How To Enjoy Nature In The Winter
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For those of us who are recharged by nature, winter can present a unique challenge as much of our time is spent indoors. However, by forging a deeper connection with Mother Nature, we can come to appreciate and honor each of her seasons. I was once someone who wasn’t particularly fond of winter, but now, I’ve grown to genuinely love it. In this post, I’ll share four simple ways to enjoy nature in winter, with the hope that you, too, can cultivate a greater love for this season – or, at the very least, find it a bit more enjoyable.
Grounding In Winter
Connecting with nature serves as a powerful anchor for grounding ourselves, but finding this connection can become more difficult during the winter months.
Being grounded means we are living in the present moment, we aren’t floating off in our headspace. When we are grounded, we feel a sense of stability and security in our lives.
If you’ve ever experienced a day where you felt lost in your thoughts and then you decided to spend some time outside, you probably know what I’m talking about when I say that nature makes you feel grounded.
Observing nature is a great way to get us out of overthinking and bring us back into the present moment.
Moreover, it offers a wonderful avenue for cultivating gratitude for the beauty that surrounds us. This gratitude, in turn, helps dissipate negative emotions like frustration, worry, and anger.
For those who typically turn to warm-weather activities like gardening or beach outings to alleviate stress, maintaining this sense of grounding can prove more challenging in the colder weather.
It’s for you that I give you 4 ways to enjoy with nature this winter to help you to see the beauty and peace that this season offers us.
4 Ways To Enjoy Nature This Winter
1. Spend some time outside even though it's cold!
Spending some time outside just for the sake of enjoying nature can help us appreciate the winter season. Being outside and shoveling snow is not going to help you feel connected….at least for most of us. You need to take the time to do something actually enjoyable outside.
To help facilitate the feeling of being grounded, try to really tune into your senses when you are spending time outdoors.
Think about how the cold crisp air feels on your face compared to warm air.
Think about how it feels to breathe in the cold air.
Notice the smell of winter. I feel like later in the season, this is more difficult to notice but when we first start getting colder weather, it really smells different outside!
Notice the way the trees look without leaves and how they are still so beautiful. Reflect on how they go through this cycle of shedding their leaves in order for them to grow again.
If you don’t have snow but it’s very cold, observe how it feels when you are walking on the frozen ground. It feels very different to walk on frozen dirt or grass!
If you have snow, this makes it super easy to enjoy winter. You can play in the snow. We always think of playing in the snow as kids, but why can’t we play in the snow as adults? Introducing some playfulness into our lives is beneficial to us in many ways.
I recently was playing with my dogs in the snow and realized how much it helped me connect to nature and the elements. I was literally sitting in the snow and throwing snowballs for them and it truly felt so good for my soul.
2. Bring nature into your home
Having houseplants is such a lovely way to enjoy nature in the winter because you are bringing nature in to you! They also make your house look pretty 🙂
I absolutely love houseplants and my collection keeps growing.
If you have trouble keeping houseplants alive, there are certain plants that are easier to care for than others.
I find that orchids are pretty easy to care for and are nice because they bring some beautiful color into your home.
My living room is filled with plants and also happens to be the warmest room in the house due to it having the biggest heating vent. It’s absolutely lovely to relax in there in the winter. But I will say if you’ve never had houseplants, start with one and then you can slowly grow your collection so as to not overwhelm yourself.
3. Watch the animals interact in the winter
I know this is easier in some areas than others but try to find a place where you can watch the animals.
I recently got a bird feeder that is right outside my kitchen window so I constantly see the birds (and squirrels) in my backyard all while staying warm inside.
I also learned that the birds really look for food in the snow.
On our first snow storm of the winter this year, my feeder was empty. When I went outside with the dogs in the morning there were these little birds sitting and waiting for me to fill the feeder! It was so adorably sweet and I felt so bad that it was empty that I trekked my way through the snow to get the food and fill the feeder.
Now I learned to always keep the feeder full when there’s a snow storm coming!
4. Have gratitude for what winter brings
Appreciating and offering gratitude to each of the four seasons helps you to connect to nature because you are appreciating the cyclical beauty of nature.
When you change your mindset in this way, you might actually grow to really enjoy the winter. Each season brings its own special gifts to us.
Think of all the things winter allows you to enjoy; warm drinks, being able to feel really cozy and snuggly, sitting by the fireplace, watching the snowfall during a snowstorm.
These are all things that we should not take for granted. Winter is the season where we get a little bit of extra rest. We all need rest for our well-being.
Winter also allows us to truly appreciate the warmer seasons and what they bring to us.
So try out some of these suggestions to really enjoy nature this winter.
Give your love to each and every season.
