Changing My Winter Mindset

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So, here we are… Winter.

Winter is my least favorite season.

Winter is cold, icy, snowy, dark, and did I mention cold? It feels like the longest four months of the year to me. The days are short, the sunshine is at a premium and my spirits are not very spirited. This also happens to be the time of year when, along with my thoughts, my eating habits go south. I tend to supplement my happiness with sugar and caffeine to get through the dark days which leads to weight gain and low self-image.

Winter is not all bad though. Some of its redeeming qualities include the beauty found after a fresh snowfall when the trees and bushes are covered in white fluff and the smiles and laughter of young children making snow angels and catching snowflakes on their outstretched tongues. As I watch my own kids, I definitely remember the excitement that falling snow would elicit when I was younger. I remember peering out the window, wishing that school would close, though it rarely did. I grew up in Western, NY (Rochester) and most winters would bring feet of snow at a time. The running joke was that if the school superintendent could still get his morning run in, we were definitely going to school.

But every year, once the excitement of the holidays has died down, the celebrations have come to a close, and January settles in, I hibernate. As a kid, I never did much in the way of winter sports. I never learned to ski or ice skate and wouldn’t really last longer than thirty minutes outside building a snowman and making snow angels in the fresh fallen snow. Sledding was fun but now that I am older and body parts hurt more than they used to, it definitely doesn’t appeal to me.

And don’t get me started on the COLD! I really hate the cold.

Recently, my eight year old asked if we could go sledding. Did I mention that I don’t like the cold? Sledding means that I have to go outside in the cold and snow and Mama’s not down with that. But, as parents, we do many things to make our children happy and see them smile so I promised him that we would go sledding once we had enough snow to do so. This got me thinking about other things that I could do this winter to help change my mindset. I found a few suggestions that I am looking forward to trying out. These are even things that I can do with my kids so that they will grow to have a healthy appreciation for the winter season, too.

Get out of the house. I plan to have a few day trips in my back pocket this year so that we are forced out of the house. It tends to be easy for me to just resign to the fact that it is “too cold to go outside.” By having things planned, it is harder for me to justify canceling something fun that I am looking forward to. Day trips include visiting family in Columbus, Boonshoft Museum, Newport Aquarium, and Cincinnati Children’s Museum.

Get up and move. Exercise is important all seasons of the year, not just Winter. But it can be especially helpful in fighting off the self-image issues that come from indulging in the sugar cravings. Exercise can come in many forms. We love to crank up the tunes as a family and have a dance party. We also like to play Twister and other active games too. Shoveling the driveway and taking nature walks in the fresh fallen snow both count as exercise. 

Get sunlight (or a form of it). The short days don’t allow a lot of time for sun exposure, which our bodies rely on for their source of Vitamin D. I take Vitamin D supplements to help my body out in that regard. The sun also helps with my mood. I definitely have a sunnier disposition and am a more pleasant person when the day is brighter versus a cloud covered day. If you find this is true for you, there are also light boxes that you can purchase to mimic sunlight through emitting bright white full spectrum light.

Get out of dodge. Plan a warm weather vacation. Did someone say the beach? Done.

Feel free to drop a note below with any suggestions or things you like to do to keep the season fun!