Winter is coming. And it may be a difficult one, made so by the virus's ever-increasing rates that necessitate continued social distancing to protect ourselves and our communities – not to mention holidays that will look very different from years past. Shorter days bring their own challenges, and combined this year with possible quarantines, I want to be proactive about planning now for a winter season that will lend itself to as much gentle rest and affirming work as possible.
Aiming to both cross longstanding to-do's off my list and to set positive habits now, here are a few things I've done or plan to do to preserve more time and peace in the months to come:
- Started a Pinterest board of knitting and crafting projects to work on during the winter months
- Got the oil changed in my car
- Washed my reusable pads in OxiClean
- Started going for a 2-ish-mile run every other day
- Set up regular weekly (virtual) appointments with my therapist
- Bought a "happy light" [affiliate link] and started using it every morning
- Ordered enough reusable masks that I don't run out between launderings (this is the one I'm wearing in the pic, in the pattern "Luna" – affiliate link)
- Began planning a late summer family vacation
- Gotten in the habit of taking "night walks" after dinner – that's what Miles calls them even though we stroll at 5:30. Sometimes we bring flashlights; sometimes we use the constellation identification app on Kristie's phone to explore the stars.
- Started a winter reading list
One more thing that has been bringing me joy has been taking care of our home; meaning sweeping, doing dishes, putting toys away, cleaning the stovetop. (No one's more surprised by this than me!) After hours spent at a computer, taking care of physical, tactile tasks is a balm and helps me feel so pleasantly productive.
Others are sharing winter coping strategies, too. A Cup of Jo lists ways to cultivate cheerfulness; the Washington Post takes a more clinical track on ideas to cope with the intersection of pandemic depression and seasonal affective disorder; the Postmodern Homemaker's guide to preparing your home for winter of two years ago is not 2020-specific, but important (and probably satisfying to complete) nonetheless.
What can you start doing now to make this coming winter easier and, dare I say, joyful?
