It’s Hell Is Freezing Over Day—a day for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere to commiserate as we try to survive the cold, dark days of winter. If you’re not a fan of winter, today’s post has simple winter survival tips to help you get through the next few weeks. Spring will arrive in just 48 days—but who’s counting?

The weather as a national pastime?

Here in Canada, talking about the weather rivals watching hockey while sipping on a cold beer or hot Tim Horton’s coffee as a national pastime. In the winter, we complain it’s too cold. Then, when summer comes, we moan about the heat and humidity. Living in a country of extreme weather, I suppose that’s not surprising.

The winter of 2022-2023 has definitely been an odd one. After a Christmas Eve blizzard messed up holiday plans for many of us, things warmed up quickly and the snow all melted by New Year’s Day. As I sat down to write this in mid-January, I looked at green grass in my front garden.

Much as I would have loved to think that we were through the worst, I know better. Winter is far from over and Mother Nature reminded us with that with a big dumping of snow last week!

This week’s forecast is for very cold temperatures, although I have to admit I was a bit taken aback last week when I opened up The Weather Network app to see a forecast low of -99 for February 2, which just happens to be Groundhog Day.

They updated the forecast a few minutes after I snapped this screen shot. Compared to -99, I’m sure -13 will feel positively balmy. Any way you look at it, it’s going to get really cold, so here are eight winter survival tips to make the February days a little brighter.

Winter survival tips

Look on the bright side

While it may feel dark and gloomy, there is a bright side. Here in Kitchener, Ontario, we’re already enjoying almost a full hour more of daylight than on the winter solstice.

On December 21, we had only 8 hours and 57 minutes of daylight. Today, we’ll enjoy 9 hours and 52 minutes. We’ll continue to add around two more minutes of daylight every day in February. By the end of the month, we’ll have 11 hours and 9 minutes of daylight to enjoy.

Visit https://www.timeanddate.com for details on sunrise and sunset times in your area, and celebrate the additional daylight.

Get outdoors

It’s so tempting just to stay indoors and keep warm this time of year. But research shows that getting outdoors is good for our mental and physical health.

No matter how cold it gets, I try to bundle up and get outdoors every day even if it’s only for a 10 or 15 minute walk. Over Christmas holidays, I got lazy and definitely noticed a difference in my mood and energy levels.

For ideas on fun outdoor activities, check out 25 fun things to do when it snows.

Get moving

If you can’t bear the cold, you can still keep moving and add some indoor physical activity to your day. You don’t need a gym membership or fancy equipment. Check out my lists of 15-minute and 30-minute YouTube workouts for easy workout videos that even the biggest couch potato can manage.

If workout videos aren’t your thing, crank up your favourite music and dance around the house.

Plan your spring garden

If you’re a gardener, spend some time planning this year’s garden. Find some gardening blogs or sites for inspiration. You can even start some seeds indoors to get a head start on the growing season. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing plants grow from tiny seeds.  

Bring the garden indoors

There are many health benefits of adding some houseplants or flowers to your home or office. Pick up a few inexpensive houseplants at your supermarket or department store.

We’re fortunate to have a south-facing front window, so my houseplants are thriving. Just looking at them gives me an energy boost.

I grew the Coleus plants in front from seed last winter. 

Make a pot of chili or homemade soup

Is there anything better than a bowl of hot soup on a cold day? Last year, I bought a new slow cooker and started to make big batches of homemade soup and freeze them in individual portions for weekday lunches. You’ll find some of the recipes I’ve tried on my Recipes board on Pinterest.

I’ve been thinking about creating a post of my favourite soup recipes. Let me know if that would be interesting to you by filling out this quick poll.

Plan a get-together with friends

A social gathering gives you something to look forward to. Reach out to some friends you haven’t seen in a while and plan a get-together. It can be as simple as going out for dinner or coffee, or a potluck dinner. You could even plan a fun outdoor activity and come home to some delicious slow cooker hot chocolate and spicy appetizers.

Enjoy a “snow day”

Finally, there’s nothing wrong with planning a snow day, or perhaps you refer to it as a duvet day or pyjama day. Whatever you call it, it’s a day to curl up under a blanket in your pyjamas and read a book, watch movies, or binge-watch your favourite Netflix series.

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No matter how you feel about winter, it will come to an end at some point. Although it’s not my favourite season, I admit I’d miss it if it wasn’t around. Surviving winter just makes spring that much more enjoyable.

What do you do to get through the winter? Tell me your winter survival tips below.