When Kari Leibowitz moved to the Arctic in 2014, she braced herself for the impact of long, dark, freezing winters. The temperature in Tromsø, Norway, plunges to subarctic levels on the coldest nights, and it snows almost daily for eight months of the year. Surely the wind would slap her face, and unshoveled snow would sneak down her boots, wetting her socks. Ice crystals would cling to strands of her hair. But there would be an emotional impact, too, akin to plunging head-first into a deep pool of the winter blues. Most distressing, she assumed, would be the Polar Night: a two-month stretch during which the sun doesn’t rise above the horizon at all.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]Leibowitz—a health psychologist who grew up near the Jersey Shore, where life revolved around beachy summers—made the Arctic her home in order to study at the world’s northernmost university. She didn’t really buy the data suggesting that people in Tromsø are equally happy throughout the year. She did not enjoy even comparatively mild winters, and assumed the longest and darkest of them all would be detrimental to mental health.
At first, Leibowitz planned to dive into what was driving a surprising lack of seasonal affective disorder in Norway: Were the people there immune in some way to an inherently depressing season? But her new neighbors kept telling her how much they were looking forward to the winter, and explaining what made it so special. “I started feeling like, OK, it’s not really enough to just focus on a lack of depression,” she says. “It didn’t make sense to just have this idea of why people were protected against this negative thing, and to not have a conversation about the positives.”
Leibowitz’s new book, How to Winter, builds on what she learned about how people not only tolerate cold, dark, difficult days, but thrive during them. Much of it dives into science around the psychological concept of mindset, or the beliefs and attitudes that shape how we think and behave. During her year in Tromsø, Leibowitz fell in love with the winter season—sub-zero wind chills and all—and believes we all have the ability to do the same. “We can start shaping our own mindset intentionally and deliberately,” she says. “That doesn’t mean it’s always easy to do—that you can just snap your fingers and change your mindset.” But she believes it’s a worthwhile pursuit, especially given how prevalent winter woes are. A new American Psychiatric Association poll found that 41% of Americans say their mood declines during the winter.
With that in mind, we asked experts to share their favorite ways to embrace the cold months ahead.
As the transition to winter becomes more obvious—you can see it and feel it creeping in—pick one week to keep your calendar as empty as possible, padded with intentional downtime. “It’s about making space and anticipating that you might be more tired, and being OK with that,” Leibowitz says. “Try not to overload yourself.” In addition to saying no to extraneous requests, seek out restful, restorative activities, she suggests.
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During her ease-into-winter week, Leibowitz took a nap after work one evening; the next night, she went to a relaxing yoga class, then home to bed. Other ideas include ordering your favorite takeout or watching a comforting movie. “I think so much of what we struggle with in winter is this feeling of, ‘I’m so tired—what’s wrong with me? I don’t have time to be tired,’” she says. “This kind of adaptation week can be an antidote to some of those feelings.”
By October, it had already started snowing in Vermont, where therapist Rachel Totten lives—and she often talks about ways to embrace the season with her clients. She challenges anyone dreading the extra time inside to make a winter bucket list full of fun goals: going snowshoeing or ice-skating, creating an 8-foot-tall snowman, hosting a neighborhood snowball fight, supplying the entire neighborhood with homemade cookies. “Ask yourself, what would you want to do in this slowness?” she says. “It’s a fun way to bring a sense of excitement to the colder months.”
There’s intriguing research around the science of color, Totten points out, and tapping into it can help boost your mood when it’s gloomy outside. Natural light, for example—which you can replicate with full-spectrum light bulbs—improves emotional well-being and lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Try adding more natural light to spaces where you spend a lot of time, like your living room or kitchen.
Opting for cool light, meanwhile, like blue or white tones, promotes focus, while warmer light, which ranges from yellow to orange, will help you calm down and relax after a stressful day. “I encourage folks to be mindful of what they have,” Totten adds—it may not be sunlight, per se, but indoor lighting can still boost your spirits while creating an atmosphere you relish spending time in.
