It’s easy to lose your optimism when winter days blast you with cold and the sun sets before you even think about what you’re having for dinner. Mutter as much as you want, you are not going to change the season that puts much of the United States into a deep freeze.
However, you can change how you look at it.
The fresh snow blankets everything in a frosty, sparkling coat. Sliding on toboggan hills and across fresh ice gives you a thrill. And you have an excuse to drink hot cocoa every day!
Kari Leibowitz, a health psychologist at Stanford University’s Mind and Body Lab, encourages Americans to embrace the outlook of Scandinavian cultures where winter is celebrated as a fresh opportunity to nest each year. It is a great example of reframing our experiences to focus more on the positive than the negative.
Face it, most of us get through the darkest days of winter as we gear up for Christmas and the new year. Even when the days begin to get longer in January, it still feels like spring is a lifetime away. We get it.
Leibowitz went to live with the Scandinavians to figure out how they find the drive to thrive in long winters when the sun exposure is even more limited. She discovered they embrace activities they can enjoy in the snowy landscape than the coziness of snuggling inside by a fire. They find it more constructive to work with the winter conditions, rather than complaining about what they cannot control.
As a result, they are more satisfied with life, experience lower rates of seasonal depression, and find more pleasure in their pastimes – outdoors and indoors. The Danes call it hygge, a coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of well-being. In Finland, a similar outlook is known as kotoilu, hibernating in the coziness of your home with loved ones, a good book, and a soft blanket.
According to Leibowitz, people in both countries see winter as a challenge rather than a threat. She notes that people in any country or any situation can also reframe their experiences as a learning experience or an opportunity to try something new.
For example, a job loss can liberate you from an unhappy workplace, allowing you to explore new careers. A move to a new community can introduce you to a different group of great friends and neighbors.
We just have to be willing to look at the bright side, even if there is less sunshine in the sky.
Once you adopt this outlook, you cope with stress better and are less likely to catastrophize minor incidents, such as embarrassing situations or near-misses in traffic. As a result, you bounce back more quickly and experience more even heart rates and blood pressure in high-stress situations.
You can apply the same attitude to illnesses. Yes, you could whine and make everyone around you miserable. Or you can take a down day to lie on the couch and watch your favorite movies while you recuperate. If you face a serious illness, you can arm yourself with research and learn how strong you are, while drawing on great friends and family for support. A positive outlook can help your body recover since you don’t add more stress to the mix.
Back to our original topic, it helps to prepare for winter to help yourself find your sweet spot or your hygge. Dress warmly in soft layers and colors you love. Get books that speak to your heart. Make time to connect with people who make you laugh or tell great stories. Make soup and savor the scent it spreads through the house.
When you’re outside, take time to delight in the light arising from crystallized snow. Enjoy the colors of the winter birds. Look at how blue the sky is on a clear day. Listen to your boots crunching with each step, then make snow angels or snowmen.
Why fight winter? It’s coming every year so let’s have some fun with it. When life gives you snow, make snowballs.
Resource: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/worry-stress-and-mental-reframing/2021/01/22/b8b738d6-54fd-11eb-a931-5b162d0d033d_story.html
