As I look out my window while writing this post, I see snow (which will amount to about 5 inches according to local meteorologists) falling on top of what remains of the over two-feet of white stuff from the blizzard that hit our area two weeks ago.
Sigh.
I. Don’t. Like. Winter.
And I’m not too happy with that hack of a weather forecaster Punxsutawney Phil, either. The oversized rodent was dead wrong when he said spring was on the fast track this year. Fraud.
Anyways, like many other people I know, the winter months test my patience. Just a few of the reasons why include:
- It’s cold outside. – Enough said.
- It’s inconvenient. – Meeting and event cancellations; impaired home office productivity when kids are home because school is canceled; inability to give your dog the exercise she needs (Speaking as dog mama to a 10-month-old pit bull pup, I can attest to the significance of this.)…
- It’s time consuming. – Bundling up in bulky coats, gloves, and scarves; warming up the car; scraping ice and snow from the windshield…
- It’s dangerous. – Snow drifting across back roads; icy sidewalks…
- It’s unhealthy. – Colds, the flu, the winter blues…
But above all, the thing that’s most frustrating about winter is that it’s confining. Come February every year, I develop a textbook case of cabin fever. And this year has been no exception.
Fortunately, all is not lost.
While spring—with its warmer temperatures—is the only cure, I have found some quick fixes to temporarily relieve the symptoms of winter-induced cabin fever.
- Find a really, really good book to read. – A REAL book. One made of paper and ink with pages you can touch and turn.
- Work out. – Kick starting those endorphins and getting your blood pumping can do wonders for your attitude and ability to overcome the doldrums of winter.
- Tease your brain. – Challenge your mind with a crossword puzzle, Sudoku, or a solo game of Boggle. Don’t have any at home or in the office? Don’t sweat it—there are online versions of all of them.
- Indulge in a guilty pleasure. – One of mine is watching episodes of Gilligan’s Island on DVD.
- Plan your summer vacation. – Escape reality for a while by thinking ahead to warmer days and fun-filled nights.
So you see, even though that misguided groundhog got it all wrong this year and there’s no magical spell to fast-forward to April, you can find ways to make winter a wee bit more tolerable. Embrace the little things that can take the edge off of your cabin fever, think spring, and hang in there!
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