Instead of dwelling on winter’s limitations, lean into the long nights and extra time at home by exploring a new activity. “If we’re in some ways restricted by what we can do, it also makes space for other things,” Leibowitz says. During the summer, for instance, you might not have much time for baking, crafting, painting, knitting, reading, or playing video games. “Winter can be your time of year to indulge in them,” she says. As an amateur ceramicist, Leibowitz hits the pottery studio when it’s cold outside—something she’s much less likely to do on warm, sunny days. “I really look forward to it being a season where I get to do more of something I enjoy,” she says. “Winter can be a time when you can reclaim and enjoy those slower hobbies, and things you don’t normally do.”
What passes your sniff test during the winter? Totten recommends surrounding yourself with scents that trigger positive memories, like a fresh balsam candle that smells exactly like the Christmas tree farm you looked forward to visiting as a kid. Every year around this time, she starts burning a candle that reminds her of the scent that filled her grandparents’ home: eucalyptus and mint. “It brings this sense of peace and calm and connectedness,” she says. Spend some time reflecting on your most positive winter connections, and then seek out a scent that can keep them fresh for you every day—whether that means adding candles, potpourri, essential oils, or reed diffusers to your home.
Totten recently brought many of her outdoor plants inside to wait out the winter. She’s found that having something green in her space—and being able to inspect it daily for signs of new growth—bolsters her mental health. Plus, clients love peeping the foliage behind her during video appointments.
If you’re not a plant person, consider other ways to add a pop of green or blue to your environment, she suggests: maybe an accent wall, a new painting, or a bold rug. “It goes back to that choice and empowerment,” she says. “What do you have within your control that could potentially help during this season?”
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Liv Dellanno and her partner, Ashley Houghton, always get fed up with winter around February. It may be the shortest month, but it drags on and on—and they craved something to look forward to. So Dellanno and Houghton, who are both 28 and live in Chicago, brainstormed with a friend and decided to create their own holiday: February Feast. Last year, after months of planning, they hosted what would become their new tradition. The menu celebrated “winter turning into spring—and reframing winter, because it’s actually a really hopeful time,” Dellanno says. “Winter is all about, ‘Wait, things are getting brighter outside.’”
On Feb. 24, the couple invited their friends over to dig into an impressive spread, starting with hearty foods that represented the winter, like soups, breads, and cheeses. With each course, the menu veered more into spring and summer flavors, culminating with a citrus fruit tart. Attendees also enjoyed two signature cocktails: A gin and tonic with charred rosemary to signify winter, and strawberry jalapeno kombucha with mezcal as a nod to spring.
After dinner, the couple’s guests wrote something down that they hoped to let go of in the coming months, and then the group headed to a nearby beach and burned the pile of paper. “That was like the grand finale of the evening,” Houghton says. The entire event “was similar to New Year’s in that you’re reflecting and creating space for new stuff, and it felt like a really hard reset that I needed at that time.”
Make a vow to spend 15 minutes more than you usually would outside each day during the winter, Leibowitz suggests—perhaps enjoying your morning coffee on the front porch, biking to work, or taking an after-dinner walk. “Movement, fresh air, and connection with nature are all natural antidepressants,” she says. “If you can spend extra time outdoors, that’s going to counteract the feeling of the winter blues.”
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Plus, the winter often looks a lot harsher than it actually is. Sometimes Leibowitz is hesitant to hop on her bike because it appears to be raining, but when she actually starts riding, she realizes it’s only misting. Or she’ll bundle up, bracing to be hit with plumes of cold air, only to find she’s actually too warm under her heavy coat. “It retrains you to override some of those expectations about how terrible it will be outside,” she says. “I think people who do this and get dressed up and go outdoors are often surprised by how nice it is—and they really feel better for having been out.”
No matter where they are in the world, people make small talk about the weather. And usually, they’re complaining. “That reaches new heights in the winter, and it really draws our attention to the negative aspects of the season,” Leibowitz says. That’s why she recommends challenging yourself to spend a week making winter-positive small talk with at least one person a day. Aim to be specific, she advises: “The rain smells so clean,” or “I love the way the light catches on those icicles.” Instead of complaining about how gross it is outside, flip the script when you come back inside: “It feels so good in here.” “You don’t have to be annoying about it, but there are ways you can be chatty about the weather that aren’t so winter-bashing all the time,” she says. “It trains you to notice different kinds of things, which makes a big difference.”
