Rethinking Winter
If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, then you will be familiar with cold, snowy winters, and have either a positive or negative association with it. If you are in the latter camp, and the shorter daylight hours, colder temperatures, and seemingly endless snowfall, feels more like a long and dreary slog that must be endured rather than enjoyed, then these ideas may help you to rethink how you experience winter.
Hygge Can Help: In Denmark in the winter, they only get about seven hours of sunlight in a day. For reference, California’s shortest day in the winter is just under ten hours long. And yet, the Danes are considered to be some of the happiest people in the world. Why? Well in part, they embrace the Danish concept of "hygge," (pronounced hyoo guh), which focuses on coziness, warmth, togetherness, and gratitude. Create a cozy atmosphere at home with warm blankets, candles, and hot beverages. Lean into whatever you enjoy doing at home, whether that be cooking, reading, curling up by a fire, etc. Anything that can help shift your focus from the cold outside to the comfort of your inner surroundings.
Practice Mindfulness: Practicing mindfulness can help us to accept and appreciate the present moment, instead of wishing it away. This includes the unique challenge of winter. No matter how much we want to speed up the colder months and skip straight to spring, it’s ultimately out of our control. A mindfulness practice can help us accept the experience of winter in a more calm and even grateful way.
Reframe Winter: Psychology teaches us that we can actually restructure our own thoughts. By challenging negative thoughts about winter and replacing them with more positive and realistic ones, we can quite literally retrain our brain how we view wintertime. Instead of dwelling on the cold, focus on what you do like about the season. Perhaps it’s the slower pace, the unique beauty of the season, the winter wardrobe, or activities you can only enjoy during the colder months, such as outdoor ice skating, skiing, or snowshoeing. Cultivate a gratitude habit by focusing on things you appreciate about winter. Jotting them in your planner on the Reflections page or in a journaling app can help remind you of the positives.
Stay Connected: Combat feelings of isolation by staying connected with friends and family. Plan indoor activities together. Game nights, potlucks, movie marathons, or book clubs are some ideas that can bring people together in the colder months. If you have children, organize play dates or visit indoor playgrounds to help get energy out. Seeing the magic of winter through a child’s eyes can also help shift a negative perspective on the season.
Set Winter Goals: With greater time indoors and a slower pace of life, it can give you the opportunity to focus on personal goals, like learning a new hobby, reading more books, or practicing a new skill. This can give you a sense of purpose and accomplishment during the winter months. It could also be a time to turn your focus to home projects or organization that may get pushed off during the busyness of summer and the bustle of the holidays. The Goals page, Habit Tracker, and other productivity pages can help keep you on track with anything you’d like to accomplish.
Light Therapy: If you struggle with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), consider using light therapy. Exposure to a bright light box can help regulate your body's circadian rhythms and improve your mood during the darker days of winter.
At the end of the day, it’s important to remember it's okay to acknowledge the challenges that winter brings while actively seeking ways to find joy and fulfillment during this season. While winter can indeed be challenging, reframing our ideas about it can help us embrace it more positively and live in the present.