Has cold, nasty, winter weather got you feeling down? Feeling depressed? Wishing your nose wasn’t running? Skin dry and cracked? Lips chapped? Tired of needing extra time to get wherever you’re going? Sick of the dirty-salt grime on your car?
Fed up with driving to work and home from work in the pitch-black dark?
Don’t be a victim. “Victimy” thinking is that you have been wronged somehow by the universe or God or your parents or your spouse—or whatever entity is somehow forcing you to live in a frigid climate. “Victimy” thinking is that you’re just not built by God to be able to handle this kind of weather because you are a warm-weather sun-lover. Your victim attitude can then affect your relationship with your family, your kids, your spouse, your friends, and your co-workers.
What can you do about it? Here are 3 solid things you can do. It all starts with your own thinking. Once you get yourself thinking consistently, you can actually change your beliefs about the cold of winter.
1. Appreciate that if you live in America—you are living in the greatest country in the world replete with all modern conveniences—including nice heated cars, excellent furnaces and climate control systems and well-insulated modern houses!
If you have ever been to a tropical island in the Caribbean, you probably noticed that the vast majority of the native people live in absolute poverty! Most tropical islands have no natural resources except bananas, sugar cane, fishing and sunshine. These are not enough resources to maintain a high standard of living. So, although the sun is warm and the beach looks beautiful for the tropical island people, would you rather have indoor plumbing or an outhouse? Would you rather eat at good restaurants and afford to buy fresh food from around the world at your local American grocery store or eat polenta and plantains every day out of a cast iron skillet on a wood-burning stove? Would you rather your children walk to school barefoot to small school room with no computers?
2. Focus on your family and friends and relationships! In the summertime, we can all get distracted with outdoor activities, working in the yard, running around to the kids’ soccer games, and hanging outside.
Take time on these snowy, cold days to take inventory of yourself. Be present for your spouse. Listen to your spouse. Be present for your kids. Listen to your kids. Engage in meaningful, deep conversation. Work on developing the deepest intimate knowledge of your own self that you can. Work on developing the deepest intimate relationships you can with our family. Work on being connected. Instead of watching tv, play a game and talk. Instead of surfing the internet, go up to one of your kids’ bedrooms and ask them how they are feeling. Talk to them about life. If you can’t think of where to start a conversation, say “let’s share our bucket lists—and write up your dream ideas for life” or “let’s take a look at the calendar and plan some one-on-one time for the year like going to (insert your place here)”
3. Light therapy. Your body has natural cycles. Light and dark regulate these. Turn the lights on in the morning and stimulate yourself. Turn on the lights in your house. A bright sun helps for a reason. Bright light can help do the same.
Summer is coming soon. Take advantage of what life has given you. Don’t be a victim to some cold air and snow flakes.