Winter Blues Survival Guide
Rexburg's weather compared to other very cold places
By Justin Edwards, Hannah Brewer and Karli Kidd
With Christmas and New Year’s over, it’s becoming harder and harder to stay motivated and active. Night falls at 5:00 which doesn’t leave much time for outdoor activities, and the lack of sunlight can be draining. On top of that, the freezing weather can be hard to conquer even for us die hard Idahoans that are near used to icicles hanging from our noses. These things are tough, but there are several ways to overcome the “Winter Blues”.
“Winter is my favorite time of the year. But sometimes I get annoyed with it being so cold. To stay positive I think about all the things I love about winter: hot chocolate, cozy blankets and sweaters, the holidays, lights everywhere, and the snow is super pretty,” Senior, Megan Wood said.
Staying positive is a huge part of making a cold, miserable day into a fun (or at least bearable) experience. Instead of complaining about how cold it is, take a minute to see the beauty in the blanket of snow covering the earth. Go ice skating, laugh, have fun, and forget about how numb your toes are. It’s cold, everyone gets that, there’s no need to linger on it.
“Sledding is fun. I go sledding with my friends and I take pictures of the snowy pine trees and read by the fire,” Junior, John Hathaway said.
More winter activities you can do (Just make sure to dress warm!):
- Ice Skating
- Skiing/Snowboarding/Sledding
- Staying cozy inside with a blanket and a cup of hot cocoa
- Build a snowman, have a snowball fight, make a snow angel, or do all three!
“I think of christmas and being with family. I guess I date a lot in the winter. I just make sure to try and help everyone have a good day cause I know school can be rough with classes and trying to make friends. Just say hi to everyone cause sometimes a hey to someone can really brighten their day,” Junior, Sam Chambers said.
Helping others can help lift your spirits in the gloomy winter months. Go out of your way and do something nice for someone. Push a strangers car out of a snowbank or help that old lady down the street shovel her drive, you’ll make their day while improving your own.
There are several tools you can use to make the constant freeze survivable. For an easy homemade car windshield de-icer, mix 1/3 part water with 2/3 part rubbing alcohol. Put it in a spray bottle and spray it on your windshield when it’s icy. If you find that snow keeps clumping up on your shovel, spray it with cooking spray to make it non-stick! Little things like that can make managing the cold easier.
Other little winter life-hacks are:
- Put a heat pad or warm water bottles in your bed to heat it up before you lie down at night
- Put plastic baggies over your side mirrors to keep ice from forming on the mirrors and/or put old socks over your windshield wipers to keep them from icing over
- If you tend to get dry skin during the winter, take shorter showers in lukewarm water
Surviving the “Winter Blues” is quite the battle. When you reach out to the people around you and focus on the positive, you will see that there is a lot to be grateful for. Using these simple tips you can warm up not only your toes, but also the halls of MHS.
