Typically, my least favorite months are January, February, and March. But this year feels a little different. Now, I wouldn't call myself a winter person, but I am learning to appreciate certain qualities of winter: the crisp air, the beauty of ice on the waters, the stark contrast of white snow against dark-umber branches. When walking, I don't feel quite as weighed down as I sometimes do on a warm summer day. There is a lightness in the air that makes me pick up my step–I almost feel perky walking on a winter day.

I also find comfort in the early nightfall. I am a jammy-loving kind of gal, so when it's dark it feels easy to jump into those comfy clothes right after dinner. In the summer, I feel a little guilty putting on jammies at 6 pm when the sun goes down after 8 pm. In spring and summer there are always a few more things I should do outside while the sun still shines. The early nightfall feels like a gift of rest and ease for those long winter months.

But sometimes I still need a little extra boost to keep my spirits lifted in these colder months. Here are three things I enjoy doing to keep up my spirits in the winter.

First, I bring in fresh flowers. I like to have a new bouquet or a small pot of flowers (like cyclamens or an orchid) to make me smile.

Second, I move my body. My preferred activities are yoga and walking. Yoga keeps me limber and walking gets me outdoors and boosts my heart rate(especially when I am walking up the mountain!). 

Finally, I read something inspirational. I am a booklover, but I am also a quote collector. Here is one quote that I hope will help you during these winter days.

“Within the grip of winter, it is almost impossible to imagine the spring. The gray perished landscape is shorn of color. Only bleakness meets the eye; everything seems severe and edged. Winter is the oldest season; it has some quality of the absolute. Yet beneath the surface of winter, the miracle of spring is already in preparation; the cold is relenting; seeds are wakening up. Colors are beginning to imagine how they will return. Then, imperceptibly, somewhere one bud opens and the symphony of renewal is no longer reversible. From the black heart of winter a miraculous, breathing plenitude of color emerges.
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The beauty of nature insists on taking its time. Everything is prepared. Nothing is rushed. The rhythm of emergence is a gradual slow beat always inching its way forward; change remains faithful to itself until the new unfolds in the full confidence of true arrival. Because nothing is abrupt, the beginning of spring nearly always catches us unawares. It is there before we see it; and then we can look nowhere without seeing it.”― John O'Donohue, To Bless The Space Between Us.

What helps you get through the deep winter? Contact me and let me know!