How to survive living in Washington in the winter.
In this blog post, we will highlight the ways we’ve learned to survive the long winters in the Pacific Northwest. We will describe our methods and secrets that have been carefully curated over the past 35 years.
Invest in a heat pad.
If you are from a warmer climate you may not know what this is. Basically it is a rectangle shaped piece of fabric, with wires in it that heat up, and a long cord that you plug into an outlet and can be used to heat the body. *Bonus! A heating pad can provide relief from minor muscle and joint pain! We recommend THIS ONE.
Attend hot yoga classes.
A hot yoga studio can be a wonderful escape from the constant NW drizzle and cold… once inside, we recommend closing your eyes and pretending you are in Hawaii or Mexico. Most yoga studios are heated to a balmy 105 degrees Fahrenheit, and you will be warmed from the inside out. Add in the endorphins from the yoga workout, and you will feel like a million bucks when you leave the studio. Even if you don’t like hot yoga, we still recommend going and maybe napping in the heat. We recommend THIS ONE.
Use your airline miles (we recommend Hawaiian or Alaska) to book a flight to Hawaii.
Although expensive, this trick gives you the added benefit of having something to look forward to! We propose booking your trip for late January or February, when the SAD (seasonal affected disorder- what an appropriate acronym) has really set in. *Bonus! Convince your best friend to move there, then you will most likely be devastated, but you’ll have a free place to stay during your visit!
Start skiing or snowboarding.
During the winter, if it’s raining in Tacoma, it’s probably snowing in the mountains! Embracing the joy of attaching things to your feet and then hurtling down the side of the mountain can be a way to trick your brain into being happy when it’s raining…. big storm coming? Woohoo- powder day!
Make plans with friends or family.
If you are like me, it can be hard to get yourself to leave the house on a rainy day, so we recommend making plans a week or two in advance to help motivate yourself! Go out for dinner, or find a cozy coffee shop to chat at!
At the end of the day, there’s also nothing wrong with cozying up with a blanket and a good book or Netflix and going into hibernation mode- it’s what most of us do!
