Three Ways to Overcome Winter Blues

“Winter Blues”
The mere mention of it has me stirring in my seat today.
Have you ever met someone that has no idea what you're talking about when you rant about it? Its a very exclusive club. You know who they are. The people who don’t feel blue whatsoever during the winter months. You can easily recognize them.They’re the ones running around with their Starbucks, all bundled up and smiling when someone says there’s snow in the forecast. However, dealing with the “Winter Blues” is a very real problem for many people including me. So here are three suggestions that I have followed from time to time when I feel like driving off the road after two hours on that snowy road to work.

First and foremost here are three "DONTS" that will bring you way down.
1. Don't coop yourself up. If you pull the curtains, close the blinds and don’t get out of the house unless it’s an emergency....DONT!!
2. Don't dwell on warmer climates and warmer months. Stop setting beach scenes as your wallpaper and getting misty eyed each time you look at it. DONT!!
3.  Don't complain until your lungs give out. I'm not talking about the "baby its cold outside" phrases. Its winter and yes its cold. I'm talking about the full belly aches and nag attacks that you drop on your co-workers and friends until you feel like a big pity party complete with vodka! We all do it....I did my share 30 minutes ago. DONT!!

So here they are.

1. Fall in love with the season! Okay, if you’re feeling blue, this may seem like a stretch – but your happiness depends upon your open mindedness.  Remind yourself of the things that only come around when Mother Nature turns down the thermostat:  NFL, hockey, homemade soup, bread, chili, Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years, college football, college basketball, prime time premieres, skiing, snowmen, sledding, apple cider, hot chocolate,  no yard work. Watch DVDs, play Scrabble, Uno, Life, Trivia Pursuit, or Monopoly.  Grab the most difficult looking jigsaw puzzle in town and set up a special table just for it.  My mom would do that every winter. In fact she's probably doing one now. 
2. Talk about it. Grab someone’s ears and talk through your feelings, even if it’s dog's ears.  I talk to myself on my two hour drive home. By the time I reach home I have exhausted those pent up emotions and feel less inclined to take it out on the ones I love. Sometimes, when we let our emotions have their say, we’ll find out what’s at the heart of the matter.  The root of the blues may be a case of grief.  Winter often brings a longing for people who have passed away. People make the mistake of thinking that talking about these loved ones makes the feelings worse. Au contraire!  Talking about loved ones we miss keeps them alive in our minds and hearts. Sometimes I pull out old recipes from my grandmother and bake, bake, bake! Why not? I'm certainly not going to turn that oven on in the summer months!
3. Get out of the house and, most definitely, get out of the office. Try to keep things as normal as possible.  If you enjoyed a daily walk at lunch time during the warm months, bundle up and waddle around the trail in the cold months.  The sunshine, such as it is, will do you as much good as the activity will.  Getting regular doses of both does a body good.. One of the many things I love about winter is the eagerness of the birds. Sometimes on a snowy Sunday morning I listen for the birds as they wake up. I revel when its time to walk to the mailbox and grab the Sunday paper. My little dog Jack waddles along side me and we both take in the world as it wakes up for the day...snow and all.

Also, change the way you look at things, if possible.  For example – it’s not cold, it’s  brisk!  You aren’t freezing your butts off, you’re being rejuvenated!  You don’t hate the frigid conditions, you embrace the wintriness! Okay, I hear your laughter and detect a frosty attitude. I just went outside to mail a package and I saw that it’s starting to snow again.  This calls for a celebratory cup of  tea! Now get out there and have fun with winter.