Dealing with a very cold winter

I don't know if it's just me, but I'm finding this winter so much colder than previous winters and I've probably been whining too much about it.

I don't dislike winters, I'm only having trouble with the temperature. I love the snow and enjoy snowshoeing right up to -15C, colder than that, I prefer the warm indoors.

For many people, the shorter days of winter have in impact on their energy and optimism. The web is  full of advice on how to deal with the reduced amount of sunlight. Here are some of my favorite tips to stay positive and keep the energy up throughout this cold and dark season.

1. Appreciate the small beauties unique to winter
When I look outside, I love to observe things like:

• the sparkle on a fresh coat of snow;
• the pureness of the white of the snow without any marks;
• how the snow stays on the evergreens after a heavy storm;
• looking at snowmen;
• the variety of birds that come to the bird feeder;
• etc.

2. Vitamin D supplements.
Some folks take vitamin D supplements each day and to given them a lot more energy. It's cheap and it works. 

3. Exercise.
How many of you know that I've been teaching fitness classes (includes, aerobics, cardio kickboxing, step, bootcamp) for more than 30 years and that I'm  pretty good at it (according to the participants).  I'm a strong believer that regular exercise will give you more energy. Exercise will help you release inner tensions, anxiety and stress. In addition, it will be easier to stay relaxed, positive and to think clearly with less overthinking and to act decisively. Of course, there are numerous benefits to the body.

4. Adopt a hobby or spend more time on your hobby
Few things create so much frustration, worries and anxiety as sitting on your hands and doing nothing.  There are no shortage of hobbies in my life. In the past years, watercolours has occupied much of my free time.

Since we can't change winter, the most important thing is simply to move forward and find the positive that inspires each of us.

Here are a couple of winter scenes that I painted in the past weeks.  The first one is a creek with large boulders on the side banks.

 I like old buildings and created this one of an abandoned small barn on top of a hill.

 This is another version of a creek in winter. This one was painted in 30 minutes.

Today I'm doing another apple blossom as I'm experimenting on ways to create a dark background.

Have a great week,
Danielle