Snowed In: Making the Most of Snowy Weather
It’s winter in the Northern hemisphere, and for many of us, that means snowy days and icy nights, with the potential for a blizzard here and there. In some parts of the world, people may find themselves quite literally snowed in, confined to their house, and expected to entertain themselves among the wintery storms.
What are we to do when we can’t leave the house and run the risk of acquiring Cabin Fever? How do we deal with the decreased sunlight and increased desire to hibernate? By making the most of it, of course! While being stuck indoors as frozen precipitation surrounds our domicile may not be everyone’s idea of a great time, there are some simple yet effective ways to turn any snow day into a day of fun and adventure!
The Inner (Indoor) Child
The first step towards making any snow day fun is to unleash our inner children!
Remember how much fun it was to find out that you didn’t have school as a child because the snow outside made it too risky to travel? We didn’t complain about being stuck indoors, we were thrilled at the prospect: a whole day in our pyjamas, with our books and games and toys and nothing holding us back. Even if we felt a little stir-crazy at times, we’d simply run outside and make a few snow angels.
That’s what you need to do on these snowy days to remind yourself how much fun a snowy day can be. If you find yourself restless or bored, force yourself to go outside and remember the delight of making a snow angel or throwing a snowball.
Reach back to that innocent place of wonder that so appreciates a day at home, away from the responsibilities of real life.
Color-by-Numbers
Set an hour aside to break out any crayons, markers, pens, and paper you may have in your home and simply color: paint pictures of silly creatures that come to mind; draw a picture of the sky, and color it with peaches and creams; concoct your favorite, unreal animal and create it; open an old coloring book that you haven’t visited in a while and go wild. It is so important to foster your creativity, yet you may not have the time to regularly do so.
When you have the opportunity to explore your sense of creative self-expression, make the most of it; as adults, we don’t allow ourselves nearly enough playtime. A snow day is the best day to start an art project and get your hands messy with paint, glitter, and glue.
You can even use things around your house that might otherwise get tossed, like leftover gift wrap or tissue paper, string, buttons, and bottle caps. This activity is about getting as creative and even weird as you can muster, letting your imagination run wild, and enjoying odds and ends like you did when you were a kid. Remember when a small marble could be seen as a jewel from an exotic land, or a lone sock became a snarky puppet, full of witty quips?
Bring your day to life using your imagination and the things around you.
Read This Next: Colour Me Calm: Why You Need a Coloring Book
Frosty the Snowman
Your first idea on a snowy day may not be to go outside and expose yourself to the cold but embracing and enjoying the snow is one of the best ways to have fun during the winter.
Wrap yourself up in your warmest attire, gather supplies, and head outside to make a majestic snowman or snowwoman. Build an igloo for yourself or with your little ones for an informative adventure with a bonus fort at the end, have a snowball fight, or make a snow angel.
It may seem counterintuitive to throw yourself into the cold, but the spontaneity and youthful glow of such activities will warm your soul.
A Cup of Warmth
There are very good reasons why hot beverages are so popular - it turns out they can even make you feel friendlier. Few things warm the bones like a hot cup of tea on a cold day curled up with a good book.
There are many months throughout the year when it simply doesn’t feel as pleasant to enjoy a hot beverage, like the scorching months of summer, for instance. The wintertime is the best time to cozy up with a cup of warm mulled wine or hot chocolate.
Home for the Holidays
In the Northern hemisphere, the winter coincides with the holiday season, meaning that we’re typically surrounded by festive lights and music, which more than make up for the shortened daylight. How can we complain about the increase of nighttime hours when they include twinkling fairy lights and choirs singing carols in the town square?
While not every city or town might include carolers, there are still typically many festivities and events available during the holiday season. One way to make the most of winter is to embrace everything that it has to offer, which includes the silly songs and family-friendly feasts!
Giving Gratitude
No matter the season, gratitude is an essential component of any happy, healthy lifestyle. After all, it’s impossible to attract bigger and better things into our lives if we have no appreciation for what we already possess. In fact, it is scientifically proven that gratitude helps improve physical and psychological health, increases empathy, improves confidence, and even helps you get better sleep (and winter is the best season to sleep in).
This might be the best season for you to start a gratitude journal and spend at least five minutes each day listing things that you’re grateful for: the neighbor who shovelled your sidewalk as well as their own, the family member who bakes cookies each holiday season, the niece who draws you a masterpiece over pretend tea.
It doesn’t matter what you’re grateful for, as long as you’re actively looking for the positive things in your life that make you happy.
Have Fun
By focusing your attention on the good, you’ll start drawing even more positivity into your life. With all those feelings of gratitude, you’ll barely even notice that it’s cold outside and be wishing for another snow day to come soon!
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