Top 10 ways to overcome winter doldrums

The coldest January in 35 years.  The snowiest winter since the Civil War.

Indianapolis continues to break records during this deep freeze.  And if that doesn't paint the picture,  meteorologists scare us with their forecasts sub-zero temps or the next snowfall.  And everyone is saying "enough already" though we understand winter is far from over.

So, what's a person to do? How can you survive a very long winter?







Here are my top 10 ways to overcome winter doldrums:

10. Get on the treadmill and walk a few miles.  It does wonders for your body and your attitude.

9.   Watch a funny movie.  Mike and I couldn't stop laughing when we recently watched the movie "Ted".   Days later we still talk about the big party fight scene...

8. Challenge your sweetie to a game of Scrabble.  We have the Scrabble app on our iPads, and it's easy to play a networked game while we're each covered up with afghan's in our family room.  And of course I like to win, and I might have taken advantage when my sweetie was tired and sick with a cold...

7.  Visit your local home and garden show.  For a few dollars you can spend hours wandering through exhibits of landscaping, beautiful flowers, butterfly gardens, hot tubs and more.  My favorite part was the massage recliner where I spent a wonderful 10 minutes, almost upside down in this chair.  Of course, I would never spend $4000 on a chair,  but it was fun to experience it.

6. Try a new restaurant.  Indy is having their annual "Devour Downtown" experience, and we enjoyed a wonderful Spanish tapas meal at the Barcelona restaurant with our friends Garth and Chris.  It was my first time there, and I loved trying new foods served small plate style.  Add a bottle of wine and catching up with friends, and it was the perfect recipe for a Saturday night.

5. Enjoy live music.  On Sunday night we went to the Slippery Noodle, and enjoyed a wonderful meal and some great blues.  And the best thing about Sunday night: no cover charge and no crowds.   It was a great way to spend an evening with friends where we could actually have a conversation with music in the background.

4.  Organize.  Ok, I know this sounds boring, but it's such a good feeling to clean out those cluttered drawers and closets.  After spending a few hours cleaning out drawers in our kitchen island, I can actually find the utensil I'm looking for.

3. Try a new recipe.  Comfort foods are just what I crave on a cold winter's night, and so last week we tried a new meatloaf recipe.  Of course it was a bit crumbly, and maybe somewhat bland, but we had a blast cooking together and have ideas on how to improve it next time.

2. Enjoy the beauty of a snowy landscape.  Despite the white background, I am finding beautiful color in the magnificent sunsets and the bright red Cardinals in the backyard.

Photo from gardenwalkgardentalk.com

1.  Read a book.  From the warmth of my house, I downloaded an e-book from my local library last week, and I was so engrossed that I finished it the same day.  Nothing like a good book to help you explore the world.

I would love to hear your comments on how you enjoy the winter.  I may need some new ideas to get me through the next few months...

Diane