• Home
  • About
    • WRITING
    • Books
  • CLASSES
  • Blog
    • Pie Love
    • Perfect Crust
    • Tools and Tips
    • Pie Recipes
  • GALLERY
  • Contact
Menu

Nancy McMillan

Street Address
Bethlehem
203-586-9157
Writer ~ Teacher ~ Seeker

Your Custom Text Here

Nancy McMillan

  • Home
  • About
  • WRITING
    • WRITING
    • Books
  • CLASSES
  • Blog
  • Life with Pie
    • Pie Love
    • Perfect Crust
    • Tools and Tips
    • Pie Recipes
  • GALLERY
  • Contact

13 Ways to Survive (and Even Enjoy) Winter!

December 28, 2023 Nancy McMillan
Winter Sunset in Connecticut

It surprises people when I say that winter is my favorite season, as many find it an act of pure endurance.

        Physically, winter is our hardest season here in New England. The days shorten, the temperatures dive, and the outlook ahead includes a long stretch of dark, cold, and ice until early April.

        The other seasons do possess their charms. Spring with its eternal hope, Summer with its relentless and excessive abundance, and Autumn with its irrepressible glory of color—these are external seasons, show-off seasons, flaunting their ability to morph in front of us.

        Throughout these cycles, we are audience members, enamored with the seductiveness of the seasonal show which, at the end, leaves us with a sense of the coming, inevitable darkness of winter.

        The landscape becomes stark, stripped down. Trees are naked in their skeletal form, the corpses of flora lay about our feet, the animals are bent on survival. All this is an undeniable reminder of the losses we’ve all experienced, be it loss of loved ones, loss of the innocence and wonder of the holidays, loss of tender dreams, or the loss of the denial of our own dreaded mortality. Winter seeps inside us and seems to have a knowing about our inner life that other seasons do not possess.

        I find solace in winter, the season that makes me slow down and spend more time inside. I want to match my internal pace to the outer world, spend time in reflection and contemplation, and absorb the stillness that the natural world reveals. It is a time to tend to my inner life and my inner world.

        Winter is a season that strengthens me, opens up my external and internal horizons, provides an opportunity for clarifying reflection on what’s important in my life, helps me savor the sweetness, and nudges me to not be afraid to look death in the eye.

        You may not experience the season this way, but there are still ways to make winter enjoyable and less of a burden.

1/ Look for subtle shades and surprising pops of brightness in nature.

* Winterberry’s bright drops of scarlet stand out against the muted landscape.

* Bittersweet berries retain their fall colors of yellow, orange, and red.

* The flat stems of firebushes (Euonymus) are boldly striped in tan and black.

* Numerous hues of tan and brown are plentiful. Along my road, I see a plant covered with pillows of fluff embedded with dark chocolate “eyes” (seeds). Ragweed and wild asters display their seed saving in tight, tawny tufts.

* Find winter interest in garden plants, such as cone flowers (Echinacea) and Autumn Joy sedum.

* Winter sunrises and sunsets display a palette not seen in other seasons, such a lavender-edged clouds, made more stunning against the lace of bare branches.

* Take a walk while it’s snowing lightly and experience the special beauty, quiet, and stillness of the winter world.

* Observe the moon caught in a web of tree branches.

2/ Find a way to get outdoors and move.

* A small daily dose of fresh air and movement can contribute to physical and mental health. One snowy winter we vacationed in Gratfton, Vermont. We had planned to cross-country ski that day, but with the temperature at four degrees, we lingered inside. When we decided not to be wimps, we found the skiing to be just the remedy for our ennui.

* If you’re concerned about icy paths, check out Yak Trax or other traction cleats for secure footing.

* There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing, the Scandanavians say. To ensure you stay warm, have three layers of clothing on your chest before you slip on your jacket. And don’t forget a hat, which retains sixty percent of your body heat. My fingers tend to chill first, so I wear a thin glove under my woolen mittens. Silk long underwear is comfortable, light, and surprisingly warm.

* Cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, sledding, ice skating, and downhill skiing are all great winter activities. And don’t forget snow shoveling!

