What do you do to bring yourself some small amount of joy and ward off seasonal depression in the thick of winter?
Winter is *not* my season. Here’s how I see it:
November: not technically winter yet, but winter is coming. There are still some warm days plus the month ends with my favorite gluttonous holiday so I’m cool with it.
December: the only redeemable winter month. Holidays, festivities, gluttony, booze. Self-explanatory.
January - March: hell on earth. January is the descent into hell and marks the beginning of three long months of bitter cold punctuated by absolutely zero happiness unless “Valentine’s Day” brings you joy in which case, I’m truly happy for you.
So what do you do to stay sane and happy when it’s below zero outside and the sun sets right after lunch? Give me all the tips because I’ve spent a concerning amount of time daydreaming about uprooting my entire life to move to an island off the Italian coast and making wine.
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Ok this might sound crazy but when I was a national news anchor living in New York I had to work the overnight shift and the darkness KILLED me. I purchased one of those lights that simulate sunlight and used it for about 20 mins (I think) at night and it really helped!
Saunas and steam rooms!! Also, making soup. I despise this time of year too. Always book a vacation in feb if possible! Site note- was always hoping to run into you in Greenpoint! But that rice roll post made my mouth water
When I lived in NYC and we hit our winter breaking point (end of Jan/early Feb) my friends and I would host a tiki themed party to trick us into thinking it was warmer. Rum based drinks, large beach print outs on the walls, pineapples on everything, Hawaiian shirts worn, summer music blasting, lawn flamingos and beach balls everywhere, etc. It always left a hangover, but made things a little more fun.
Ok, I feel qualified to answer this question because I live in Alberta, Canada where winter starts in November and doesn't end until April. Also, it regularly reaches -40 degrees Celcius (yes, that is -40 Fahrenheit) for weeks at a time. However, as a fellow sufferer of extreme SAD I've discovered the trick: WALKS! Even when the weather sucks (yes, I have gone for walks when it's -30c/-22f outside. Yes, my eyelashes froze.) SAD is caused by a lack of sunlight, not by the cold. So every. single. day. I suit up in all of my layers (base layer>warmth layer>wind blocking layer, trust me), put on some headphones and BLAST good music and walk outside for at least 20 minutes. No sunglasses! Let your eyes soak in the (limited) sunlight. I swear, it works a charm. I notice a change in my mood right away if I stop going on my walks! Also, if that doesn't work, just go to bed at like 8pm. That'll do it too.
i know not everyone can do this, but a friend and I started going on "adult spring break" every march. one year we went to Bermuda, another to the Canary Islands. We were going to go the Virgin Islands in March 2020 but...we all know how that turned out.
If traveling isn't possible (we haven't done adult spring break since 2019, sob), I try to make sure to schedule things to force myself to leave my apartment -- a facial, nail appointment, workout class or PM walk with a friend (in a well-lit area). it's nice to have little things like that to look forward to. and sometimes, just gotta give up on cooking and order a bottle of wine and get takeout. And I just moved to an apartment with a bathtub (gotta love NYC apartments...!) so will be taking baths now!
Winter is such a hard season! Before I moved to Colorado, I hated winter. There’s so much slush and wind and darkness. I try to get outside during the day - taking my dog on a walk as the sun rises or bundle up and go for a hike at lunch. Weekends are a bit easier, as Colorado is made for this kind of weather. I go skiing or visit a mountain town where I don’t mind being freezing as long as I can try different kinds of hot chocolate!
Also, baths, face masks, and saunas are my winter savior! I do save going to the gym in the evening when it’s dark because there’s not much to do after 6pm.
I'll start us off: I take an ungodly amount of hot baths. bonus points if bubble bath is involved and EVEN MORE bonus points for a glass of wine.
Ok this might sound crazy but when I was a national news anchor living in New York I had to work the overnight shift and the darkness KILLED me. I purchased one of those lights that simulate sunlight and used it for about 20 mins (I think) at night and it really helped!
Saunas and steam rooms!! Also, making soup. I despise this time of year too. Always book a vacation in feb if possible! Site note- was always hoping to run into you in Greenpoint! But that rice roll post made my mouth water
When I lived in NYC and we hit our winter breaking point (end of Jan/early Feb) my friends and I would host a tiki themed party to trick us into thinking it was warmer. Rum based drinks, large beach print outs on the walls, pineapples on everything, Hawaiian shirts worn, summer music blasting, lawn flamingos and beach balls everywhere, etc. It always left a hangover, but made things a little more fun.
Ok, I feel qualified to answer this question because I live in Alberta, Canada where winter starts in November and doesn't end until April. Also, it regularly reaches -40 degrees Celcius (yes, that is -40 Fahrenheit) for weeks at a time. However, as a fellow sufferer of extreme SAD I've discovered the trick: WALKS! Even when the weather sucks (yes, I have gone for walks when it's -30c/-22f outside. Yes, my eyelashes froze.) SAD is caused by a lack of sunlight, not by the cold. So every. single. day. I suit up in all of my layers (base layer>warmth layer>wind blocking layer, trust me), put on some headphones and BLAST good music and walk outside for at least 20 minutes. No sunglasses! Let your eyes soak in the (limited) sunlight. I swear, it works a charm. I notice a change in my mood right away if I stop going on my walks! Also, if that doesn't work, just go to bed at like 8pm. That'll do it too.
Candles, good body lotion/cream (I'm a sucker for all things Lush) and hot tea. There's something very bracing about holding a hot mug of tea 💜
i know not everyone can do this, but a friend and I started going on "adult spring break" every march. one year we went to Bermuda, another to the Canary Islands. We were going to go the Virgin Islands in March 2020 but...we all know how that turned out.
If traveling isn't possible (we haven't done adult spring break since 2019, sob), I try to make sure to schedule things to force myself to leave my apartment -- a facial, nail appointment, workout class or PM walk with a friend (in a well-lit area). it's nice to have little things like that to look forward to. and sometimes, just gotta give up on cooking and order a bottle of wine and get takeout. And I just moved to an apartment with a bathtub (gotta love NYC apartments...!) so will be taking baths now!
Winter is such a hard season! Before I moved to Colorado, I hated winter. There’s so much slush and wind and darkness. I try to get outside during the day - taking my dog on a walk as the sun rises or bundle up and go for a hike at lunch. Weekends are a bit easier, as Colorado is made for this kind of weather. I go skiing or visit a mountain town where I don’t mind being freezing as long as I can try different kinds of hot chocolate!
Also, baths, face masks, and saunas are my winter savior! I do save going to the gym in the evening when it’s dark because there’s not much to do after 6pm.