This post is contributed.
There’s much to love about the winter season, but we would probably all agree that it can get a little old after a while. It’s cold, there doesn’t seem to be anything to do, it’s dark, and...did we mention that it’s cold? Yupp, excluding Christmas, it’s not the greatest time of the year, but if you’re just trying to make it through to spring, then maybe it’s time to change the way you think about it. Winter doesn’t have to suck, if you know to navigate it properly. Below, we take a look at a few tips that’ll have you loving the chilly months (OK, that might be a slight exaggeration, but, at the very least, you won’t dislike it quite as much as usual!).
Source: Pexels.com
Change Your Mindset
Winter does its best to bring you down. If you find that you lack in energy and all-around have a low mood when it’s dark and cold, then it’s important to remember something: this is completely normal! Humans respond to sunlight, and when that’s not present, we can find ourselves a little less chirpy than usual. If you’re aware that this is what’s happening, you’ll have a small buffer between you and your moods. Don’t overthink why you might be low in energy: just accept it as a natural part of the annual cycle. It’s much better than trying to fight against it.
Cozy Up Your Home
During the spring and summer, we look outdoors. We think bigger, we’re with our friends, we’re enjoying the sunshine, and so on. That’s the external version of ourselves. During the winter, it’s time to look inward. You have to become OK with spending your evenings curled up on the couch. You’re in hibernation mode, building your energy up for when spring comes. You’ll find thinking in these terms much easier if you have a warm and cozy home to enjoy, so take a look at boosting the comfort levels of your house, and specifically your living room. There’s much quiet joy to be had from spending a few hours with a book as you unwind on the couch.
Scents and Candles
You can make your home even more enjoyable by adding things that feed the senses, including candles and scent diffusers. Look at getting things that have cinnamon, pine, incense, amber, and other fragrances that we associate with the winter season. Candles are especially recommended; the soft flicker of the flame just invites you to sink into the joys of the season.
In the Kitchen
There is one thing better than enjoying a warming, hearty meal, and that is: enjoying a delicious meal that you made all on your own. There’s no better time to enjoy the art of cooking than winter! Invest in a good cookbook, get your kitchen into shape, and get cooking. Some people think they don’t like cooking, but it’s possible that they’re just not doing it the right way. Open a bottle of wine, get some music playing through the speaker, and take your time. It can be a highly satisfying way to spend an evening.
Entertainment Options
Some people prefer spring and summer not because they’re warmer, but because there’s just so much to do. If you’re one of those people, then you’ll have to get used to entertaining yourself inside your home. Fortunately, this is no difficult matter, especially in this day and age. For starters, let’s think about the digital options. If you’ve got the internet and a television, then you’ve got all the visual entertainment that you could want. Take a look at some of the best shows and movies on Netflix, for instance, and you might find that you’re racing home just to catch the next episode. Though of course, there’s more to having fun in the home than just what you can consume. You can be an active participant in the process, too, as in the case of board games, or reading a book. Between the internet, family board games, and a few page-turner novels, you’ll have no trouble keeping boredom at bay during winter.
Outside the Home
But who says you need to spend all of your time inside your property? You don’t. While being indoors will be your default position during the winter, you can still venture out to have some fun. But you might want to make it more deliberate than simply being out on the town. Don’t forget that there are a lot of fun winter activities to enjoy! If you get snow where you live, then snowshoeing or skiing (alpine or cross-country) could be fun options. Not that it has to be that adventurous. There’s much to be said for wrapping up warm and exploring the outdoors on a frigid but sunny winter’s day. And talking about wrapping up warm….
Staying Warm
By far the biggest complaint people have about the winter is that’s cold, often uncomfortably so. Some people like everything about winter except for the temperatures! Alas, they’re unavoidable. But if you can’t change how cold it is, you can at least change how cold you are. Remember, there’s no such as weather that’s “too cold”; it’s all about what you’re wearing. So make sure you have clothes in the closet that are able to handle the chill. Take a look at adding some Sherpa pullovers, a warm hat, and down jacket to your wardrobe. No matter how cold things seem to get, you’ll be able to navigate the outdoors like a pro.
Source: Pexels.com
Get Active
There are certain things that humans need to be happy, one of which is exercise. Working up a sweat releases plenty of feelgood chemicals into our brains, and makes us happy. It’s that simple (actually, it’s pretty complex, but the idea is simple). The trouble is that during winter, when we naturally have low energy anyway and it’s dark outside, we don’t want to exercise. However, there are a lot of benefits to making an effort to get into your car and visit your gym. You’ll be able to keep that winter weight at bay, will be adding a good habit to your regime, and you’ll be in perfect shape come the spring and summer season. If you want to feel extra great, then go winter running in the outdoors. It’s one of those things that sounds terrible, but when you’re back and showered, you’ll feel on top of the world.
Take a Trip
A lot of people choose to take their vacation during the summer, but this doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. It’s hot and there’s so much to do during the summer, why go elsewhere? It makes sense during the winter, when many of us are deprived of our required dose of sunshine. If you’ve got some money tucked away, look at taking a trip to sunnier climates. It can be the perfect thing to break up the bleakness of the frigid winter season.
Work on a Project
You’re going to have a lot of things on your plate when the summer arrives. Things just stack up and up! During the winter, you’ll have more time on your hands. Why not use this gift of time to get to work on that project that you’ve always had in mind but never quite got around to? You might just find that you’ve got it completed by the time spring arrives. They say there’s never the perfect time to work in a project...but winter might be!
Enjoy your day. Until next time my lovelies.
Post a Comment