So, what do we do when it's cold? We still go to work and classes, but when we get home, most of us hit the bed in order to stay warm. We huddle and cuddle to keep from losing our sanity.
When it's this cold, you can't enjoy time outside and don't have a lot of "me" time, since it can actually be dangerous to brave the icy temperatures. Cabin fever can be a legitimate concern, for some people.
If I could, I would find Elsa and slap her.
It is a damn challenge to "let it go" when your fingers are frozen.
Now, the cold doesn't just affect our bodies, but it affects our mind and mood. For those who live alone and don't go outside, there can be psychological effects from isolation. Yes, loneliness can drive you insane. (In the U.S. prison system, solitary confinement, a cruel and unusual punishment if you ask me, can only be used for 14 days at a time because humans are social creatures who need human interaction.)
The best way to beat boredom is to find things inside to do. Be it cook, exercise, play games, read a book, clean, listen to music and dance, watch Netflix, talk to/Skype with a good friend, play with your pet, take a hot bath with a glass of wine, rearrange furniture, or really turn up the heat with some steamy sexy-time, there are ways to enjoy yourself on a blustery, freezing day.
It's so easy to be an outright grump when the temperatures drop and I think that is because there is less likelihood for adventure. The best kind of thrill you can honestly get in the winter months is if you have a snowball fight or your car slides on ice. Let's face it, that second one is more terrifying that adventurous.
So, I've made myself a promise.
After this year, I'm breaking up with winter indefinitely.
To better myself and grow, I feel that I need the entire calendar year to seek my great perhaps. I need to have a breeze (that doesn't freeze me) in February. I need a hike in December. I need to not be forced into wearing anything warmer than a sweatshirt in January. There is nothing, not even a couple of week-long vacations, that will satisfy my desire to become unattached to my surroundings (the place I've lived the majority of my life) and attain a greater purpose. I am not where I live. I am not a Hoosier.
I am me.
With that being said:
To my future-self,
Instead of just talking about it, go do it. You'll thank me later.
