I have a love-hate relationship with Winter. I find the warm food and drinks comforting, the act of wrapping up in a blanket and cozy clothes soothing, and more time inside relaxing. But, I notice that my introvertedness becomes amplified; I need more recharging than any other season. The dark mornings are gloomy and getting home at 5pm in the pitch black is a bit exhausting to me, not to mention the below zero temps that make spending any time outside a no-go.
I’ve tried to correct this by filling my time inside with activities and working on ways to make waking up and coming home in the dark better. This is one of those times when a problem-solving mindset needs to be present. There’s no way we can change the weather, so we must change our behavior to accommodate.
Create a running list of everything you want (not need) to do in your house. This is not “do laundry”, “clean bathroom”, etc. This is a list like color in your coloring book, read a few chapters of the book you’re reading, start that series you’ve been wanting to on Netflix, or bake cookies. Write down anything fun inside and keep it handy to write new ideas and refer back to when you’re bored. Here’s a little peak at mine:
- Reorganize the bookshelf outside my bedroom
- Make a yummy pasta dish
- Do a crossword, sodoku, or word search puzzle
- Color in my coloring book, when done, add glitter glue
- Draft blog posts
- Read blogs on Bloglovin’
- Go through clothes, get rid of stuff I don’t wear
Set a few hours aside to make your home a place you want to come home to every night. Create a little reading nook like I just did, scatter candles around your living space and make a habit of lighting them the minute you get home, have a blanket at the ready at each sitting space in your house. There are uncountable ways to make your house the place to be so it’s time to put some into action! There’s a bit more on this point in my recent post on hygge, aka the concept full of comfort, coziness, and happiness.
Find a hot beverage you enjoy and adopt it. Mine is a hot mug of chai tea every single morning (sometimes with cream). There’s hot chocolate, coffee, herbal teas, the list goes on. Warming up with a hot drink is effective and calming this time of year. And having that drink that you can wake up to or come home to brightens up the gloomy days.
Amp up your shower routine. I find scents in the shower such a good experience. Having a body wash that you enjoy, a shampoo and conditioner scent you love, and a face mask you always reach for when you get out makes that freezing exit from the shower a little bit less dreaded. My favorites are a warm vanilla scented shower oil and citrusy hair products.
Learning to love Winter (or even just hate it less) can be hard but once you take steps, you’ll find you’re a lot happier this time of year. Happy Winter and stay warm!