It’s not all dark mornings and bulky coats.
As soon as the temperature drops, my husband undergoes a transformation. A Midwesterner, Tom starts reminiscing about the Great Blizzard of 1978. He shares chipper platitudes like, “There’s no bad weather, only bad clothing!” And on the first snowy day, he will crow about our car’s all-wheel drive. Like a bear in reverse, he comes alive in winter.
I am his opposite. When the leaves begin to fall, so does my mood. It’s still warm in the Northeast, but there have been some chilly nights lately. So I spent last weekend in a state of gloom, packing away my hummingbird feeders and pulling out our family’s collection of giant, shapeless coats.
Many people love winter, but if you’re not one of them, “you don’t have to just accept that you’ll be crankier at this time of year,” said Kari Leibowitz, a health psychologist and author of “How to Winter: Harness Your Mindset to Thrive on Cold, Dark or Difficult Days.”
Having a more positive approach doesn’t mean denying the realities of dark mornings or icy roads, she said. But when you write off wintertime, she added, you’re writing off a quarter of your life.
She and other experts told me how to open yourself up to the delights of the season.
Embrace winter-friendly ‘slow hobbies.’
Instead of “wishing away winter and waiting for spring,” Dr. Leibowitz said, lean into the cooling weather by planning cozy activities and rituals. For example, Dr. Leibowitz just restocked her teas, thicker socks and candles (in winter, she likes to light candles at breakfast).
Make a list of books you want to read during the cozy season, she suggested. (For inspiration, look here.) I’m going to cue up this Spotify playlist of “relaxing winter music.”