The night has descended upon us.
The long, cold, dreary night of winter in Montana.
Which is not to say it is all bad. There is sweaters, and scarves, and more knitting than my wallet can afford, hot (white) chocolate, pumpkins and butternut squashes and sweet potatoes, cuddling on the couch, snowmen and snow angels, and best of all – skiing.
But these are only tiny gems hidden in the long cold months. The weight of the winter sky weighs heavily one me, more so than I like to admit. I am no stranger to snow. Even though I am from Virginia, I am from the mountains. Growing up we had storms that would close our school for sometimes upwards of 15 days a year. We had blizzards that would knock the power out for weeks on end. We sledded and built forts along with the best of them. But no matter how hard the snow fell, within a few weeks it would be gone. A brief respite before it came again.
I spent four years off in college near the coast where we would see 1-2 inches a year. Missing winter, I decided I would move out to Spokane, WA where we had 100 inches of snow. Worst winter on record. And that was the winter I decided to show up.
Like I said, there are pieces of winter I love and look forward to. But no matter how optimistically I begin the late-fall/winter season, by February my optimism has crumbled into despair. Complete hopelessness at ever seeing the sun or feeling its warmth on my skin again. Our town is situated in a bowl and despite its lovely springs and summers, the cloud inversion can let a month go by without letting the sun shine.
Maybe I am not cut out to be a Montanan.
But despite all past precedence that has suggested I will not make it more than 3 months without threatening to buy a one way ticket back to Virginia, I (yet again) remain hopeful. So I want to write a few posts on how to survive these non-daylight savings time month. One on staying warm and another on staying happy.
If you brave the short days and long winters of the north (or, if you are on the other half of the globe, the south, but there it’s summer, so hey), have survived trekking miles in the snow, have worn long underwear, or have ever wondered “is this what frostbite feels like?”
Then help. Let me know your suggestions. Together, we will prevail!
Treat yourself- regularly.Even it’s lunch once a week with a friend. A movie with John. Special cheese/chocolate for dinner. You have to be pro-active!
I know – calls to your Mother!
I lived through a winter in Houghton, MI – one of the most heavily snowed-on places in the continental US, with one of the longest winters – after four winters in Hamilton NY and my entire life in Rochester.Oddly, that winter was way more fun than any previous winters. Some of it had to do with the fact we got more sun – rather than CNY, it was either blizzarding or sunny – but also the general attitude of the community toward winter and the community events out there. People knew winter was hard but rather than dread it, they seemed to embrace it. I guess it makes sense, it’s a kind of natural selection process. If you don’t like winter, you’re not going to stay around the UP of Michigan!!
What has kept me warm and happy- of course I think everyone’s going to be different.
1. Get the gear you need, whether begged, borrowed, stolen, bought second-hand, or, if necessary bought new: waterproof snow boots, slippers, comfortable fluffy blankets, synthetic down vests, thick gloves, etc.
2. Embrace layers and long underwear under the clothes. Fleece long undies under canvas Carharts is an especially classy combination.
3. Keep a good supply of sweaters and slippers and even thin blankets handy in your work or university office.
4. Use a thermos! Bring your favorite hot beverage of choice wherever you go.
5. Socialize! Especially with people who are positive and embrace the winter season. Start or try to find a community or social groups with whom to get certain rituals going… weekly hot chocolate, monthly potlucks or other social events, ski groups, outdoor bonfires etc….
6. Look for community winter carnival events and other opportunities to embrace what you love most about the season.
7. Get outside and exercise, even if it’s just a meandering walk for 10 minutes two times a day and a longer ski or snowshoe on the weekend. Even when it’s cloudy we absorb a significant amount of sun. This is where good gear becomes really necessary, since if you’re miserably cold outside it definitely defeats the purpose.
8. Exercise inside, too, if you like – yoga, zoomba, stretches, whatever. It’s not just the sunlight but also the physical activity which helps keep mood elevated.
8. Avoid excessive caffeine, it kills serotonin levels.
9. Equally, try to avoid excessive binge drinking. Not that I’m opposed to the occasional Peppermint Schnapps with hot chocolate or Hottie-tottie.
10. Try to keep a regular sleep schedule. Sunlight controls our body’s natural cycles, and the sunlight-deprived brain can become further disoriented in combintion with irregular sleep.
11. Eat a varied diet of fresh, whole foods, and consider taking a good multivitamin supplement. Vitamin deficiencies can reinforce depression.
12. On that note, homemade vegetable soups are easy, delicious, comforting, and nutritious, and keep all the vitamins in your food.
Some people also swear by herbal supplements like St. John’s Wart… Or light therapy. In college my housemates and I would sit by a big artificial lamp box someone had. I generally felt like walking around outside was more effective for me, and cheaper.. but for those times when you really hate the cold, a light box can do the trick ! Especially if you sit around it together and take advantage of some social time…
I just read an article about how important all of the seasons are…especially the cold of winter. It improves our immune systems!! Everyone is ready for Spring by February. Embracing what we are given…oh if we could always be that good. Enjoy the hot white coco and all of the hearty winter vegetables. Crisp sheets and cold noses…and take in some romantic dark winter walks before bed…the stars are incredible and you sooo appreciate your warm home afterwards! You will make it and spring will too!
Why not a long vacation in the Caribbean?
All you have from me is sympathy. I miss real winters, but 90% of the time I am 1,000% happier in a place that flips out over a few inches.
Also, I bought some tights the other day and thought of you. Have you found any that make you happy and are comfortable?
A trip to Hawaii.
Yeah, I used to roll my eyes at the people who said to go someplace warm and sunny because obviously that’s not an option for many people. But it does help! Hawaii, Florida, California, Texas. I’m lucky to have people to visit in all of these places and it has helped my SAD (by the way are we the same person? do you have B- blood type too or something?) in recent years.
The other things that help: vitamin D supplements, actually getting out of the house even if it’s gray outside, lights on in the house even when it seems “wasteful”, hot yoga, blasting the thermostat when the husband isn’t around to complain… all of these things seem to work.
I did write about some of the light box stuff last year:
http://refreshrenewexplore.com/blog/posts/sad-in-the-pacific-northwest