Top 10 Ways To Survive The Harsh Winter

To say I have the winter blues this winter would be a massive understatement. Every winter I get some degree of seasonal depression. I live in a climate where it is cold, snowy and cloudy all winter and then some. Winter is technically 3 months, right? Not here it isn't. Here it's more like 5 or 6. Here, the sun shines a couple times a week through the winter months, if we're lucky. It's very cold, it's dark and snowy.

I just want to hibernate.

Really.

People who live in warmer climates don't get it. They keep right on going with their lives, oblivious to the hardships of living in a cold, snowy climate. They might get a day or two with a sprinkling of snow, or a dip in temperatures to 20, 30, or 40 degrees. (Egad!)

Where I live, I would welcome those temperatures with open arms.

Especially this winter.

This winter has been so cold, I am ready to lose it. And by, "lose it," I mean, I'm not even sure what I might do, or what might become of me. I feel trapped in my house and I just want to sleep all the time. I don't care if I eat, until I actually get hungry. Then, look out. I am like a grizzly bear coming out of hibernation!

I don't even want to do things I normally want to do. That's when the siren goes off in my head.

I am depressed.

I've been depressed a few times in my lifetime, so I know what it looks and feels like for me. I know the signs and can spot when I need to intervene.

I'm ready for some winter rescue!

This is a list of things I've done, been doing, will try to do to get myself through the rest of this trying winter. I thought I'd share to help the rest of my peeps here in the tundra.

1.  Sunbathe. Get that sun on your skin whenever it comes out. We are so vitamin D starved at this point, we need that sun whenever we can get it. I literally will get as much of my skin as I can into a sunny window. Much like a napping cat, I will sun myself for as long as possible; sometimes that's 5 minutes, sometimes it's up to 30 minutes. Some mornings, it has been the only thing that got me out of bed that day. It seriously helps. Give it a try.

2.  Speaking of vitamin D, let's talk supplements. I take a pretty good variety of them every day. Everything I take, I've built up over the years, finding that each one helps my health in some way. Don't forget these every day. The mornings will happen where there won't be time, or the thought of opening all those bottles exhausts you. Do it. Every day.

3.  A bit more on supplements. Taking care of your skin. Our skin goes through so much this time of year. Winter is as hard on our skin as a desert. The dry heated air sucks moisture from our bodies like a child sucking lemonade from a straw on a hot summer day. You can try the obvious lotions and oils, but these only do so much. They help, but you really need to work from the inside out to really give your skin the upper hand it needs to get through this dry tundra. A good vitamin E, and an omega fat supplement is what you need. I have been taking these for years now, and not only has it gotten rid of the nasty cracks on the bottom of my feet, but my skin is so much softer and able to retain moisture through these harsh conditions. I also use lotion, of course, and I use natural soaps as well, leaving softer skin all around. The less chemicals we expose our skin to, the better off it can breathe properly, and help moisturize itself.

4.  Move. Whenever, wherever you can. You'll have to fight it, because your body just wants to hibernate. If you have a workout regiment, good for you! Keep it up, and try not to slack off (I have basically forgotten how to walk on a treadmill).

5.  After all this talk of taking care of yourself from the outside, let's move on to taking care of your mind and spirit. The mind goes a bit wild this time of year, and it needs attention. Occupy it. Get into your hobbies like never before. It may take a bit of force, as all the brain really wants to do is sleep. But get it going, whenever possible. Read, knit, play an instrument, do a crossword puzzle, play a video game, write a journal. Whatever it takes to use your brain in a way that makes you happy. We all get busy with life, and sometimes we need to be reminded that it's ok to take time for your needs, wants and desires. At this time of year, it is crucial to keep the mind from losing it. Find your happy place for your brain.

6.  Aromatherapy. Stimulate your senses. Get some candles, get some body spray, get some lip balm (after all, your lips should not go outside without it). Start a fire in the fireplace, cook up something delicious. Hot tea, coffee, chocolate. What do you like the smell of? Get it and let it fill your home and/or workplace.

7.  Get out! Make yourself get up and get out of the house. Find places to go; the mall, the movies, a restaurant. Wherever you enjoy, go there.

8.  Get together with folks you enjoy. Friends, family, it doesn't matter. Whoever you like to be with, be with them. Spending time with other people can make the time go by so much more pleasantly. Throw a winter fest. Build some gingerbread houses. Have a hot drink party with tea, chocolate, or toddies.

