We have entered into November. I woke up feeling down because it was dark and raining. I started to think about the winter months and how dark and cold it will be, and my spirits went down further. I waddled down the stairs half asleep at 6 am to make lunches for my family. I wasn’t happy about it. If you know me, you know that I don’t like negativity. This means that when I am negative, I quickly challenge myself. This means that I don’t tend to stay negative long because I have trained myself to shift pretty quickly. I started to think about how lucky we are to have so much food in the house. I started to think about how much I love to provide nourishing lunches for my family. It was working.
I drove my daughter and her friends to school this morning, and the sun was shining brightly. I realized how my mood completely lifted from all the sunshine. It got me thinking about how I was going to keep my spirits up through the winter months. Here is how I am going to do it:
My mother taught me that we need to make plans that we are excited for! Plan something over the winter that you know will bring you happiness. I know that my son will be home over the winter, so I am thrilled. I know that we will be taking Ella on some college tours and that excites me! I enjoy celebrating Hanukkah with my family so that will be fun too. Make some winter plans! My dream would be to take my family to Universal’s Epic Universe, but I don’t know if that will happen this winter break. We won’t talk about our college bill. It can be as simple as a monthly night with your friends. I love my book club nights.
Romanticize the winter months! I am curled up with a blanket on my couch typing this. Think positively about your cozy couch and warm blankets. Get excited to make the family popcorn and hot chocolate and have everyone curl up for a movie night. Make some warm soups and stews for the family. Bake some cookies together. Think about blankets, warm drinks, warm food, slippers, cozy pajamas and movies with fondness. Cozy rituals every day will boost your mood. Curling up with some tea and a good book sounds wonderful to me and gets me excited. Get excited all day long whenever you can. It will boost your mood. Get excited for little things all day long!
Try to get some summer / warmness exposure. I know I said to make some plans. I think that heading somewhere warm over the winter months helps to break it up. If you can get to Florida, an island or take a cruise – I highly recommend it.
Talk to people who love winter. It helps me so much. My son and daughter really enjoy the winter. Max gets so excited about the cold months. They also love the snow. Their excitement can be really contagious. Talking to people who don’t like winter will bring you down. Find people who like the winter and ask them questions about it. It will help you to see the positives too.
Make sure that you are getting some daylight exposure. It is easy to go to work when it is dark out and to come home when it’s dark out. Build in some time in your day every day to see the sun! Take a daily walk. Make sure to go outside and take a stretch during lunch. Have a daily plan so that you don’t miss all the daylight time. Our daughter Ella was dropped off at school at 7 am and will be picked up at 7 pm at night. It is very easy to miss the sun. Chase the sun time! Don’t miss it!
Move that body of yours. I am almost done typing this and then I am going to go lift weights and then I will take a walk if I have time even though it’s chilly out. Bundle up and get outside! Be careful of they icy months! Tanner and I took a bad fall last winter. I will be hitting the treadmill when it gets too icy out. Just make sure to move your body in the winter. Don’t sit on the couch all winter. Whether you go to the gym or take the family bowling, get yourself up and moving. It will improve your mood.
Last but certainly not least – protect your mood. Put your mood in a glass house and guard it. Don’t let other people’s negativity creep into your house. If you feel yourself getting down or cranky, lift yourself back up. Find ways to keep yourself happy. Call a friend who will lift your spirits. Bake something for your coworkers. Brightening other people’s days will help to boost your mood. Don’t allow yourself to fall into a winter slump. Monitor your mood and focus on keeping it on a high note. One of my best motivators is knowing that my kids are watching and learning from me.
I hope that you can take away something from this to help you get through the winter in good spirits. The Whinypaluza community is here for you to help you. You can spend time with me every day at the free and supportive Whinypaluza mom group on Facebook. Thank you for being here with me.
Laughing, Learning, Loving,
Rebecca Greene, LCSW-R
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