Winter hibernation game plan

This is an old picture, sorry fam. You aren't crazy, my hair did not grow this much and change color since last you saw me.

Animals have the right idea when it comes to hibernating or traveling to warmer weather for winter. Though the season has so much beauty, personally I was not built for the 4 months of winter that Minnesota provides. That being said, I also have no intention of ever moving somewhere without winter, so really how much can I complain? Over the 20 years I've been alive I've been refining my game plan to survive the cold and gloom and the very real seasonal affective disorder winter brings me.

This post will give some tips of the things I've begun to implement back in November as the days grow shorter and colder. Enjoy, and good luck to your individual hibernation, or celebration of the season!

Sunlight lamp

My sunlight lamp <33333

Shoutout to my mom for suggesting I use this and supplying me with one.

During this time of year, the hardest thing for me is getting out of bed. It is cold and dark and the perfect environment for staying in bed. When getting this lamp, I was skeptical, but I truly have noticed a difference. It looks like a normal digital clock with a touch light, but it has the feature of having an "alarm" set so that when my alarm on my phone goes off, I'll open my eyes to a room full of light even though the sun won't rise until almost 7:45 a.m.

Walks, Self Care, and Mindfulness

I've talkedthis topic in my College Diaries posts from this semester, but a morning walk is truly one of my favorite moments to practice self care and mindfulness. These walks are a great form of exercise for me and aftewards, I feel very accomplished. I love tracking them on my FitBit; it gives me a lot of energy to get through my day. It also is a great time for decompression and to practice focusing on what is happening in the current moment rather than past or future thinking. Even as it gets colder, I just continue to slowly begin bundling up more and more so that I stay safe and warm.

Warm coffee and cocoa and soup

I love warm beverages in the winter. Taking that first sip of hot cocoa or coffee and feeling it fill my body with warmth brings me so much joy. Treating myself to these fun drinks celebrate the season and make me feel good. In the same vein of warmth, but in the category of food: I LOVE SOUP. Soup is currently probably my #1 choice for dinner. It has the same effect that the warm beverages have for me. I would 1000% recommend soup this winter. Soup is in.

Long, cozy, fuzzy, warm, incredible robe

This is a tip I have yet to do, but am so ready to try. I cannot sleep in warm pajamas because I overheat throughout the night and I don't like having too much fabric on. That being said, it leaves me FREEZING in the morning and makes the act of getting out of bed that much harder. So, in theory, keeping a long, warm, fuzzy robe next to my bed to immediatly reach for and put on so I can be all cozy when I get up to get ready for work, class, or just to hangout will make getting out of bed throughout the winter easier. I asked for one for Christmas, so I will keep you all updated.

Avoiding isolation and staying social

One of the most common coping mechanisms I lean into in self isolation. I get overwhelmed and irritated and shut myself up alone in my room. This tends to have more negative effects for me long term and make me feel lonely. To combat this, I won't be completely removing alone time in my room, but rather being intentional with this time being "alone time" or "decompression time" rather than "isolation." And, I've been putting effort into saying yes to being social and being in common areas of my house. Even though sometimes the urge is stronger to stay alone in my room than hanging out with my roommates and friends, I always feel better and rejuvenated when I am social and having positive interactions with the people I care about.

Having grace with myself

This is the MOST IMPORTANT piece of my game plan. I often feel frustrated with myself if I "fail" or don't do the things I plan. However, I have to have grace and go easy on myself. I know this time of year is the hardest part of the year for my mental health and I need to remind myself that taking a day to just do nothing is OK! If I have a bad day, or couple days, or a week, thats ok too, because healing is not linear.

And there it is. My hibernation game plan.

This has a positive tone and optimistic view point, but I know winter doesn't always feel that way to me. I'm putting in effort to keep pushing forward to make it to the other side: the best season, spring!

Good luck everyone on your migration, hibernation, or embracement of the winter season!

<3 Lainey