9.  Get your sleep, but don't overdo it. It's easy to stay in bed 'til noon (believe me, I know). Try hard to stay on your routine. It's definitely acceptable to give yourself a morning in bed if you've been running yourself ragged all week. There's nothing better than a Saturday or Sunday morning snuggled up in a soft, warm bed. But don't make it a regular thing. Because your body and mind will want it every day. If you really find it hard to get out of bed on a particular day, open those curtains, fluff the pillows behind you and sit up. Stay in bed and watch a good movie, or read a good book. (Sigrun, anyone?)

10.  If you can't beat it, join it. Get outside! Go frolic in the snow! No, not when it's zero or below, but when it creeps up to a whole double digits, bundle up and get out there! Just breathing in the fresh but frozen air will do your body good. The great thing about having lots of snow is being able to play in it! Build a snowman, go sledding, skiing, snowshoeing, color spray designs in the snow! Build an igloo or other snow sculptures. There are so many things to do in the snow. I would rather have a snowy winter than a plain, frozen, gray landscape you can do nothing in.

So, there it is. Ten things you can try to get through the rest of the winter. Try these individually, or better yet, use them in combination for the best impact on your sanity. Stay warm and good luck, my friends, as I do know how challenging it is.

More of My Favorite Things

It happens.

I completely forgot to blog yesterday.

I am amazed I made it this far into blogging, before I forgot.

I tend to forget things easily.

Especially if life gets in the way.

Which happens a lot in the summer.

Summer is life.

It can get in the way all it likes.

It gets in the way, and I am glad.

Glad for the sun, the warmth, the greenery all around.

Glad for the lake, the cool, beautiful, fresh water.

Glad to sit by the water and catch up with family, friends and good books.

Loving fresh, locally grown produce.

Loving the many celebrations of life and love throughout the summer time.

Loving watching my children grow up next to their cousins, as I grew up next to mine.

I even love making sure there is time to do everything we want to do in the summer!

What do you look forward to in summer time?

What things do you love about summer?

I love life, so I love summer.

Summer is life.

Is It Really Spring?

Spring! Spring! Spring! (Part One) 

Spring has finally sprung around here! I feel so elated, I hardly know what to do with myself! The sun is suddenly so warm on my skin…my BARE skin! Yes! I can actually wear less than many layers of clothing and I’m still warm!

My skin feels glorious as it soaks up the rays. I can practically feel the processing of vitamin D!

And boy, am I happy!

Happy! Happy! Happy!

I feel like a whole new person. Well, not new, but perhaps a me that I thought was gone long ago.

Through this long, cold, dark winter, I wondered how most people were so active. How they went through their every day lives accomplishing everything they need to.

I didn’t.

I couldn’t.

I could barely get out of bed.

How did everyone else do it?

Why couldn’t I?

After the last couple of weeks of feeling sunshine on my skin, I am reminded I suffer from seasonal depression.

For those of you who live south, and in sunny locations, let me explain. Seasonal depression is a form of depression that happens to people who don’t get enough sun. It happens to a lot of people around where I live.

We live in a place that sometimes goes weeks (one winter I counted months) where we don’t get sun, but only overcast clouds. Add in the whole darkness of winter on top of that, where the sun seems to set 5 minutes after it comes up.

Imagine it.

There are less than 12 hours of daylight, and most, if not all of them are cloudy.

Day in and day out.

Clouds.

No sun.

No bright, warm, yellow/golden light.

Just overcast, grey, and you are covered from neck to foot (and sometimes head, depending on the day) just to stay warm enough.

Sorry, did I scare you?

Because that’s what we live every winter.

Now, in order to get through without being depressed, we have great things to do in the winter, don’t get me wrong.

There’s skiing, sledding, ice skating, snowman building, and more.

Let’s not forget the holiday season…created to distract us all.

These things are good, great even, and they help a lot. But of course, you need snow for almost all of them.

That doesn’t always happen.

A lot of winters are just grey, dark, and cold.

This winter, thank goodness, we had lots and lots of snow.

I love snow. It allows you to get out in that cold, face it, embrace it, and enjoy it!

I did that this past winter.

I got out there with the kids and slid down the hill in our yard on sleds.

