Winter Blues and What to do

So this is winter eh?

What do we do in the winter? Is there anything to do in the winter?

It’s a question I find myself asking almost every week. 

How do we quench that thirst for activity? 

Well if you don’t mind winter weather, then three’s plenty to do. Plus, if you are free to go places and do things indoors, then there’s even more! 

Disclaimer: this only applies to people who live far enough North to actually get snow, or people you have the means to travel to such places.

Top 3 best things to do outdoors when there’s nothing to do:

1. Go for a walk. 
            Yeah yeah yeah, I get it, that’s boring. However, if you go for a walk in the winter, you may find yourself having some fun along the way. For example, you could write words and draw pictures by dragging your feet in the snow, you could end up seeing some really cool ice that mesmerizes you for several minutes, or you could be so focused on not freezing that you end up really getting in some good exercise through shivering and walking quickly without slipping. 

2. Go skating.
            I know what you’re thinking. This is pretty much the same thing as walking, just quicker. If you haven’t been skating, you will realize rather soon that is nothing like going for a walk. Skating is very exhilarating, especially once you get the hang of it. Plus, if you live in a big city like Toronto, there are so many cool places to go skating such as at Harbourfront, where you can look out over the lake while you skate. It’s a great idea for a date as well if that’s something you’re in to. 

3. Go to the mountains. 

            Now this one is rather vague, but that’s the point! Going to the mountains in the winter will never get old. If you imagine a winter wonderland, mountain resorts and villages are always a sure fire way to immerse yourself in one. Picture being curled up at a fire in a log cabin sipping a hot beverage watching large snow flakes fall on the other side of the living room window – that sounds wonderful right? The mountains can also be a one-stop shop. You can go walking along the snow covered roads, they often have places to skate, and you can do many other activities like: ski/snowboard, snowshoe, cross country ski, sometimes ice fish if there are lakes as well, build snow people or snow forts, and maybe even go tobogganing. Wow, so many things to do! 

Now if you don’t fancy the air outside in the winter, here are my top 3 things to do when you dislike the cold breeze on your face:

1. Go to the movies.
            If this option is available to you, then I recommend this. There are movies that come out rather often, and sometimes there’s even old classics that play. To sweeten the deal, if you don’t mind seeing a movie during the week, many movie theaters will have a cheaper ticket on Tuesdays for example. 

2. Go to the mall. 

            Just because you are going to the mall, doesn’t mean you have to buy anything. One of my favorite things to do is browse and see all the things I’d like to buy someday. A nice thing about the mall is that there’s often coffee shops, restaurants, and food courts, so if you don’t want to spend much, you could always grab a baked good and a hot beverage and sit and read a book you brought or bought. Or you can people watch. That’s fun too. 

3. Fitness. 

            By this I mean like go to the gym or try a new cool fitness class. One that I often will suggest to people is spin class. Like the spin class that’s working out in a club. The nice part about this kind of spin class is that it’s very dark, so if you’re self conscious, you don’t feel so judged. If you’re keen on trying out some different fitness classes, a lot of places will often offer a free intro class for you to try it out. Fitness will always help you to get rid of some of those winter blues you’ve got. 

I talk a lot of talk about all these things we can do in the winter, yet here I am so bored of the same day in and day out. I should really heed my own words and have more fun, do some of the above activities. I will admit, it is much more difficult to do any of these things when the government is restricting you from going places, but there’s always something to do, even in a pandemic. So don’t be a downer and get outside the house! It’ll do wonders for your mental health, that’s for sure.