#MentalHealthMonday – Thankful For Snow

I really need to make a #MentalHealthMonday post because between the bitter cold wind, murky grey skies, and the 4:30 p.m. encroaching darkness this weekend, I was starting to feel pretty gloomy.

Chicago can be a bit nasty this time of year. For people who already face anxiety leaving the house it just creates another obstacle–and the idea of cranking up the heat, turning on some TV, and snuggling under a blanket becomes more appealing. Of course that is cozy to an extent, but sometimes winter can become isolating, at least in my experience.

Since all my loved ones are in Chicago, it would probably be a coin toss whether moving or staying would ultimately be better for my mental health or my isolating tendencies. But there is one thing, in my opinion, that makes winter tolerable: Snow.

I guess we got a little snow this weekend, but only a couple of short bursts. I also saw some little flurries on my way to work today. We’ve yet to get our first real big snow, but I know it’s coming.

I know all too well some of the downsides of snow: shoveling, scraping, driving through it, trudging through it, how it eventually (OK, in a big city usually quickly) turns into gross slush. However, there’s something magical about waking up and seeing that unique reflective light out the window, and then looking outside and seeing a fresh, pure, sparkling coating of snow all over everything.

And if you decide to spend a day indoors snuggling and reading when the prettiest kind of snow—the big, fresh flakes—are falling from the sky and accumulating–then it feels comforting and scenic somehow, instead of lonely.

This is a picture of my backyard after it snowed, as seen from over my deck. It seems so soft and peaceful. Snow is one magical thing I like about winter.