Banishing Winter Blues

Even though it's pretty to look at, the endless snow is starting to wear on me. For today's post, I wanted to share all the little things I do in the effort to "banish winter blues." Hope these help you out as well! And let's wait eagerly for spring to be here. :)

Get cozy

Wear your comfiest, coziest clothing. As a general rule - if it's fuzzy, put it on! Stay nice and warm with furs, knits, flannel, and shearling.

Get crafty

On a similar note, you can knit something cozy. Knitting is so relaxing as you add row upon row of stitches and listen to the soft click of the needles. If you're not a knitter, you could crochet.. or craft a simple fleece blanket.

Get green

My herb plants are doing ridiculously well, despite the cruddy weather. It lends a bit of hope to see something green and living, so take care of your indoor plants. And start planning what you're going to grow outside when spring actually gets here. I'm making up a rough list of more herbs and vegetables I want to try out this year. Marjoram, savory, chervil, and rainbow carrots, among other things. More experiments!

Get baking

Obviously, I love baking. The subject probably comprises 50% of this blog. However, if I'm baking for the purpose of making myself feel better, it has to be something simple and foolproof. A gloomy winter day should not be made worse with the despair of a failed meringue. Instead, revel in the success of a fresh baked pan of Sea Salt Chocolate Chip bars. These turns out every time I make them, and are even better with ice cream and caramel. Just sayin'.

Get moving

There are so many studies that say exercise improves mood, and it's true. My favorite time to exercise is while I'm baking, actually. While the pans are in the oven, I do some light cardio and pilates. Buttkicks, half jacks, sprints up and down the stairs, bicycle crunches, leg lifts, and squats (bending down to look in the oven, haha.) In fact, what you choose to bake can determine the workout. Bars or cookies = a short 15-minute workout, cupcakes = 30 minutes, quick bread = a grueling full hour of interval training. Then we can feel entirely justified in our consumption of sugar and refined flour. ;)

Get reading

When we just can't take how the real world looks anymore, with its 5-foot snow banks and 3-foot icicles, it's nice to get lost in a story. For a few minutes, we can pretend to be the main character of an exciting novel instead of the average Midwestern person living in a winter wasteland. I've been keeping a couple of books downloaded on the OverDrive app, which has access to all the eBooks and audiobooks available through your local public library. Always have a novel at the ready!

'Til next time,

Eva