For the past month, we've had below freezing days and below zero nights (that's Fahrenheit, not Celsius). You know there is a problem when you are wearing long-johns, a sweatshirt, and wool socks to bed, and buried under five blankets you STILL cannot stop shivering.
Winter is overrated.
Typically, I'm cheerful about even the dreariest weather because nothing I say is going to change it. How I tend to respond to this inhumane cold is by mimicking the habits of hibernating woodland animals. Once I'm home from work, I'm in my fuzzy pajamas, wrapped in a blanket with my computer and tea, and in bed by 10pm. I don't go out because it actually hurts to be outside. It wasn't until I went on a ten-mile ski trip with my friend Josie that I actually realized how depressed I was living like a sleepy chipmunk in January! Quality time, fresh air, exercise, adventure...oh my! I miss this! I didn't think I was feeling sad and lethargic until I got some Vitamin D, endorphins, and belted Les Mis in the woods with my sweet friend.
So, I'm taking my own advice. Here are some cures to Cabin Fever. Yes, it still hurts to be outside, but it is always worth it. I'm going to try to do one of each of these things every week until we break 32 degrees...maybe even after.
Cures for the Heart
- Meet friends out. Even if just for coffee (coffee's warm. Yay!). Be with people who make you laugh.
- Join a class that meets once a week. It could be a language, dance, exercise class, book club, or Bible study. A class you've paid for will motivate you to get out and meet new people.
- I'm a huge fan of church on Sundays. Take fellowship time seriously. I knew friends in VA who would meet after church every Sunday for lunch, and my roommates and I made Sunday meals together a priority.
- Volunteer projects are EVERYWHERE. If you're cold, someone else in your city is colder. Find ways to be involved on a local level.
Cures for the Mind
- Read. Read memoirs, newspapers, magazines, full-length novels, comic books, cook books, the nutrition facts on your box of cereal. Just read (but read good books).
- Cut down on television intake and recreational internet usage. Yes, it sometimes feels like the only thing to do when its dark at 4pm and you can't move from under a mountain of blankets. However, countless studies have shown that watching a lot of television can depress you. And you can check your facebook twenty times an hour, but nothing's monumental is going to happen, I assure you. If you really, really want to be on the computer, try pinterest.com or tumblr.com for beautiful pics, new ideas and inspiration.
- Do something each day that challenges you. Even if its just finishing a book, learning a new word in German, or doing a crossword (I hate those), stretch your mind a little each day.
Cures for the Body
- You don't realize how much you love exercise until you don't do it. If you really cannot get to the gym because you can't feel your face let alone run on the treadmill, then dance in your room. Exercise videos are cheesy, but very effective. P90X is my go-to typically, and I can do that in my basement...next to the wood burning stove. Just move for half an hour.
- Stretch. You don't have to yoga, but I love how it combines strength training with stretching (minus the chanting and third eyes which I don't do). Stretching increases blood flow making you feel less like a lump.
- If the sun is shining in a window, stand in it. Seriously. Simply standing in a sunny spot for a few minutes releases chemicals in your brain signaling your mind and body to be more alert. Do not go tanning. Not only will it put you at higher risk for cancer, but someday you will look like a prune, and all of us non-tanners will still be hotties. You don't want that.
- Watch your nutrition. Even in the winter, your food should be colorful, filled with antioxidants, moderate in healthy fats, and full of protein. After winter comes swimsuit season...let that be in your thoughts.
- Aromatherapy. Sounds like it should be in the crunchy-granola-Greenpeace-vegan section of your grocery store. It's actually much simpler than essential oils and incense. The scent of citrus stimulates the brain, and is invigorating. Peppermint heightens senses and makes you feel more awake. I don't know why this works, but it does. Try a candle, lotion, or even one of those essential oils.
Cures for the Soul
- Be with Jesus everyday. Pray, sit silently in His presence for a little while, be in the Word. If you are going to be holed up in the house, then what's honestly going to distract you from being with the King?
- Journaling is incredible. I miss it when I don't do it. Evaluating your days, your thoughts, your dreams helps us to sift through the things that don't matter, and to address the core of our issues.
- List one thing daily that you are blessed by. Today, I'm blessed by the vase of yellow tulips our friend Bean brought over. Yesterday, I was blessed by a whole pot of French Press coffee all to myself while working on my manuscript. See? Incredibly simple, but very effective.
- Surround yourself with bits of beauty. I had a roommate in college who would occasionally buy flowers at the grocery store to keep in our kitchen. I never would have thought to do that! They didn't have to be expensive; $5.00 flowers from Trader Joe's could brighten our apartment for the whole week. Play music that is actually beautiful for a few minutes; Google pictures of New Zealand, Cape Cod, the Sistine Chapel. Take in some beauty; it will do wonders.
I still can't wait for winter to be over, but we will get through this together. Next week begins our series on L-O-V-E, and yes, I'm excited.
Stay warm, friends.
LOVE
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