[IceCreamKid]

The cold has officially irritated me now. I'm generally 'over' the charms of winter by New Year's day. I like snow, it's quite pretty. But I'd like it much better if we could have it when it is 75 degrees outside! So, what is my course of action?!? I've put my jacket on in the house because no matter how much the furnace runs it is still cold in here and I am going to find some movies set in warm locales--maybe something exciting and swashbuckling. Oh, the loveliness of spring and the beauty of ole Sol!

IceCream, I was sort of hoping for the same kind of warm weather myself! I saw the national weather scrolling, and I was thinking about how nice warm weather would have been! Furnaces do not do any justice after a long period of cold weather.

Cold weather also brings me a bit down too. More fussing over what to wear. Layers are so bothersome sometimes, especially if I go into a warm building. In my opinion though, I'm not a true fan of spring. I do appreciate the warm though (not a big fan of the rain, to be honest )!

[IceCreamKid]

The first movie I chose to watch was set in the winter. And the second was just weird!

[hayward]

Maybe it would help if you changed your name to HotTamaleKid instead of IceCreamKid, or something like that.

[IceCreamKid]

Originally Posted by hayward

Maybe it would help if you changed your name to HotTamaleKid instead of IceCreamKid, or something like that.

Funny! When I was little I loved tamales!

[Fresia]

To help with the winter blues and warmth, as winter with snow is 5 - 6 mos of the year here, I change my ringtone on my phone to a reggae song that reminds me of a carribbean climate. A few years ago I painted the house to brighter colors, more festive with pictures of the carribbean or mediterrean to remind me of sunny, warm places. I'll have to repaint when I move but in the meantime it helps. I keep latin and reggae music in the car too now to listen to periodically to liven things up. The movies periodically help too psychologically to escape to warmth.

I have not gotten used to to all the layers either. They are cumbersome. You dress for outside, you are comfortable. You go inside, you burn up. So annoying.

I did get a light therapy box a few years ago too which helps mood wise but it's not the same as the warmth of the sun. Despite the warnings, the first year I was here I was SO desperate I actually went tanning. I couldn't continue it though. So I live by the fireplace in the meantime in the evenings.

What are other things people do to help? Missing warmth in the meantime.

[IceCreamKid]

Originally Posted by Fresia

To help with the winter blues and warmth, as winter with snow is 5 - 6 mos of the year here, I change my ringtone on my phone to a reggae song that reminds me of a carribbean climate. A few years ago I painted the house to brighter colors, more festive with pictures of the carribbean or mediterrean to remind me of sunny, warm places. I'll have to repaint when I move but in the meantime it helps. I keep latin and reggae music in the car too now to listen to periodically to liven things up. The movies periodically help too psychologically to escape to warmth.

I have not gotten used to to all the layers either. They are cumbersome. You dress for outside, you are comfortable. You go inside, you burn up. So annoying.

I did get a light therapy box a few years ago too which helps mood wise but it's not the same as the warmth of the sun. Despite the warnings, the first year I was here I was SO desperate I actually went tanning. I couldn't continue it though. So I live by the fireplace in the meantime in the evenings.

What are other things people do to help? Missing warmth in the meantime.

You've given some good pointers. I have gotten used to the layers, and have found that really light layers (even if it takes more) are more comfortable than thick layers as long as at least one of them stops the wind from cutting through. One winter I took a change of clothes to work because the hassle of changing was worth it not to alternately freeze and burn up 5 days a week. I also wear brighter colors on days when I feel particularly down by the cold and dim light; when I am outside if there is a patch of sunshine, I will stand in it and let it bathe my face. Inside I will put on a jacket if I feel particularly cold. I used to think "no, you're indoors" and that it was cumbersome, but this house is just cold at some times and wearing the hoodie works at cutting what feels like a draft (but maddeningly I cannot pinpoint in the house; it seems to shift with the direction of the wind). I will also drink something hot. I think I need to boost the light in my house, though.

[Perna]

Yes, I'm not thrilled with the cold either but I have started opening the sliding glass doors on my balcony every morning when I wake so the cats can get a moment's outside air. I think "embracing" the cold, if only for a moment or two (I also walk out at sometime during the day to the end of the driveway, look at the sky, etc.) can help. I like to try to stay "balanced" rather than feeling I'm all one way or another (if I have been inside for too many days I deliberately think of a chore or place to go out to also).

