Easy, it’s not a trhiller book nor a horror movie.
From my dialect, the last three days of january are the coldest ones, and guess what? They’re here!
The legend says that once upon a time blackbird where actually white, like doves, but since blablabla, in the end one she-black bird, who was curious and didn’t trust what she’s been told, flew up a chimney to peek out if winter was over, but she stained herself with soot and as a punishment blackbirds stayed black for the rest of their time.
Now, let’s not consider the fact that she-blackbirds are actually brown without the orange beak… But I kind of feel for her, I mean: we still have to face forty and more days of winter? Of gray-ness, fog, early darkness, cold and humidity? If I think about it I’m sick!
So what can we do?
1) Synthetize vitamin D. As soon as a little beam of sun comes out, no matter how cold and little it is, go bathe in it. It take just 10 minutes a week, on your face, or arms, or hands, to synthetize enought vitamin D.
If sun is lacking (hey, it’s winter, otherwise what would I be writing this post for?), there are foods like dairies, fish, eggs and some cereals rich in vitamin D. You can quickly google it. And you might find out that a tiny square of milk-chocolate can help. Come on, chocolate, endorphines, vitamins, yay!
2) Colour. Do something coloured. Whether it is cooking a couscous with plenty of vegetables (and you can also have fun with spices and hot smells), paint something or thread some beads, as long as it is chock-full of colour. Or you can dress up with something highly coloured. And if you do all of these things is even better!
3) Sleep. Take a nap, go to bed earlier. Rest is always good, most of all in these days where everything seems to be screaming to us “Hibernation!”, do like bears and eat the skin off your hands (… TMI? I’m sorry…). But most of all, if you steal an hour of sleep here and there you’ll steal an hour of winter, muhuhahahahah
4) Can’t fight it, can’t beat it? Join it. All these tips are not cutting it? Well then: grab yourself wintery movies (from Narnia to Edward Scissorhands), blanket, knitting/crochet works, cups of hot teas, if you have it a cat and/or a fireplace, otherwise get invited by friends who do have them, cook huge pots of polenta, stews, soups, bake cakes and other things in the oven to keep warm. (Then, to keep worm and get rid of said baked goods and pots of food, you could work out… Ehi! Don’t jump to my throat, I’m just suggesting!)
5) Irish coffee. Period.