One of my intentions for the new year was to get outside every day. Working primarily from home, it can be easy to let days slip by without ever emerging from my warm den, like some sort of waking hibernation. While this seems like a nice problem to have, I began to think it might be a contributor, if a small one, to my annual seasonal depression. Inspired by famously happy and cold Nordic countries, I wondered if their positive attitude towards winter might have something to do with their enjoyment of life.
I had to take my own advice and give up on perfection immediately when I set this goal. I didn’t think of the idea until January 5th, at which point I had already spent a few days of the year entirely inside my house. I almost let that fact stop me from setting the goal and allowing myself to spend the rest of the year inside without consequence. Instead, I decided that even though I might not get outside all 366 days this year (happy leap day!), it would be worth trying for the remaining 361. Plus, since I’m already starting the year on an imperfect note, I no longer have the pressure of maintaining perfection throughout the whole year. I’ll simply step outside as much as I can, and by the end of the year, I will have spent more time outside than I would have otherwise. Since January 5th, I am happy to report that I have made it outside every single day (so far) and I think it is already doing wonders for my mood.
The parameters for my getting outside were loose. If all I could manage was stepping onto my front porch one day, that would count. As long as both feet were out the door, and the door closed behind me, I could consider my outdoor obligation fulfilled. I didn’t put a time or activity requirement around the intention, as I knew they would only serve as food for excuses in the long run. If I tried to get outside for even five minutes every single day, even such a small amount of time could still feel insurmountable on days that barely crossed the threshold into positive temperatures, and put me off the idea entirely.
I did often associate each outdoor adventure with some activity, to give a purpose to my excursions. Some days that was taking out the trash, some days that was just walking to and from the car in between errands, and some days it was shoveling the path from the sidewalk to my house that didn’t really need to be shoveled but made enough of a difference that my time felt worth it. Because of this sub-task associated with my larger goal of getting outside, I found that not only did I stay motivated to get outside, but I also stayed on top of chores that I might have otherwise let pile up.
It seems a little counterintuitive to think that getting out in the weather might help cure the depression caused by none other than said weather. I wasn’t sure it would help at all when I set out to do it, but I knew that staying inside wasn’t doing me any favors, so I figured I had nothing to lose. But each time I stepped back inside after even a brief foray into the freezing cold, I was refreshed and filled with a renewed sense of gratitude for the warmth and protection of my four walls. Instead of feeling trapped inside by the inclement weather, I remembered that the only thing trapping me inside was my own mindset; as they say in many Nordic countries, there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. Even on the days that I spent more time bundling and unbundling than outside, I was glad I went out. Fresh air, no matter the temperature, is always a good thing.
While it might be too soon to tell if getting outside really did cure my winter blues, it does seem to have at least delayed it. This morning, my phone showed me a memory of two years ago, when I sent a video to a friend saying how I felt mysteriously bad and nothing I did seemed to help – the primary manifestation of my seasonal depression. Today, despite the foggy, cold, and damp weather we’ve been having all week, I’m feeling pretty good. And for now, that’s enough to keep me going. See you outside.
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