* Venture out into a fresh snowfall with a child and make snow angels and build a snowman. Tap into a child’s joy to fill your own well.

3/ Create a winter nighttime ritual.  

* Indulge in a hot drink you love; my favorite is Yogi Caramel Bedtime Tea with a splash of milk. Ginger and chamomile are calming teas. Browse your market tea aisle for “sleepy” blends.

* Warm milk with spices can help you sleep. Try cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, turmeric. Sweeten with a bit of natural sugar, honey, or maple syrup.

* Avoid alcohol and caffeine, as they can disturb sleep.

4/ Follow poet Mary Oliver’s lead and indulge your animal self.

The nights are longer now; allow your animal self to fall into its natural cycle.

* Get into your pjs earlier. After dinner is acceptable in our house.

* Turn off those screens at least an hour before bed and feel the sweet relief of being disconnected from your electronic leash.

* Tuck in early, with that stack of books by your bedside to feed your mind.

* Consider room-darkening shades to enhance the cave effect. As much as possible, remove electronic lights from your bedroom.

5/ Affected by SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)?

A daily dose of full-spectrum light can help keep the blues at bay. Try sitting within the glow for an hour a day; some people use a lightbox. I put a full-spectrum bulb in my reading lamp all year long. Find the bulbs at your local hardware store or online.

6/ Are you struggling with depression?

The holiday season can bring on reminders of loss, which can linger after the holidays have passed. Mental health is just as important as physical health and there are resources available. Please, reach out for help.

* Call your town social worker or senior center for access to information about social services. Or Dial 211.

https://www.211ct.org/

* Talk to a trusted friend, your doctor, your minister, or school counselor.

* The National Suicide Hotline number is 988.

https://988lifeline.org/

7/ Read! Read! Read!

The perfect pastime for those early nights. If you think you’ve got it rough in your wintry climate, try The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven by Nathaniel Ian Miller. The setting is the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, a fierce environment. Sven is an unforgettable character who endures more misfortune than anyone deserves but manages, with help from friends and family, to hang onto his dreams.

8/ Find solace in poetry, especially poetry about winter.

My seasonal favorite: A Mind of Winter (sadly, out of print, but you can find used copies), or any poetry that feeds you. A friend shared a lovely winter practice: first thing in the morning, while it’s still dark out, read a poem by candlelight.

9/ Meditate

Even a few minutes can create a calm pool to draw on during the day. Check out the free app, Insight Timer. I love Sarah Blondin’s 7-day Introduction to Meditation class featuring 10-minute meditations. You’ll feel calmer just listening to her soothing voice.

10/ Pick a winter project or hobby or topic to delve into.

* Use your hands to knit, sew, mend, or piece together a jigsaw puzzle.

* Learn a new skill, whether in the woodshop or kitchen, or a new language.

* Pick up a new musical instrument or dust off an old one.

* Put out a birdfeeder and watch the birds, a fascinating and calming activity. If you’re feeling adventurous, learn to handfeed the chickadees.

Learning something new keeps your brain plastic.

11/ Connect with others.

If you’ve got cabin fever or are feeling isolated, make a date with a friend for a coffee, arrange a phone call, or connect with online friends. You can find online groups for every interest out there.

12/ Write, write, write.

One of my writing students recently said, “Before therapy, there was writing!” Writing can be therapeutic and lead to a more meaningful life. Gratitude journals are proven to be effective, as is any type of reflective writing.

        I once met a Zen nun who lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her small house with a tiny yard bumped up against an entire street full of small houses with tiny yards. Not exactly a monastery environment. As we stood on her back porch overlooking her scruffy yard, she read the question in my eyes. “What’s my secret?” she asked. “I know that every day has at least one moment of joy.”

        Write down those moments of joy and savor them.

13/ Plan for spring to have something to look forward to once the snow and ice melt.

* Scour seed catalogs and make garden plans.

* Plan a vacation—to somewhere sunny and warm.

* Work up the details for a home-improvement project and line up contractors now.

* Schedule a spring party.

        And remember, the season of hope and emergence has never failed to appear. Spring always returns.       

