We’re well into 2017 now, and soon enough all this snow and ice will start to melt, the days will start getting longer, and summer will be on its way. If you’re breathing a sigh of relief at this thought, then this post is for you. Like countless others, you may have had a horrible winter this year. Here are a little advice for your bookmarks bar which will help you have a much better winter next time.
Prepare for Christmas Earlier
If there’s one sure-fire sign that you’re an adult, it’s that you react to Christmas decorations with a long, miserable groan, rather than joy and excitement. Yes, the big day itself is great in the fact that the whole family comes together, exchanges presents and generally gets to relax for at least one day in the year. However, making it happen isn’t so nice. Perhaps you spent the last couple of months in 2016 scrambling frantically to buy everyone’s presents, get the food together, and learn how to cook it all once again. All that stress can really dampen the holiday spirit, so do yourself a favor next time by preparing for it well in advance. This will free up more free time, and make the winter feel much more manageable.
Winterize Your Home
Perhaps you had a great Christmas this year, but winter still managed to get you down for more practical reasons. Massive heating bills, shivering through most of the day, and even home disasters like frost heave and burst pipes can all make the colder months hard to bear. You can avoid all of this right now by winterizing your home. One popular change is getting a programmable thermostat installed. This will allow you to set your heat to come on and off automatically as and when you need it, and therefore shave a huge amount off your usual heating bills. If it’s been a while since your place had any serious work, there are various other home improvements you may want to consider. Getting fresh insulation, replacing your weather stripping, and investing in other things like water pipe freeze protection can really pay off when winter comes around again. Get these modifications done soon, and you’ll have nothing to worry about in the year ahead.
Beat the Blues
Sometimes, a lot of us have bad winters, but it’s hard to put your finger on just why. This is what people refer to as the “winter blues”, and can be caused by the reduced heat and light we get in the colder quarter of the year. Fortunately, there are many simple habits you can adopt when the weather starts to get bleak to make sure you keep your spirits up. Simply making a point to turn more lights on around the house, or to open your blinds and sit near windows, will ensure that the lack of light we get in winter doesn’t get to you too much. Getting more exercise in and eating healthily can also be great for the winter blues.
