Winter Survival Guide

I fell in love with Stripes & Sangria’s winter survival guide when I was reading through posts recently. I thought that I would do my own.  

Winter can be such a hard time for people. I have mentioned in previous posts that I’ve really struggled with my personal mental health this winter. January and February can be especially hard, after spending the entire Christmas season surrounded by friends and family. As a Canadian, I find myself snowed in from time to time; and it sucks having to spend ten minutes bundling up then cleaning off your car just to run to grab a carton of milk.

Invest in some good quality winter essentials

Everyone’s winter essentials can be so different. Some people’s essentials include a good pair of mittens, a high quality lotion, a car brush and more.

Here are some of my personal essentials:

A good quality snow brush – until last year, I would constantly try to wing it and use a sleeve, warm up my car for weird amounts of time… anything to avoid cleaning off my windshield. Thank goodness I’ve finally grown out of that.

A winter emergency car kit – as a commuter, this is important to me. I am always worried about getting into a ditch or an accident without essentials. Since I was eighteen, I’ve always kept an emergency kit in my car. It contains a tow rope, mittens, hand warms, a flashlight, emergency blanket and more. Definitely worth the $35 if you’re even stuck on the side of the road!

A good hand lotion – if you’re like me, you get super painful dry hands in the winter! I always keep a good hand lotion in my purse and probably overuse it. However, it’s definitely worth it to have over hydrated hands than dry, painful hands.

A good body lotion – call me crazy, call me insane even but I’m a firm believer in having separate hand, lotion and face moisturizers. I firmly believe that they cannot provide the same benefits for the skin; your hands and face are so much more sensitive than other parts of your body.

A good face cream – I really don’t think I need to elaborate, read comments above re: face lotions & creams.

A good pair of winter boots – after breaking my elbow and ending up with a concussion and whiplash from a fall last winter, I am the poster child of why you need good winter boots. Never fear though! You don’t have to blow your budget on a pair of Sorels! I have linked a pair of affordable, but good quality boots to get you from point A to B.

Rely on your support system

As I’ve previously mentioned, I’ve struggled with my mental health this winter. I don’t think I could have gotten through my struggles without my mom and friends. Having a rough day? Pick up the phone and call or text a friend. Talk about your struggles. Don’t let them dwell. There’s a reason why we call them the winter blues.

Find a hobby beyond Netflix

It’s hard. Sometimes you just want to sit and watch shows on repeat on Netflix. However, there’s so many winter activities that there has to be something you like. Whether it be hiking, snowshoeing, skiing or baking winter recipes; there’s something out there for everyone.

Invest in a good book

Similar to the hobby post, there’s so many more things you can do than watch TV. Read a book. There’s so many different novels out there. You can find my favourite books of 2017 post here.

Educate yourself and read articles

There’s a million things that you could sit around and read. My personal favourite is conspiracy theories. However, what I truly meant was to understand the basics for winter survival. Personally, I really enjoy this article & this article by New York Times.

Go on a trip to beat your winter blues

Only do this if you can truly afford it! Don’t put yourself into a rut with finances over a vacation. This can go two ways; somewhere warm or somewhere to enjoy winter festivities! You can get cheap vacations from selloffvacations.com and rent beautiful cottages from Air BnB.

Don’t stress about the weather

I know it can be hard. I’ve previously mentioned in several blog posts, I firmly believe that we live in a fear based society. With saying that, we often fret over the weather 2 weeks away. Unless you have something critical occurring within those days (like your wedding), don’t stress about weather forecasts more than 72 hours away. Weather changes so easily; half the time we don’t even get half the snow they predict 4 days prior.

Focus on your self-care

It’s snowy and cold and lonely this time of year. Find things that make you happy. Have a glass of wine and a nice warm bubble bath. Binge watch your favourite episode with a bag of chips. Call someone you haven’t talked to in a while. Focus on yourself and don’t let the winter blues get the best of you.

Think of the future warm weather

Start planning mini vacations with your friends and family for the upcoming warmer weather. Think about going on a wine tour with your friends in June, or going to the waterpark with a child important in your life for July. There’s so many fun things we can do in the summer and it gives us something to look forward to.