CHALLENGE Add More Joy to Your Winter

Happiness doesn't need to fade with the daylight.

- KAITLYN PHOENIX

Between the chaos of the holidays, shorter days, and colder weather, it makes sense that we may feel a bit blah and wiped out at times. "We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to have the same amount of energy or interests as in other seasons, and that just doesn't really make any sense," says Kari Leibowitz, Ph.D., a health psychologist and the author of the new book How to Winter.

"There's a huge difference in daylight and temperature between summer and winter, and we are animals." That is to say, just as other mammals change their behavior in the winter, it makes sense for us to do so as well. But that doesn't mean hibernating like a bear until the trees bud again. Take these steps to make your winter happier and less stressful.

WEEK 1
SAVOR POSITIVE, LOW-AROUSAL EMOTIONS.

Joy isn't always the jumpingup-and-down type. "Look at winter as the season that provides more opportunities for slowness and stillness," says Leibowitz. "Yes, you're going to go to Christmas parties and have drinks and do high-arousal things, but I think there's that pressure to be sort of merry in an excited way that can sometimes feel at odds with our energy level and our resource level at this time of year." She suggests making time for activities that trigger feel-good low-arousal sentiments. For instance, a cozy family movie night at home might invoke feelings of calmness, peace, contentment, and serenity-but won't zap all your vigor.

MAKE WINTER SPECIAL.