Cold Snap

Preparing for winter while I still have the chance

Camping in Wyoming one night, the temperature dropped below 30 degrees. For a hardened westerner, it would’ve been a piece of cake — keep active during the day, build a fire with the sunset, and bundle up under the stars. I, instead, rigged a vent to a propane heater, bought a value pack of ramen, and barricaded myself in place. I didn’t even hike around the base of the Tetons because I was too cold to move.

I’ve never been particularly good at handling the cold. I’ve spent my entire life in the south, first by birth, then by choice. The only times I’ve camped in the cold were all by accident. When a cold snap hit this week, I basically shut down. I curled up in bed, shades drawn, shitty mac-n-cheese on the stove. I won’t lie: it was really, really cozy. For a few days. Then it started to feel like a melancholy prison of my own making. Seasonal affective disorder in a nutshell.

It’s hard to connect with nature in the winter, even though being outside is a known benefit. Getting outside reduces cortisol (stress hormone) while boosting serotonin and dopamine (feel-good hormones). The sun on your face increases vitamin D production. Even our immunities are boosted at a time when sickness circulates through closed buildings. I know it’s good for me. But why is it so hard to do it?

Clementine in snow / fire cider / mushroom miso soup / ice cream in the snow

I have immense wonderment and confusion at cultures that adapted to embrace the cold. The Danish concept of hygge. The German practice of luften. The Norwegian philosophy of friluftsliv. It all seems so magical. I assume that’s what’s needed to love the cold: straight up magic.

Though the cold snapped back to a temperate fall here in Atlanta, I’ve decided to use this fair-weathered time to start winter preparations. I want to learn to not only push through the dark times, but to actually enjoy them, to get something beneficial from them. And despite most articles online advising on how to do this, I’d like to avoid buying a bunch of crap that I may or may never use. These habits range from staying cozying in my home in a healthy way (no barricades) to tricking myself into leaving the house and unwittingly enjoying it.

In the house

• Cozy things: to embrace hygge without wasting money at Ikea, my fiancé and I planned a thrifting date to look for sweaters, candles, and fluffy blankets

• Hearty meals: looking to one of my favorite herbalists, Kosmic Cooking Club , for recipes including immune-boosting broth, warming herbal tea blends, and my favorite fire cider

• Host a craft party: a few times a year, I invite my friends over to craft vision boards, carve pumpkins, or decorate gingerbread houses – this year, I’m thinking cookie decorating

Getting outside

• Morning sun: my back porch gets incredible morning light, and stepping outside for even a few seconds into the cold air is a rush of endorphins

• Winter markets: supporting local arists and drinking hot cider at the Atlanta Christkindl Market, Virginia Highlands Market Market, and the Holiday Market at Piedmont Park

• Warm places: if I do have to go outside, why not go somewhere to get hot, like a sauna, hot yoga, or hot pot

Staying outside

• Camping: on a (manageably) cold night, building a fire, taking a big hike during the day, and adding a layer of blankets to the floor of the van

• Sports: the last time I brought out my snowboard was at my mom’s house and I kept running back up the hill to board down. Other than that, she sits in storage. Not this winter.

• Outdoor volunteering: finding opportunities to give back to the nature around me, like Trees Atlanta

As the days grow shorter and my instincts to hibernate heighten, I’m hopeful some habits will stick. Comment if you have any cold weather habits to share! When I want nothing more than to isolate myself, I’ll look to the outside world until it’s spring again.