you can move to a new state with completely different weather and still be in the same country speaking the same language.

To move out of the England to somewhere warm requires a complete change of country and language and there's all sorts of restrictions in place because of Brexit. Although you can get digital nomad visas in some countries.

Yeah that's a negative with Europe. I wanted to bring my van over from Ireland but because it was a different side drive I'm not allowed bring it over so had to sell it. It's also more difficult to get insured and get a car in a different country plus learning a new language and being labelled as a foreigner

 

[JordanK]

haha not that I'm aware of unfortunately!

Might be worth a bit of investigation! For either yourself or maybe your wifes side of the family. An irish government survery indicated that 20-25% of English citizens are actually technically eligable for Irish citizenship under our rules. So the odds are quite good!

 

[David Fitz]

The best solution is to have enough money and mobility to domicile whenever and wherever you want.

Variety is the spice of life.

Go where you are empowered.

Not empowered any longer? Move. Kinda reflects what happened to me after 22 years in Arizona.

That part in your book was ringing in my mind for years. I finally made the change.

 

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[ZackerySprague]

Yes.

 

[wanttogofaster]

To move out of the England to somewhere warm requires a complete change of country and language and there's all sorts of restrictions in place because of Brexit. Although you can get digital nomad visas in some countries.

How about the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean? Any other overseas British territories?

 

[MJ DeMarco]

I've been in Poland for over two months now (due to some medical-related stuff of my girlfriend) and my mental state is shit now. I thought that occupying myself with lots of stuff would help. It helped in the beginning but I think I was just initially fueled by the energy from 2023 (I spent the entire year in great weather).

Now, I'm so tired that I'm close to collapsing mentally and my health is also way worse.

Almost every day is the same F*cking shade of gray. There have been 2-3-week periods without any sunshine whatsoever. I can't be even 25% as active as in the summer because it's too miserable for long walks, let alone runs or cycling. Swimming (a huge mental booster for me) is not possible at all since I hate swimming in swimming pools.

I try to fill the void with food which has led to weight gain (I'm fighting to reverse this now but it's extremely hard with this weather). I get frequent digestive issues because of that. My skin looks worse (probably due to indoor heating, dry air and shit air quality). My injuries are nagging me, further making me feel unhealthy.

Mentally I'm a wreck, too. All the most effective stress management tools are not available to me. In the summer (or in warm climates) I get a huge stress reduction from freediving, surfing, swimming or simply being out in the sun.

The periods of time in my life when I felt the healthiest were always in the summer or abroad when I lived for at least a few weeks in a place with excellent weather and water activities.

This is my second honest attempt to see if I can feel good in the winter in Poland (two years ago I did an entire year in Poland, focused on training MMA which I since stopped doing due to the fear of injuries) and I just can't manage that. My mind and body take a huge beating that later requires a few months to recover from (only to happen again if I don't leave in the fall).

Thankfully it's almost March, I'm going to train freediving for two weeks in one of the deepest swimming pools in the world (which happens to be in Poland) and the forecast is finally showing some nicer weather coming soon.

It also helps to know that technically I can leave whenever I want. I just choose not to due to my girlfriend.

When was the last time you had blood work with a complete, thorough panel?

I'd start with Vitamin D, B12, and testosterone.

 

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[Plushy]

guys, I think vitamin D is the game changer. Even though I typically love the cold because I love staying indoors, I started having neurological problems like brain fog and migraines. I took 10,000IU vitamin D and they went away, in fact, I was so happy and energized for a few days I thought I was manic! I still love the cold, I love the gray skies and barren trees. Taking vitamin D is like liquid sunshine.

People with fair skin do well in the colder climates because they get enough sunlight to synthesize vitamin D, which is critical for a lot of brain functions, neurotransmitters and building neurons. You have to remember our ancestors were out 5 to 10 hours a day, so we are probably not getting enough vitamin D and other nutrients for peak performance.

edit: didn't see MJ posting about vitamin D

also, try joining a gym to help relieve stress in the cold. Our bodies are designed to use exercise as stress relief. The amount of cortisol we build up throughout the day is expecting to be slowly released through continuous labor.

 

[Bigbird230]

I live in a cold country and each year suffer for up to 6 months because of the low temperatures, lack of sunlight, short days, and people with permanent scowls on their faces. I'm starting to wonder if it wouldn't be better to leave everything I have here and move elsewhere where I wouldn't live with anxiety, frustration, and stress for a half of a year.

