On learning to enjoy winter, escapism, and discomfort

I hate winter.

Somehow, even 20 years of living in North-Eastern Europe have not been enough for me to learn to appreciate cold weather.

I just don’t like it. At all.

And I know what you are about to say.

“But when you are cold you can wear warmer clothes. When it is hot there is no escape.”

You don’t understand. For people like me, when it is hot you are not cold. And that automatically makes it better.

If you happen to dislike low temperatures as much as I do and also live in a place where you are subjected to them often, you can probably relate to my struggles very well.

This article is all about how we, people who dislike winter, can survive and possibly thrive in this season. Or at least try to.

When I started doing my research on this topic, I discovered that generally there are 2 recommended ways to approach this issue:

1. You get yourself to enjoy what is unique to the winter season, like skiing, making a snowman, etc.
2. You isolate yourself from the source of discomfort, by doing cozy things indoors, visiting warm countries, etc.

The problem with the first option is that sometimes there is really no way to force yourself to enjoy something you don’t like.

You can eat sushi all day every day, but if you don’t like fish, sushi is just not for you.

It is the same with winter.

You can try “fun winter things” over and over again, but if you don’t like the cold, you won’t like them either.

The problem with the second option, though, is that it is essentially escapism.

Escapism is not necessarily bad by itself. If something makes your life miserable, it makes a lot of sense to choose a better environment, whether it concerns the weather, the opportunities, or the political situation in your country.

However, the problem with escapism is that 1) it is not always possible to escape and 2) it can lead to a toxic victim mentality that will make your life even more miserable.

The first point is pretty self-explanatory. Not everyone has the opportunity to go on a tropical vacation every time winter comes around and not everyone has an opportunity to easily migrate to another country for a more suitable climate.

Does it mean, though, that there is no way around suffering for as long as you have no opportunity to change your environment? I don’t think so.

The second point is a little more tricky. Here is the thing:

It is very difficult to live in the circumstances you hate.

If you try to isolate yourself from these circumstances completely, in a way it will only reinforce your feelings about it. By sitting at home all the time, you will not make the winter disappear. You will only feel trapped by it.

At this point you might be thinking: very well, so how do I find my peace with winter, after all?

Don’t worry, we have come to that.

I think that the answer, as usual, lies in the middle. To put it differently, you need to combine the 2 approaches we discussed earlier.

In order to thrive in winter, you will need to both find a way to enjoy something about it and provide yourself with opportunities for escape.

Chances are that there is something about winter, that you can genuinely enjoy. For that, of course, you will need to try different things and find what does the trick for you. Here are some ideas for that:

• walk in a quiet snowy forest with a cup of cocoa
• watch the snow by the window listening to your favorite music
• go figure skating
• visit a sauna
• make a snowman
• explore beautiful snowflakes

When it comes to finding an escape, it is worth taking time and asking yourself, what is it that you like about warmer weather so much.

Do you like how everything is green and alive? Do you like swimming? Do you like the sun?

After figuring out the answer, you will have a much better understanding of the needs you need to satisfy and a higher chance of achieving that. Here are some ideas for this as well:

• visit a greenhouse
• go to a spa/swimming pool
• decorate your home to make it a cozier place
• host a board gaming party
• grow plants at home
• look up the lamps that imitate sunlight
• travel to a warmer country

I feel like it is important to say that it is okay after trying all of this to understand that winter is not for you and aim for a better climate. The truth is, winter is not for everybody at all.

To be completely honest I still think that eventually, I will be moving somewhere warmer as well. But trying to find my happiness in winter really helped me to enjoy what I have now, instead of dwelling on my dreams all the time.

I really hope that the ideas in this article will help you to find your way to enjoy winter as well, as much as you can.

If you liked this article, you are always welcome to stay in this corner of the Internet.

Thank you for reading and have a great day!