This story was originally published in The Highlight, Vox’s member-exclusive magazine. To get early access to member-exclusive stories every month, join the Vox Membership program today.
Winter is unavoidable — and for many, the winter blues feel that way, too.
If the thought of shorter, colder days fills you with dread, you’re not alone. According to the Cleveland Clinic, at least 5 percent of American adults experience seasonal affective disorder, or “SAD” — a type of major depressive disorder related to seasonal changes — and another 10 to 20 percent feel a “milder form of the winter blues.”
“Living in New England, where winters are long and the days are short, I often notice a shift in my clients’ mood and energy levels during this time,” Christie Lebrun, a therapist based in Boston, said in an email. “Many report feeling more fatigued, which leads them to stay indoors more often. The lack of sunlight and the colder temperatures contribute to this, making it harder for them to engage with their communities or pursue social activities outside of work.”
Even though experiencing a declining mood during winter is quite common, it doesn’t mean we need to lean into those feelings. Instead of fixating on what winter doesn’t offer (like long, sunny days), focusing on what’s unique and special about the season can help you break out of the winter doldrums, according to both seasonal experts and winter lovers. If you’re in need of some inspiration, consider the following tips.
Travel to an even colder city, and take notes
If you’re a lifelong hater of winter, you may just need to take a trip to somewhere even chillier. Yes, you read that right.
“Traveling somewhere cold and snowy like a winter city can be really eye-opening,” says Kari Leibowitz, psychologist and author of How to Winter, a book based on her research on inhabitants of extreme climates and her personal experiences living about 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle in Tromsø, Norway. “Places with more extreme winters … almost have no choice but to adapt [and] to figure out how to embrace the season. It’s actually the places at more middle latitudes that struggle more and that need to learn from these places.”
In the case of, say, New Yorkers or Londoners, Leibowitz says, they are “not forced to adapt in the same way” and rely on a strategy of “avoidance in a way that is totally counterproductive.”
So, if you have some extra vacation time, why not plan a trip where you could learn to look forward to winter days instead of avoiding them?
In Magog, Quebec, the tourism department devotes much of its efforts to helping its residents and visitors celebrate the cold. In Magog, you’ll find commuters skating down a nearly 2-mile-long ice trail to get through town, stopping at a cafe along the way for a warm beverage. There is also a Nordic spa just outside of downtown, where you’ll see dozens of people dunking their heads in a cold plunge fed by a frozen river, then walking along a snow-surrounded outdoor path to a sauna.
“A lot of people think they want to retire to the South,” he says. “I would want to retire in Alaska.”
Magog is known as a “winter city,” a term that describes a place that plans its infrastructure, transportation, and recreational opportunities around encouraging public life in the winter. There are winter cities all over the world: In the US, you’ll find winter wonderlands in Lake Placid, New York; Leavenworth, Washington; and Woodstock, Vermont, to name a few.
Sasha Pedro, a photographer and winter fanatic based in Massachusetts, traveled as far as Iceland this winter season to make her snowy dreams come true. Her love of the colder months may be genetic, she thinks, given that both of her parents are from Boston. “My parents always talked about if they retired and moved … they would go to Maine or Canada,” she says. “We’re all interested in just getting colder. … You could convince me to go to Iceland in a heartbeat, but a beach resort vacation would take a little bit of [talking into].”
Fellow winter-lover Doug Macias, an attorney based in Long Island, New York, agrees: “A lot of people think they want to retire to the South,” he says. “I would want to retire in Alaska.”
Go outside and get some exercise
If travel isn’t in the budget, picking up a winter hobby that you can look forward to each year, especially one that you can do outside, is another way to take the edge off of the season.
“People all over the world who do winter well, they find a way to get outside even when it is cold and wet and dark,” says Leibowitz.
One of the reasons Pedro loves winter is because of fond memories spent ice skating outside with family as a child, especially on her birthday in January. “My dad was a recreational hockey player, so I grew up on skates,” she says. “A lot of my birthdays were spent ice skating. There’s nothing better in my opinion.”
“When someone is feeling down during the winter, I recommend making it a priority to get outside for some sunlight, even if it’s just for a short walk.”
Macias also has a nostalgic tie to winter days spent outside. In addition to ice skating, he’s found joy in the less glamorous activity of snow shoveling. “I really like snow days,” he says. “They were my favorite as a kid. … Me and my brothers would shovel for a few hours, and usually do our whole block — and then [have] snowball fights.”
Ice skating outside isn’t always feasible or safe, but even a public indoor rink will do the trick. If you’re not feeling confident about your balance on skates, then opt for a walk through your neighborhood.
“When someone is feeling down during the winter, I recommend making it a priority to get outside for some sunlight, even if it’s just for a short walk,” Lebrun says. “A 10- to 30-minute walk can make a noticeable difference.”
Turn to the tenets of hygge at home
Hygge (pronounced “hoo-gah”) is a word to describe a Danish tenet of happiness, all about embracing coziness, slow living, and special moments with family and friends. In the mid-2010s, it became a viral trend in the US. The concept can be especially helpful for bringing some much-needed appreciation to dark and long winter nights.
Pedro says her childhood home was designed by her mother according to hygge. She grew up around lots of warm colors, mugs, and cozy blankets. She mirrors this in her own home, where she lives with her partner. “Rather than a clean, tidy home, we have a lot of musical instruments. We have a lot of photos of loved ones on my wall. My main view across from the couch is 80 percent artwork associated with my dog,” she says. “Everywhere I look, something in my home makes me happy, and so it’s a nice place to be.”
A full home redesign isn’t necessary, but take some inspiration from Pedro and make sure that home is a happy place for you. That way, spending a little more time indoors doesn’t have to be a reason to get the winter blues. Hygge for your household can be as easy as lighting more candles indoors, one of Leibowitz’s favorite winter habits.
Spend more time with (winter-loving) friends and family
The truth is that winter is only as one-note as you make it. If you allow the weather to limit your schedule, then you’ll miss out on the fun times that winter does have to offer. Winter “is no more monotonous than any other season,” Macias says. “Winter gets too much flack.”
Leibowitz agrees: “If you talk to somebody who skis or snowboards or a sauna enthusiast, they all look forward to winter because they have special things that they do during the season.”
When Pedro’s partner, originally from Phoenix, moved in with her, he was not well-versed in winter. Over the years, she’s taken him winter hiking in their area, ice skating outdoors on a trip to Chicago, and on brisk walks with her snow-loving dog, a Chow and Shiba Inu mix built for the winter. Now, they look forward to winter every year. “You just have to prepare yourself and have things to do,” Pedro said.
Lebrun agrees that the best antidote to winter boredom is planning opportunities to socialize, whether indoors or outdoors. She suggests scheduling social activities often, whether it’s a movie night, dinner, or even a virtual hang out or phone call, to lift your mood.
If negative feelings persist despite your best efforts, consider reaching out to a therapist or discussing medication options with a physician for further support, she says.
]]>