A couple weeks ago we had an especially wet & windy one. It seems the whole winter has been one of the coldest for a while. And it seems like everyone has made sure to complain about it! Spring is fast approaching and I can almost sense a collective sigh of relief from the whole of Adelaide but in the mean time I am a bit over people complaining about winter.
Are we expecting winter to not be cold? To not be wet?
And why does it have to be miserable? We're always talking about cold, windy or wet weather being negative... Why?
I understand a lot of people get sick during winter. I have come to the conclusion that this has very little to do with the weather. I believe we aren't respecting the way our bodies interract with the seasons, we expect to be able to continue running around all day and night, working hard and burning the candle at both ends.
The daylight hours are shorter, the weather cooler and the sun doesn't come out as much anyway. Winter is basically a bit stop sign telling us it's time to slow down! In nature almost every living thing, from mammals to insects to plants understands this signal but do we listen? Of course not! We are better than nature, or so we like to tell ourselves.
Vitamin D certainly has a large role to play in energy and mood and of course during winter it's hard to get enough. We need to make sure we get it when we can rather than cover up with toxic sunscreen... (a post for another time!).
At the end of the day we just need to slow down, eat winter foods (eat seasonally instead of getting summer foods shipped from the other side of the planet), get more sleep and realise we won't be able to handle as much stress.
Another big reason I think we get sick is because we actually don't expose ourselves to the cold. We go from temperature controlled houses to cars to work. I'm sure there may be some people who never actually set foot outside some days! The is no wonder when we are actually exposed to cold weather we struggle dealing with the temperature and get sick.
Some people swear by swimming in the ocean every morning no matter what, how do they cope with putting themselves through those freezing temps? If we get slightly scientific, exposure to cold actually increases something called brown fat which not only protects you from the cold better but also helps “burn” white fat (the stuff we generally want to burn).
Another thing for me personally is that in Australia we are very lucky to get a lot of warm weather and maybe don't respect that when it's cold we may actually have to wear more clothes. Am I the only one who sometimes thinks I should be able to handle winter with pants and a jacket at most? Maybe I need to rethink this? People who live in snow wear layer upon layer but they still get outside in the cold so maybe I need to follow their lead and rug up more. Yes it doesn't get as cold here as it does in those places but it's all relative.
At the beginning of this post I asked why we have to treat wintery weather as negative? Just like we need darkness so we can rest in anticipation of the light, we need cool weather to refresh us from the warmth. How envigorating is jumping into a cold pool or beach on a warm day! Just imagine how drained we would get if it was summer year round.
Something my dad has passed onto me from an early age is a great appreciation of the power that weather has. I remember clearly sitting next to him under the back verandah watching lightning and hail storms roll across the sky or turning off the TV to listen to the rain on the roof. I still feel a great sense of connection to nature when I take the time to sit, watch and listen to the wind, rain, thunder and lightning. I do get caught in the trap of complaining as well of course but why not just enjoy it! I don't remember anyone changing the weather by complaining about it!
With this all said I would like to finish with 3 things I love about winter!
No. 1 – Footy!
I've always been a passionate fan and player and there's nothing like watching a game with mates or aguing over who the best players are. From a playing perspective it's always fun to come off the field covered in mud after a wet weather game.
No. 2 – Backyard Fires.
There is something special about sitting around a fire under the night sky telling stories and roasting marshmallows. Try doing that in summer!
No. 3 – Cuddling.
Keeping this strictly PG rated this is the last but not least on my favourite things to do in winter! I am a cuddler so I definitely love those crazy nights where the only thing to do is put on some classic movies (Anchorman anyone?) and cuddle up with Kate under a blanket with a green tea or hot chocolate (dark of course!)
There are obviously many more great things about winter so for the remainder of this one and when the next one comes around let's stop complaining and enjoy it! Get outside in the cold more, stand in the rain, take the opportunity to sleep more and think about why you love winter!
What 3 things do you love about winter?
