My friend hates the sun

So in the UK it’s getting warmer and most people are desperate to get outside at every given moment. People start having lunch outside, meeting up in the park, sunbathing and generally enjoying the sunshine. But that’s not the case for everyone. Over the years I have had a number of friends who really don’t like the sun and the heat, they much prefer to stay inside.
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The first friend I had who didn’t like the sun was when I was about 16. In our friendship group of about 8 or 9 people he was the only one who didn’t want to spend every possible second in the sun. He overheated very easily and found it very uncomfortable. We didn’t handle it very well and it caused a lot of disagreements over where to eat lunch or meet up at the weekends. He would often get left out and stay indoors by himself whilst the rest of us went off. Because most of us thought that the sun was great we felt that we were ‘right’ and he was ‘wrong’. But in actual fact it just personal opinion, there is no right or wrong. That summer was a difficult one for the whole group and definitely could have been managed better. Here are my tips if you find yourself in a similar position.


· If someone seems unhappy with the idea of going out into the sun but isn’t saying anything ask them individually what they think about it, they might be uncomfortable expressing that they don’t want to.


· Conversation is your best friend. Talk to them about how they are feeling about the sun, make sure they know that not wanting to spend time is the sun is a valid opinion.


· Find out why, what exactly is it they don’t like as that’s the best way to find a compromise. You might find they would be happy sitting in the shade, then you can all sit in the shade or you could find a spot with a mixture of sun and shade. It might be that they overheat like my friend, in which case on the hotter days you could sit inside.


· And actually compromise. Its not just about finding a solution that means they can come outside. The best solution might be that you agree that certain days you sit outside and certain days you sit inside.


· Some people have medical reasons they can’t be outside like photosensitivity (severe reaction to sunlight) and it might not be possible for them to come outside. Be understanding and spend time indoors with them, there are plenty of other opportunities to soak up some rays.


· Lastly you may need to explain to them why it is important to you to go outside. For me being outside massively helps with my mood and I like to take any opportunity to recharge that battery. Maybe for you it just makes you happy or you find the indoors really stuffy in the summer. If your friend doesn’t understand why it matters to you they might feel more upset by your desire to leave them/force them to go outside.


Enjoy the sun but remember to be respectful + communicate 😊

​Evlyn