Winter is the most endless season. It sets in deep and lasts forever. Seriously, New England sometimes has winter from October to April. That's a long time to be freezing. It's also a long time to be bored. The threat of cabin fever is real, as is the struggle to entertain yourself and stay sane once the temperature drops. To make sure you don't reenact The Shining in your own home, try to keep the crazy at bay with some entertaining activities.
1 Get outside when You Can
Make all the jokes you want about getting the D in winter, but it's important. In fact, vitamin D is even more essential in winter, so get out when you can. Get the mail, romp with the dogs, or try any one of the specific outdoorsy activities shared here. If it's simply impossible to get outside a lot, don't be afraid to supplement with a vitamin or D-heavy drinks and foods.
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2 Get Inventive with Your Exercise
Like … why not try skiing through the snow-choked streets? Snowshoeing is another possibility, or you could go ice skating. Make the weather work for you.
3 Cook Something That Sticks to Your Ribs
The urge to eat comfort foods when it's cold is perfectly natural, so feel free to give in to it. However, take the time to make your own pot of stew, chili, soups, and sides. Preparing a healthy, hearty meal from scratch breaks up a dull, snowy day, plus you get something nutritious, delicious, and filling for your troubles.
4 Do You Want to Build a Snowman?
Doesn't everyone?
5 How about a Snow Fort?
This is a must-do if you're an adult, especially if you've never done it before.
6 Decorate outside
Not kidding. Start off with some lights. This is even better if you haven't yet taken down your Christmas lights. Just remember, though, lanterns, fairy lights, and wreaths are perfect all year round, not just around holidays.
7 Paint the Snow
This is a small thing, a little silly, but it does help offset cabin fever. Any time you can look outside and see bright colors, it lifts your spirits.
8 Let's Talk about Netflix Binging
Well, it's unquestionably a popular habit in winter, especially when the temperatures are freezing or there's so much snow, you can't go anywhere anyway. So, just like comfort food, binge watching is cool – with limits. You cannot spend all day, every day watching entire series. It's too tempting and too easy. Intersperse your binges with other activities, and when you do watch, think about some alternative ideas ...
9 Plan a Binge with Friends
One way to make sure you don't spend the whole winter becoming one with your sofa is to include friends or family in your binge. Whether you plan a marathon of “The Office” with your best friend or a documentary fest with your lovah, including other people will keep all of you from cabin fever, but you won't be watching hours and hours and hours of TV by yourself.
10 Turn Your Movie Marathon into a Party
Similarly, there's no reason you can't invite a whole load of snowbound friends to a miniature film festival. Have your closest pals over for a slumber party, maybe even an entire weekend.
11 Help Yourself to a Sugar High
A little sugar boost is fantastic for the doldrums. That doesn't mean you should eat your weight in cakes or cookies, of course, and it's always better to indulge your sweet tooth with healthier choices, but occasionally dunking some cookies in your coffee or fixing up a mug of rich hot chocolate? No problems there.
12 Go Sledding
Because why not? Seriously, you need some adrenalin rushes to get through the winter. When you're buggy from being inside for so long, head out with a sled or, hell, even a big trashcan lid, and go flying down the nearest hill.
13 Avoid the Urge to Sleep
I mean, don't avoid the urge to sleep at night or anything. Taking the occasional nap while you're all warm and wrapped up is perfectly awesome, as well. Just don't hibernate. It's tempting to sleep around the clock when it's cold outside. That's what you should avoid.
14 Get an Early Start on Your Spring Cleaning
No fake, jake. Do you honestly have anything better to do? Wouldn't you rather spend those warm spring days doing something fun? So engage in a full-scale war against dirt when you're all snowed in with nowhere to go.
15 Start a New Project
Paint the living room wall, refinish an old table, reupholster a chair you hate … a little creativity is just what you need to stave off cabin fever.
16 Get in Touch with Old Friends
Has it been a while since you spoke to your old friends? Now's the time to call up some long lost pals. Even if you just spend a few hours chatting on the phone, you're doing something more constructive than watching the snow fall.
17 Pick up a New Hobby
Any hobby. Seriously. Doesn't matter if it's cross stitching or crossword puzzles. Even playing video games is better than lying around in a daze as the four walls of your home close in on you.
18 Learn Something
Again, anything. Learn how to knit. Learn a new language. Look into online classes.
19 Just Dance
Huh? No, seriously. You can't always get outside a lot in winter. You may not be able to work out a lot, either. Instead, play your favorite tunes and dance it out in your living room. Bonus points if you invite some friends over and turn it into a dance party.
20 Steer Clear of the Booze
Not forever and always. Not even for the duration of the winter. Just drink with moderation and don't use it to make yourself feel better or to self medicate.
21 Don't Stare at Your CALENDAR
Because a watched pot never boils and a watched calendar never changes. Seriously, spring will be here before you know it.
How do you keep from going crazy when you can't get out of your house? Because, remember, reading All Women Stalk is also an excellent way to keep cabin fever from making you insane.
