The best way out is always through.
—Robert Frost
It. Is. So. Cold.
That’s almost all I’ve been able to think about, since the latest cold front swept in on Monday night and left us with a weather forecast of highs in the twenties or teens, and lows in the teens or single digits, all week. The photo above is of last week’s snow, but so far this week, it’s been too cold to snow.
I am wearing sweater tights and fleece-lined boots, wool hats and leather gloves and my knee-length down jacket with the fur-edged hood. I am drinking cup after cup of tea, eating bowl after bowl of soup, turning on the electric blanket before J and I jump into bed at night. We did finally take the Christmas tree down, but the twinkle lights remain. I am taking my Vitamin D pills, turning on my happy lamp every morning, even getting outside to go to the bookstore and the post office. (At least the sun is out.)
I am deeply thankful, every day, for furnaces and warm clothing, but these frigid winds and biting temps are getting me down. Particularly when the subway breaks down and I stand shivering on the platform for half an hour before catching a southbound train so I can get off two stops later and catch a non-crowded northbound train to get to work. (I promptly treated myself to a chai latte when I finally reached my office.)
I am doing my level best to distract myself with books and friends and the daily New York Times crossword (my husband and I are newly obsessed), but it turns out Frost is right. The best, and only, way out of such a season is through.
How long till spring? (And what are your best winter survival tips? Please share in the comments!)
cakes, tea and dreams 
Warm socks are helping me survive!
Also – I planted some bulbs in pots to keep in the kitchen.
Ooh, I sympathise, although I’ve never experienced a winter like that. Here in New Zealand, our winters are mercifully short, but they are very damp [chest infections, hello] and very windy. We’re currently in the middle of summer, which I love.
I have many little tricks to help me through winter, similar to the ones you’ve mentioned above. I find it’s important to keep exercising. I’m a hooper, so in winter I join a gym so I can hoop there. I also try to give myself something to look forward to in late winter, like a little holiday, maybe to somewhere warmer, meeting up with old friends, or even just treating myself to a facial.
Good luck! I hope you experience some warmer weather soon.
Thank goodness for chai lattes! ❤
I want to say you’re doing all the right things because… well, I can’t think of anything better. I do everything that you mentioned, down to the Vit D and the tea and the light box. The thing that has the most impact on me is to make plans to do stuff out in it with a good friend–preferably not one of those people who get really into winter because GOSH NO–but it’s nice to build up some anticipation and get some girl time in there whenever you can.
Solidarity! It’s a brutal week here too and I can’t wait until it gets back above freezing again.
Now I have a song in my head. Walking in a Winter Wonderland :-). I love the way new snow looks on the trees.
I enjoy the cup after cup of tea during winter even though its not so cold in UAE, bt for ppl with summers that reach 50 C, anything below 15 is cold for us…
Katie, do you have any bulbs going? I still have paper whites, an amaryllis, and I just got a little pot of daffodils at Trader Joes for $2.50. Other than that, I’m afraid I’m not doing much better than you are in terms of survival!
I have some paperwhites in the fridge. Need to get ’em out!
Love my light box. And wine is technically a depressant, but I pretend it’s not and have a nice glass of red every night with dinner. Also, January is our free pass for watching as much TV as we want, so we usually try to save up a good Netflix series for deep winter. This year? The Walking Dead and Sherlock Holmes.
Hand-knits are my “go to” in this bitterly cold weather. I knit a chunky cowl a few years ago and I never leave the house without it! If you haven’t stopped by my blog today, please do. A recent post of yours inspired mine today. ; )
I am on the 2nd week of being sick. Today was allegedly the coldest day IN THREE YEARS in Boston. I picked quite the year to come back, didn’t I? (and my body surely is complaining…)
And still, there is something beautiful and cherishable about the seasons, and about being able to feel their slow change and passing… It will be spring before we know it.
Oh, be thankful for furnaces. When the freezing temperatures reached us last week, our heating broke down. Luckily not completely, but we had to run down to the cellar – only accessible from outside – and reset it every few hours. I’m so glad it got repaired within 3 days.
You are doing all the things I turn to – the warm clothing, the tea, happy lamps and vit D, and gratitude. That might be the most important one. Finding companionship (your tea on tuesdays is jsut the thing) is good, too. Curling up with a good book is something you’ve got DOWN. Have you tried solo dance parties with the cheeriest music you can find? It warms me up and cheers me up – both vital. Try this one: Sound of Sunshine. The video is pretty soothing, too.