[Marina T.]

i wish i could enjoy warm weather the way it seems most people do. i would take snow over heat almost any day. i love the brilliant colors of late fall and i love the peaceful white of snow. i love to bundle up. it's a cozy, childlike sensation for me, and associated with my nostalgia for all the time i used to spend in MN as a kid. i keep it 60 degrees in my house during the winter and 65 in the summer. my problem (or one of many) is that ever since i was 19 i've had strange hot flashes! it's as though i have early onset menopause. i am always hot when other people are freezing. temperature-wise i'm compatible with so few people! i drive my boyfriend crazy when he visits. he has to wear sweaters and curl up under my bedsheets. if it's above 65 in here i totally panic and feel like my skin scratches heavily from inside out and i can't breathe under it. i sweat like crazy and even develop hives if it goes on for TOO long. no dr. has ever been able to pinpoint what exactly is wrong with me besides some sort of really wayward temperature-related panic disorder (on top of the general panic disorder i ALREADY have!)...they've always been stumped. i used to wonder if it was a side-effect of my birth control, but i still had this problem for several years when i stopped taking birth control. since then, i just live with it and accept it, confusedly. but unfortunately other people have to live with it as well, if they want to be in my space. i hate showering because i'm immediately way too hot right afterwards and i feel like my whole house is a sauna. i become terribly flushed and breathless and distressed and if i sweat i freak out because then it seems like the shower was pointless. when it's summer i stay indoors as much as humanly possible, though florescent lights exacerbate the problem too, so the lights have to be at least somewhat dim! i always feel very uneasy when i go to a restaurant with people and someone suggests eating outside...grrr! luckily (not really), i have strong agoraphobic tendencies so i don't experience this too often anymore. curiously, the first time i flushed and became so hot and hivesy at the same time i happened to be modeling (i mean, as an artist's model.) i had been modeling for art students and professors for several months without incident but one day i felt myself become terribly hot and panicky standing up there. that was about FIFTEEN years ago though! plus i always had a flushing problem before that, SO much blushing due to shyness and social anxiety and feeling on the spot...just not the hot hives til i was 19. it's just yet another mysterious bodily burden of mine. i love cold weather and snow and i love any excuse (if i am not in a depressive antisocial phase) to wear colorful funky blazers, mittens, scarves, tall boots, hats...

-marina

[Skully]

Maybe get one of those "snuggies" to help keep you warm. Also, get some vitamin C. That always helps me get over a bad cold

Marina, I wish I could appreciate the cold like you! True, when the weather reaches a certain temperature, I can get quite bothered myself. I don't like strolling outdoors in the heat myself, actually, or in the extreme cold. I also know where you're going with the summer and the indoor lights. There really can't be a happy medium, can there? You're lucky you can dim your lights! I tend to get light headaches from the sun, the lightbulbs, and sometimes, the computer screen during the summer.

Good point though, about the colorful decor and clothing, Fresia, Ice, and Marina! I'm sure that would lift some down spirits. I'm not one who experiments with bright colors, but maybe I could give that a try?

[IceCreamKid]

Someone I knew who was aggressively upbeat insisted on me doing something I didn't want to do and criticized me for being negative (for not wanting to do what she was trying to force me to do). She delivered what she thought was the final, winning blow by saying "NOTHING NEGATIVE, ONLY POSITIVE" so I said "I'm POSITIVE I don't want to do what you are telling me to do." I thought her head would explode as she tried to wrap her perky little mind around what I'd said.

[Travelinglady]

We have a fireplace and got some gas logs installed. I am enjoying them this morning, in fact. Also, if you're careful, a space heater parked near can certainly warm up a place.

As far as movies, "Blue Hawaii" is a good one, particularly if you like Elvis.

And definitely something hot to drink, as you suggested!

I do keep some lights on in the den even during the day and make certain to open the blinds.

Keep warm!

[IceCreamKid]

What's not to like about Elvis?!?

[Travelinglady]

Ha! Well, I know not everybody likes him. I even know a lady who was in his graduating class in high school, and she wasn't impressed! Also, depending on someone's age, the response might be "Elvis who"?

[kikki27]

Originally Posted by IceCreamKid

The cold has officially irritated me now. I'm generally 'over' the charms of winter by New Year's day. I like snow, it's quite pretty. But I'd like it much better if we could have it when it is 75 degrees outside! So, what is my course of action?!? I've put my jacket on in the house because no matter how much the furnace runs it is still cold in here and I am going to find some movies set in warm locales--maybe something exciting and swashbuckling. Oh, the loveliness of spring and the beauty of ole Sol!

Yes Iam praying for some warm weather this weather getting me sick with colds and ear infections uggh