Hello my lovelies,
With it being January, many people are fed up of the weather (at least we are in the UK.) It's cold. It's dark. It's probably raining. The days appear to be getting shorter and shorter and your motivation to get anything done is dissipating by the second. You just really miss summer. I get it - especially at the moment. Lockdown was just easier to deal with in the summer. It was warmer so outdoor exercise didn't feel like a chore. Back when seeing your friends was legal, it was actually fun to go for a walk around a park or sit and have a picnic in the sunshine. Now though, it's way too cold to sit anywhere outside for long periods of time and going outside for exercise is the last thing you want to do.
However, winter is a season that, unfortunately in the UK, is long, cold, dark and drizzly, and reoccurs every year, so you do just have to learn to deal with it until spring finally comes back around. *That being said, if you find that the change in the seasons are drastically affecting your happiness and mental state, please please seek help. Both Mind and SANE offer advice and resources on how to cope with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and other mental health issues.*
But, how can you make winter more bearable?
First thing's first, you have to look on the bright side. Ironic because on the evening that I am writing this post, the temperature didn't reach higher than 1°c and the fog hasn't lifted all day. But in order to get through the winter, you have to think of the positives of winter!
It can be really, really beautiful. When the rain hasn't let up all day or it's so foggy that you can't see more than a foot in front of your face, you have to remember how beautiful winter can be. One of my favourite kinds of weather is a really bright, sunny, cold Autumn or Winter day. It just feels so fresh and crisp! Or the snow! The snow can be so beautiful. So peaceful. So fun! Think snowball fights and sledging - those days when you're enjoying yourself way too much to even realise how cold you are. (I promise, I am an adult really.)
Or if venturing outside into freezing temperatures isn't really your kind of thing, now that it's cold you don't need an excuse to have a cosy duvet day. Get on your warmest pyjamas, grab a hot chocolate and stick on your favourite film or read a book under the covers. There's not much better than being cosy - there's a reason why so many cultures have specific words for the sensation of being cosy ('hygge' in Danish, for example.)
And although people can suffer from SAD during these winter months, the cold does bring with it some health benefits.
According to a 2017 study from Stanford University, people can perform cognitive tasks such as remaining calm and making decisions with more control when it is colder. Colder temperatures can make you think more clearly, and if I ever need to clear my mind in winter, I find that a walk in the fresh air always makes me feel better, refreshed and less stressed.
As well as this, you're less likely to suffer from certain allergies in the winter. I think hay fever sufferers must all breathe a sigh of relief as soon as it hits October time and the temperature starts to drop, because the pesky itchy eyes and constant running nose symptoms finally start to ease.
And just remember, us Brits are never happy. In the winter, we are constantly bemoaning the cold and counting down the days until we can whack the shorts and bikinis back out. But in the summer, we complain that it is 'too hot', and can't wait for the cosy jumpers and hot chocolates season to return.
And though we are itching to get the sun cream back out and to bury the fluffy scarves and gloves back into the depths of our wardrobes once more, it will be summer again before we know it and we'll all be moaning about the heat soon enough!
Are you counting down the days until summer, or are you quite content in the cold? I quite like both, but I do think summer will always have a special place in my heart. Here's hoping that Summer 2021 will be the summer that last year couldn't be! I have too many fun ideas planned for another 3 months inside!
With love, Chloe x
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