10 Ways to Beat the January Blues

There’s no denying that January (and February, and half of March) bite royally. These are the 10 chilliest weeks of the year and if we endure them, we’re rewarded with the other more pleasant 42 weeks. My effort to thwart The Winter Doldrums entails a list of 10 strategies. I hope it offers you some comfort and/or inspiration unless you live in the tropics, in which case you can kiss my big pale freezing butt.

1. Write hate notes to Mother Nature in the snow. She has a great sense of humor.

2. Wear Smartwool products. I can’t endorse this company enough.

3. Listen to the blues. Nina Simone will karate chop you with sass, and you’ll either get lost in her hypnotic groove or forget what you were so sullen about anyway.

4. Read books about happy people in warm places. If repeated staring at beaches makes you want to bang your head with a shovel, intersperse with books about miserable people in miserably frigid places.

5. Form one-of-a-kind dioramas with the tissues you’ve been using to wipe your nose.

6. Submerge yourself in unapologetically steamy bubble baths.

7. Gulp red wine. I don’t think I need to elaborate, but there’s no better antidote for grizzly, gut-shivering nights.

8. Play with indoor cats. They remind us how lucky we are to at least have the ability to go outside.

9. Crank the heat to 82˚, throw on your swimsuit, and belt out “Walking On Sunshine.”

10. Bleach your teeth with white strips. They make you look tanner and counteract the effects of number 7.