 

In Thoughts on Connection Tags Winter, surviving winter, enjoying winter, how to enjoy winter, how to survive winter, 13 ways, nature, Connecticut, New Englad, New England
4 Comments
Sign up here to follow my blog: *

Thank you for your interest! I look forward to staying connected.

You will receive a confirmation email in your inbox. Please click on the Confirm button in that email.

Be assured your privacy is always protected, and your contact information will never be shared.

  • A Writing Life
    • Sep 2, 2024 Writing Is Writing, Right? Not Quite. The Life of a Memoir, Part 2 Sep 2, 2024
    • Aug 4, 2024 Writing is Writing, Right? Not Quite. The Life of a Memoir, Part 1 Aug 4, 2024
    • Feb 3, 2024 In Memory of An Unforgettable Farmer, Tom March (1944-2024) Feb 3, 2024
    • Oct 28, 2023 The Life of a Novel Oct 28, 2023
    • Jul 21, 2018 Book Talk Interview with Grace VanAkin Jul 21, 2018
    • Oct 21, 2016 The Phrase That Did It Oct 21, 2016
    • Apr 24, 2015 The Secret Musicians Know That Can Help Writers Apr 24, 2015
    • Feb 2, 2015 Blog Interview by Jack Sheedy Feb 2, 2015
    • May 1, 2014 Deep Writing May 1, 2014
  • Life in Music
    • Oct 14, 2024 The Concert Hall as Temple Oct 14, 2024
    • Jul 22, 2021 How to Perform in a Piano Recital Jul 22, 2021
    • Mar 26, 2018 Night Music Mar 26, 2018
    • Aug 18, 2017 Things Fall Away Aug 18, 2017
    • Sep 25, 2016 The Emotional Alchemy of Music Sep 25, 2016
    • Jan 7, 2015 Music , Beauty, and a Short List of Quotes Jan 7, 2015
  • Life with Pie
    • Dec 27, 2020 It's a Maple Dream Dec 27, 2020
    • Nov 21, 2020 Pumpkin Pie, New and Old Nov 21, 2020
    • Oct 29, 2020 The Classic Fall Pie: Dutch Crumb Apple Pie Oct 29, 2020
    • Sep 21, 2020 Plum Pie: Never Too Late Sep 21, 2020
    • Aug 20, 2020 Peaches Say Summer Aug 20, 2020
    • Jul 19, 2020 Cherry Pie for July Jul 19, 2020
    • Jun 23, 2020 Grab It While You Can: Rhubarb Pie Jun 23, 2020
    • May 31, 2020 No Local Fruit Yet? Try This Lemon Sour Cream Pie May 31, 2020
    • May 7, 2020 Heavenly Ricotta Cake/Pie May 7, 2020
    • Mar 30, 2020 A Simple Spring Quiche Mar 30, 2020
    • Feb 23, 2020 Blackberry Pie - Oh My! Feb 23, 2020
    • Jan 25, 2020 Fall in Love with Pie Jan 25, 2020
    • Dec 3, 2014 Pie for Breakfast, Yes We Can Dec 3, 2014
    • Sep 5, 2014 Welcome to Life With Pie Sep 5, 2014
  • Thoughts on Connection
    • Dec 28, 2023 13 Ways to Survive (and Even Enjoy) Winter! Dec 28, 2023
    • Apr 27, 2020 Corona Coping Apr 27, 2020
    • Dec 4, 2019 Three Ways to Soften the Advent of Winter Dec 4, 2019
    • Apr 18, 2019 Answered Prayers? Apr 18, 2019
    • Dec 10, 2018 Winter's Welcome Dec 10, 2018
    • Feb 13, 2017 Cupid, King of Cats Feb 13, 2017
    • Jan 23, 2017 The Women's March 2017 Jan 23, 2017
    • Jun 18, 2015 For Father's Day: On Eagle's Wings Jun 18, 2015
    • Oct 26, 2014 Silence, Please Oct 26, 2014
    • Jul 15, 2014 Only Connect! Jul 15, 2014
    • Jun 19, 2014 Rose Sunday Jun 19, 2014
    • May 20, 2014 Being Sick, Like Buddha May 20, 2014