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How to Stay Upbeat in February
Today, I spoke to my brother who lives in New England. For decades this time of year, we’ve been having a similar conversation: I gloat about the high temps in California, and he tells me how much he enjoys the cold weather and the number of inches of snow accumulating on his roof. (Right now, there’s a foot.) But even my perpetually cheerful brother expressed his winter fatigue.
What are your strategies for staying upbeat in the cold?
Illustration by Walter Trier
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12 comments for “How to Stay Upbeat in February”
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Wendy, I’ve found that it is less the cold than the near constant cloudiness that is the problem. With cold, I can always cook something that takes a long time–braised lamb shanks, chicken stock, caramelized onion, bread–the sort of thing I don’t like to cook when it’s too warm. Indeed, cooking is very seasonal for me–I like the change of seasons. But this winter was (actually, still is, though we had THUNDERSTORMS this morning, with more due overnight) was relentless in its “winterness”. And sometimes I just ran out of strategy.
I agree, Petra, today is frosty and windy but there is sunshine. When the days are cloudy and gray I have a hard time staying positive. I even looked into tanning for a moment or two but my lovely Irish/Polish complexion is just too sensitive.
For now I am sipping on some tea and found a box of unopened shortbreads to nibble on while I study for my RN exam. Tonight I am having an Italian feast to warm up with! Agreement x2…all I have been doing is cooking/eating this winter. CHEERS!!!
Laur–sending you good (and warming!) vibes so you pass that exam with flying colors! And cheers right back at you–an Italian feast sounds wonderful.
Ditto!
What a find. Shortbread and tea is one of my favorite combos.
At times like that, it’s so great to have something delicious in the freezer.
Layering on the extra clothes to stay warm gets me through, though I have days were I start to feel “unsexy” for not having shown skin, or always feeling cold.
This year I tried to take one day at a time. Each day was brand new: maybe it snowed harder than the day before; looking for differences in the details has helped a bit. Noticing the few extra minutes of daylight each day; squirrels that have come out to play/fight/forage…
That might sound silly…but for the past 2 weeks it’s actually helped a bit. That and, a nice block of cheese.
Surely the worst of the dreariness is over.
Spring is right around the corner. And daylight savings time begins soon too.
Wool and imagination. It seems to me that Piglet was entirely surrounded by water in March. Dire circumstances, but perhaps better than being held captive under dismally grey skies for weeks on end. Thank goodness February is a short month.
I’m a big fan of beautiful scarves. That helps me get through a gloomy day.
A beautiful scarf can make all the difference even if you can’t afford new clothes.
I agree 100%. I just got a gorgeous new scarf (which I wore last night) and it will freshen so much of what’s in my wardrobe.