Winter can be a challenging time for everyone; It’s cold, often cloudy, and you can’t be outside as much. Many people also get seasonal depression, and it is just an overall tough time. Sr. Ashlyn Gonda, a student in Sources of Strength, expressed, “You can’t really go outside too much because it’s cold out”. However, Buffer, a news website, has explained that things as simple as exercising, being social, getting outside, and smiling can all make people happier. For that reason, the activities in this article are here to be fun but to also make you happier during winter. They all have to do with simple and fun ways to brighten a day and will hopefully make winter a better time.
Exercise is an activity that you could do during the winter. Exercising releases endorphins, which is a hormone known to make people happier. Even 10 minutes of exercising can change a mood. That’s why it is so important to keep exercising throughout the winter. This could be running on a treadmill or going to the gym. It could also be as simple as going on a walk with a friend; you’re outside, being social, and exercising. Mrs. Sims, the adviser in Sources of Strength, mentions, “There are ice skating rinks, there’s sledding hills, or there could be simple things like taking your dog for a walk”. All of those activities keep you active, but can be more enjoyable than a traditional workout. It is also fun to find a winter sport like skiing or snowboarding, which are both fun ways to exercise!
Exercising is really good for you physically and emotionally, but you don’t want to only exercise this winter. There are so many things that change moods, one is as simple as smiling! It is proven that smiling reduces stress and makes people happier. There are so many ways to smile and laugh: play a funny game with friends or watch a funny movie like Frozen or Elf. Both are fun activities that you could do during the winter while it’s cold outside. There are also a lot of calming activities you can do, like reading a book, baking cookies, and drawing! They could calm you down and take your mind off of other things. Sims remarked, “If you’re more of an indoor person, you could focus on self-care during the winter…. trying a new recipe is also a really good thing you could do. Many of these activities are just ways to get your brain to focus on something positive”. Positive activities can relieve some of the stress and keep you smiling all throughout the winter!
One other thing that can give you a healthier winter is being social. In the winter, you’re often stuck inside and don’t get as much time to get out with friends as you might in nicer weather. Gonda confirmed, “The number one thing that makes me most unhappy in my life is just being left alone to spiral with my own thoughts”. Being alone can make things worse, but a thing that can make it better is spending time with friends and family. As long as there’s snow, you have a ‘who makes the better snowman’ competition or have a sledding race with friends! It’s so much fun to just goof off and not care about anything when playing in the snow. There are also a lot of school activities you could do. You could go to a Berkley Basketball game or go to Berkley Ski Club; you’ll meet new people and have a great time. When asked about social activities, Sims responded, “I think that there are a lot of activities that are built into our system as being a high school community that could be helpful….like attending a sporting event… or trying a new club because we have so many clubs here at Berkley that we can offer those different experiences for kids”.
Living in the cold winter can be really hard, but if you look for it, there are so many fun activities that can brighten your day! There are social, active, slow and fun activities, among so many others. It doesn’t even have to be from this article. There are many other activities that you can do for fun; all that matters is that you enjoy it.