I took pictures of the beauty of the snow when it made everything look magical, sparkling, and white.

I made it to the end of February feeling good about the cold and snow. While everyone else complained, I was happy with the snow, the white wintery landscape it created all around us.

Somewhere between the end of February and the beginning of March, it hit me like a brick wall. I don’t remember if there was a particular lack of sunshine those weeks, or what it was, but I was done with winter.

I craved sunshine and warm sand between my toes. I yearned for it. I imagined it.

I had to. I had to get out of bed every morning.

I complained frequently about the cold and snow. Suddenly the beautiful, white magic turned into blistery, cold death.

I hated it.

For the first time in my life, I hated snow.

I never minded the cold before, as long as there was snow. Snow made it tolerable. Snow made the winter beautiful.

Until now.

Now it was ugly, evil snow. I wanted it gone.

It kept coming. We had two large storms which brought over 6 inches each during March and April. In between, it would melt, teasing and taunting me to hold on for Spring. When the last storm came, I thought I would lose it. I really thought I would go crazy. Stir crazy, winter crazy, mind crazy.

I felt tired all the time. It felt hard just to get up and do the things I did every day.

Really hard.

Through March and April, I came to accept this new found tiredness. I blamed it on age, on being out of shape, on everything but the weather. I thought I was fighting the winter well, and didn’t realize, it already got me.

I was depressed. Depressed but fighting. Waiting and hoping for spring. Telling myself that it was just around the corner. Thinking maybe it would come a little early this year.

Nope. That was way off.

So I lived with this feeling of tiredness and lethargy. I came to think it was just where I was in life now, and that’s the way it was going to be.

Convinced (Part Two)

Then Spring sprung.

Thank God!

Like a miracle it warmed up. Gradually, teasing with days into the 60’s, then back down into the 20’s, then back up again to 50’s. But more and more, the days were warming, and the sun was shining, and the snow melted!

All of it! It was gone!

I’d actually forgotten what the landscape looked like without it! It looked different!

The colors outside were now like mud. Everything looked dead. I wondered how it all would ever green up, but I knew it did every year, and this one wouldn’t be an exception. But I was going to pay attention to it, because I was curious.

Now, the days are longer, the sun shines more frequently, and I don’t wear layers of clothing anymore. I can feel the heat of the sun on my face and arms when I walk my son to the end of the driveway every morning for the bus.

It feels so good!

In fact, everything feels good! I can wake up and get dressed and ready to walk after my son gets on the bus!

Where did I get this new energy?

When did it get easier to get up in the morning?

Why do I feel so chipper?

AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It feels good to be back to myself again!

Hello self! I’ve missed you terribly!

Time to catch up on the slacking off of winter, and get to work!

Ok, let’s do it!

There. Just like that, a few days of sunshine on my skin, and I feel whole again.

Seasonal depression, how could I have forgotten you?

I bought my mom a sunlamp (I believe it was called a “happy light”) for her seasonal depression. Next winter I plan on buying myself one as well. This winter cinched it for me, and I will not go through that again.

I can see why people say they get too old for winters. It’s tough. So is dealing with depression. Those two things together…not everyone is equipped to handle that. You need help to get through it sometimes.

I get it, for sure.

Sunsets

I have a thing for sunsets. I mean, I really dig them. I love them. They are a magical feast for my eyes.

I grew up spending summers on a lake. We were on the east side, which meant we got to see sunsets every time there was one. Now, perhaps it’s because of this exposure to them that I love them so much. But you would think that seeing them nearly every day, I would take them for granted.

No.

Not even close.

I adore them.

When I was a teenager, I went out to the end of the dock and watched them. I was so enthralled, they took me away to their magical, fiery world. The clouds welcomed me into their realm, always happy, always smiling. I traveled there, among the clouds, and watched the brilliant, ever changing color show in awe.

Now that I am older, with a family of my own, I sometimes miss the opportunity to enjoy a sunset like that. I try to make time for it. It never disappoints.

The moment between dusk and dark is an amazing thing to see.

It is an event.

To see darkness creeping slowly, steadily up onto the blue sky is like nothing else I have ever watched. Yet it happens every day. It happens whether we watch it or not.

But I highly recommend watching it.

Get outside and trip out on a sunset. You won’t regret it.