Getting out of the house during winter

[bradley]

Winter is always a drag for me. When I'm not at work I spend a lot of time cooped up in the house, which is slowly driving me crazy. Anyone have recommendations for winter-time activities that are ERE-aligned?

And what kind of social/group things can be done, too? Oddly I tend to feel like most of my relationships get strained during the winter time, which makes me feel more lonely than compared to, say, summer.

[LiquidSapphire]

I trained for a 10K, rain/snow or shine. With the right safety equipment it's doable and you adapt to the unpleasantness of the weather.

I like to play board games; if you have a large enough table that is always a lot of fun for me.

[FBeyer]

Panic on Wall Street! If you're enough people playing there is bound to be shouting and lots of pointing fingers.

Play chess, go, hex or the like. Go for long walks; chilled air and walking go together amazingly well. But ya. Board games! If you need specific recommendations shoot me a pm.

[George the original one]

Since I live in the boonies, 12 miles from any towns, I tend to rely on books & the internet & spouse when the weather is too nasty or dark to go fishing. Cooking something new is another cost effective way to break the routine.

[OTCW]

Cooking
Hiking/walking
Chopping wood
Frisbee golf
Firepit
Garage/basement/workshop projects

[chenda]

Go swimming (indoors)

[1taskaday]

Bradley my sentiments exactly...

In Winter I try to escape to bright sunny locations as much as I can But the comparison when I come home is very painful...dark,cold wet again etc,

So I am trying to analyse why I feel so good when I get away...

Is it the light or just being out in the air so much?

Does the crappy lethargic winter feeling come from being cooped up indoors as opposed to lack of sunlight.

The last time I was away I lid out on a sun-bed reading wrapped in a quilt when it got cold and breezy,I know it sounds nuts but the last thing I wanted was to be indoors watching tv as I do at home during the dark winter nights.

It would be like going to the beach and the weather turns cold and windy...often we just lie on the sand and wrap up rather than go home.

The amazing thing was that I felt absolutely fantastic and really rested getting all that fresh air (and probably natural light) while lying on a sun bed wrapped in a quilt with a hoody on.

So it should be possible to get that feeling at home by lying out wrapped in a quilt for warmth...the only barrier is that if it rains I would have to retreat indoors.

I am going to try it out because the long dark winter nights kill me as well, But if I was outside,(warm and comfortable) staring up at sky during the day or night I think I would feel great...

Exercising outside is fine in the winter but the time spent doing this is short,my theory is more about rejuvenation through many hours of lying out in fresh air.

I know many Eastern Europeans wrap babies really warmly and put the pushchair outside,letting the baby sleep in the fresh air.They claim it is really healthy and the baby will sleep the night much better.

In the Winter my energy levels are just lower so the thought of training for some huge sports event is not for me.

[BeyondtheWrap]

My vote is for the library.

[J_]

In wintermonths I move to the sunny, snowy alps. There I am now. The sport (cross country free style) and the surroundings lift my spirits, even when big (personal) problems are present. It is a rigorous choice, but I am glad and thankful I am able to do it.

[karim]

@1taskaday

Try a light box and use it for thirty minutes in the morning. It might make you feel less lethargic and down.

[pukingRainbows]

Not an activity, but i suggest a vitamin D supplement.

I find it helps me with my winter doldrums.

I would also second moving to the Alps, if possible

[EMJ]

Get, or borrow, a dog. Your friends and neighbors might be delighted if you offer dogwalking - they might even pay you.

[Gilberto de Piento]

For social activities try meetup.com. There are a lot of groups in NYC. Most are free.

[enigmaT120]

I live in the woods. I take my cat for a walk if he's willing. Over the past year I've been fighting my rain phobia (it hasn't done me any good for the past 45 years of living in Western Oregon!) and have been taking long walks up on the logging roads in the rain.

Since I still have a job I mostly have to go to work anyway. It sucks to work in a big concrete cave for all of the winter daytime.

[Riggerjack]

I am unaffected by the seasonal affective disorder bit, but my ex claimed it. the amount of indoor light even in a brightly lit room is much less than a bright sunny day.

She said the lights I set up helped. I made some very intense (over 1000 watt) indirect incandescent lights for her workspace. Doing it today, I'd use the 23 watt LED can lights from Costco.

I find the "natural sunlight" lamps over bright, and overly blue. These LEDs are a warmer shade. I have a 900 square foot room with 13 of these, and it is almost too bright.

It won't fix the getting out problem, but I hope it helps the low energy problem.

On the other hand, if it is just an aversion to cold weather, move south. Life is too short to live with problem weather.

[ebast]

I've been spending a few months up in Montreal and have been impressed at how people manage to get out in the winter (hey, it's like eight months long - what choice do you have?)

There's a lot in terms of outdoor events to make it through the long cold dark winter, but on the physical activity side I have to assess that my physical activity has been lower than in more temperate climates. It can get pretty crappy outside.. what exactly is the outdoor activity designed for the weather condition of: hailing after raining after snowing for three hours and there are six inch puddles of water, either freezing, melting, or desublimating at every street corner and where the windchill may vary in a day from freezing to -17?

So, while the indoor gyms are understandably quite popular here, when we can, we've been following the strap-blades-to-your-feet and slide around on them approach. Things like ice skating and cross country skiing can be quite ERE-friendly if you own the equipment. A decent pair of used skates, including resharpening for the season, can be had for 30 bucks or so, and a full set of beginner-friendly waxless old-school x-country skis, boots, poles for not much more than that. You can sell them when you're done.

For the crafty ERE-type, a makeshift sled can be had for free-- with a little ingenuity.

Skiing is a nice chance to get out in some nature for a change. I love going out in the woods or hills if you have them and in the more citified areas, parks / golf courses / even cemetaries or after blizzards anywhere can be skiied. E.g. for the original poster, after any blizzard the nytimes seems to love showing photos of some guy skiing through Times Sq. or whatever, but I've seen people ski Central/ Prospect / Van Cortland Park whenever there's just enough snow to make it worthwhile. My personal trainer informs me that cross-country skiing is one of the best cardio and endurance exercises that can be had (e.g. jaw-dropping benefits.) Also on the sociability side, at least around here the x-country skiers have seemed a pretty amiable and friendly bunch. You're bound to meet other skiers even just carrying your skis to the parc.

A nice thing they do up here is in the parks besides using the lakes or water features, in some they'll flood parts and let it freeze in winter and people can go skating for free whenever they want. Beyond one questionable experiment with a garden hose in the frontyard as a kid, I've never had anything like that before. Even where I lived in some of the more colder regions of the States, it was always off to the indoor rink to do skating. But, kind of a neat idea to work with the winter instead of against it.

[bradley]

These are great ideas and tips. I organized a potluck/feast dinner with some friends for the weekend, and also popped out some board games to play with DH and some friends. We really got into them (Settlers of Catan, Machikoro, and yes, Yu-Gi-Oh so that's been good.

Next on the list will be some kind of outdoorsy activity—either walking or some kind of hike. The weather's getting milder (mid-50s), so it's less jarring.