Surviving Winter

I've never been a big fan of winter.

actual portrait of me in the winter

I grew up in Florida, where winter happens sometimes, and sometimes not so much. While I did live in New England for three years, I was a little kid, and the only thing I had to worry about as far as the cold was mom making me eat breakfast before I could go play in the snow.

Sometimes winter has a negative effect, and we have to battle the desire to hibernate and isolate until it's warm again. Even just spending more time inside, with less movement and less sunlight, can deprive our bodies of vitamin D, promote unnessecary snacking and weight gain, and make us feel bored or lonely.

In an effort to be positive and fully enjoy winter, I've complied a list of ways that will hopefully help anyone who lives where it's cold to stay warm, healthy, and happy!

• Hot packs! Oh my gosh, best things ever. They're little packs that you shake up and they last for hours. I know they exist in the states but I had never used them before. There's a variety of them--for your hands, your feet, your back. Shove 'em in your pockets, your gloves, your socks. They're just so warm.

• An electric heating pad for you bed. Unlike electric blankets, which are common in cold areas of the States, the electric heating pad goes under you. It makes way more sense, as heat rises, and is a great alternative to jacking up your utilities bill by using the central heat. Before I got one, I was so cold at night, but now...wake me in spring.

• Space heater. I don't have one yet but it just seems like a good idea.

• Get a real down jacket. Everyone around here wears puffy jackets, usually filled with goose or duck down. They can be pretty pricey, but once you get one you'll understand why it's necessary. They're lightweight, durable, and warm. They also have varying styles--ones that are shorter (reaching your waist instead of the usual trench coat length), extra lightweight, or vests for layering.

• Drink tea. Yeah, hot chocolate too, but tea you can drink as many times a day as you want, guilt free, and there's an endless variety. Try getting ones with orange, cinnamon, clove, ginger, peppermint...wintery flavors that will warm you up and put you in a positive mood. Plus, things like ginger, peppermint, and clove are good for your stomach, so you're actually helping your body out, especially if the cold weather has you moving around less than usual.

• Eat chocolate. Dark chocolate (Hershey's doesn't count, sorry) actually has a lot of health benefits. It's a source of antioxidants, and may even promote blood circulation and help to prevent heart disease. Chocolate also releases dopamine in your brain, which makes you feel happy. So chocolate = happiness, *Gus Portokalos voice* there you go.

• Eat warm foods, like soups and stews. Remember that vegetables like sweet potatoes, squashes, and pumpkins grow in the winter for a reason--they're warm and hearty. But don't forget to keep dark, leafy greens.

• Stay hydrated. Not with Gatorade, guys, with water. If you're a person who gets cold feet or fingers easily, chances are you're not drinking enough water. (guilty). The reason for this is that your core needs to stay warm to protect your vital organs, and when there's not enough heat there, your body pulls it from your limbs. Drinking water promotes blood circulation, which will help your body keep all its parts warm. By the same token, keep your core warm with extra layers around your middle.

• Hot water bottle. This one is so easy and so effective. Just take a stainless steel water bottle, and fill it up with hot water. It will stay warm longer than you would expect. You can wrap it in a towel if it's too hot and once it starts to cool off remove the towel. Just hug it to your middle, hold it with your cold hands, sit it in your lap, or put it under your blankets by your feet. They also sell hot water bottles at Korean stores like Artbox!

• Go for a walk. Like I said, cold weather makes us want to hibernate. But the fact is, your body needs fresh air and sunlight to be healthy, so every now and then, bundle up and go outside. Even just a walk around the block will do you good, and we have to keep that immune system healthy to ward off the viruses that tend to circulate this time of year.

• Watch movies. In direct opposition to my advice above, I also advise you to take some days and hibernate, guilt-free. Enjoy the fact that the cold weather actually gives you an excuse to be a bit lazy, and break out all those Audrey Hepburn movies or all the Star Wars trilogies. Bonus points if you include a cat, a craft project of some kind, and/or a loved one.

• If you want to keep your electric bill down by not having the heat too high, then bundle even at home. This is a lot more fun (at least for me) when you have pajamas that you really enjoy wearing-- and the great thing about pajamas is nobody except your family sees you in them. So buy the fuzzy. Buy the Hello Kitty print. Get new slippers, or pull that truly awful oversized sweatshirt out of your closet that you've had for years and just won't throw out. Nobody judges you in hibernation.

• Take a long, hot shower or bath. If it's a bath, add Epsom salts and an essential oil, like lavender. Follow with the aforementioned pajamas.

• Use your hair dryer. This is going to sound crazy, but if you get real cold, just take a few minutes to warm up your cold feet (or hands or middle or whatever) with your hair dryer. It's worth it.

• Use an essential oil diffuser. Really, these are great any time of the year, but in winter when we're home more often, you can diffuse oils like thieves, frankincense, lavender, etc, that promote relaxation, a healthy immune system, and/or purify the air.

• Speaking of purifying the air! It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to invest in some indoor plants, to help keep the air circulating around your house clean. There's lots of durable plants out there that purify the air and don't require much investment or upkeep, just make sure to check if they can be poisonous to pets if you have any.

• If you live somewhere where it gets really cold, take advantage of winter sports and activities, like skiing, snowboarding, sledding, or ice skating. For those of you who don't live where there's snow or mountains, you can still find indoor ice skating rinks!

A few other thoughts for keeping positive and avoiding wintertime depression: pull out all your favorite blankets, plan activities to look forward to like going to a movie or have people over for dinner, get crafty with sewing, drawing, writing, or paper folding projects, take silly selfies, cuddle your pets.

<3강다은 Da Eun