To anyone who has moved from a cold, dark or wet climate to a warm, sunny and dry climate - has it made you noticeably happier and greatly improved your quality of life?

If you have family and close friends back in your cold state/country, do the benefits of living in a sunny and warm place still outweigh the cons of missing them and essentially having to build a new life from scratch?

Moving from a cold to a warm climate can boost happiness due to increased sunlight and outdoor activities. However, leaving behind family and friends may cause emotional strain. Benefits include improved mood and physical health, but adapting to a new environment can be challenging. It's essential to weigh personal priorities and support systems. Maintaining connections through visits or virtual communication can help ease the transition. Consider seeking advice from others who have made similar moves. Overall, the decision depends on individual circumstances and values.

 

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[WilliamSherman]

I remember how I wanted to live, as you say, in a warm and sunny climate. So, I moved to Thailand for 6 months. You can't even imagine how lazy I became there. I tried to work remotely but literally couldn't find the energy to do anything. Then, late at night, I spend my time grocery shopping and watching movies.

 

[WilliamSherman]

Thailand isn't really that sunny with their wet seasons. Also, there's a huge difference between living in a warm and sunny place like the Sunshine Cost in Australia when the temperatures are almost always perfectly comfortable vs living in the crazy humidity of Southeast Asia.

Thailand seemed to me pretty hot, even during the rain. Besides, during the rainy weather there, I felt even more lazier. It looks like changing seasons is more suitable for me.

 

[ygtrhos]

It has been very sunny the last two weeks in Switzerland, around 25 degrees and now it is 10 degrees and foggy/cloudy again.

I think my burnout has nothing to do with Swiss unfriendliness or lack of sex or whatever. All of these stem from one place: the 9-10 months long cloudy weather.

It is 9 o'clock in the morning and I have no desire to do whatsoever.

 

[Paul David]

It has been very sunny the last two weeks in Switzerland, around 25 degrees and now it is 10 degrees and foggy/cloudy again.

I think my burnout has nothing to do with Swiss unfriendliness or lack of sex or whatever. All of these stem from one place: the 9-10 months long cloudy weather.

It is 9 o'clock in the morning and I have no desire to do whatsoever.

You'd think the poor weather would motivate me to work more in order to be able to get out of this country more often but it seems to do the opposite and paralyse me. Went for a walk before it was somewhat sunny but very windy. Can't win here.

I think if my wife said to me once you hit x amount monthly or yearly we'll move to somewhere warm it would motivate me but with the kids at nearly 14 and 16 there's no way we'd move them so I'm struggling now with being disciplined because I don't really see what the end result is for. I've been in business all my life and the idea is that it enables me to do other things, not the fact that I love getting up and working each day. So at the moment if I earned another £10k a month what it drastically alter my life? No. I'd be able to buy some more clothes and maybe go to more restaurants but ultimately I'm still getting up to miserable shit weather and stuck inside most nights because there's nothing else to do.

I'm honestly considering moving my home office into the downstairs toilet where its got no windows so I can literally work in there all day and not know what the hell is going on outside.

 

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[ygtrhos]

Why wouldn’t an extra $120k a year change anything? That’s got to be a lot more percentage wise added to your yearly income.

It would certainly change a lot in my life

But again, I think what he means is that weather matters more to his life quality currently than 120k extra annually.

If I had 7-8 figures in the bank, I would probably think the same.

 

[Stargazer]

Take a picture of your garden today.

We'll all be looking at a nice azure sky, a sward of green lawn and is that a palm tree in the left hand corner?

Not to mention your lawn badminton cum tennis court. Where's the deckchairs and Pimms? In the clubhouse? (shed)

Dan

 

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[MTF]

These comparisons always crack me up. Even if it's not exactly that price, I know it's very close to reality.

Of course there's a lot behind the scenes in Spain and it's not all roses, particularly for job opportunities. But when contrasted like that, which sane person would buy a shitty musty apartment in an old communist building with shitty weather 9 months a year over that nice clean apartment with a sea view and awesome weather 9 months a year?

 

[ygtrhos]

View attachment 55529

These comparisons always crack me up. Even if it's not exactly that price, I know it's very close to reality.

Of course there's a lot behind the scenes in Spain and it's not all roses, particularly for job opportunities. But when contrasted like that, which sane person would buy a shitty musty apartment in an old communist building with shitty weather 9 months a year over that nice clean apartment with a sea view and awesome weather 9 months a year?

Prague should not be compared to Costa del Sol.

Prague should be compared with Madrid & Barcelona. Or Lisbon.