When Chicago temps drop to below zero and you haven’t seen much sunlight for several days, it’s hard to motivate yourself to leave the warmth of your home and the cozy feeling of bundling up under blankets on your couch. This is the time when most of us begin to feel a lower mood and become more anxious or isolated, and feel like winter is never going end. This post will help you with Tips To Beat The Winter Blues.
With a couple months of frigid temps still ahead of us, we gathered our favorite ways (inside where it’s warm, of course) to get you out of the house, connecting with others and beating the winter blues in Chicago.
TOP 5 WAYS TO BEAT THE CHICAGO WINTER BLUES
1) Learn Something New
Learning a new skill is a great way to distract yourself from the harshness of winter. Taking a class gets you out of the house and into a nice, warm classroom where you can hang with cool people and try some fun new activities!
Dabble and Coursehorse are two of our fav ways to find interesting classes and learn something new!
2) Find Your Zen
Practicing mindfulness, zen’ning out, and other similar activities are helpful to keep you in the present moment and manage any depression or anxiety that might creep up when the sun refuses to come out.
Float Sixty and Chill Chicago are a couple of fun and warm ways to get your zen on!
3) Get Your Creative Juices Flowing
Creativity can lower your stress levels and leave you feeling calm and relaxed. When you are immersed in a creative activity you are in somewhat of a meditative state that allows you to stay present, out of your “head” and distances you from your worries.
Indigo Art & Violet Studio, Lill Street Art, and Bottle & Bottega have fun classes and workshops to help you get your creative juices flowing – all inside a cozy studio or other heated venue!
4) Move Your Body
Exercise is an effective way of boosting your mood, reducing your stress and making you feel better. Of course you can always head to the gym, but we have a few non traditional idea to get your body moving and your endorphins flowing!
Bad Axe Throwing, First Ascent Rock Climbing, and Trapeze School are all super fun, nontraditional ways to get your blood pumping indoors during the winter months!
5) Connect With Others
Of course, you can always bump up your social activities to motivate you to leave the warmth of your couch. Join a team through Chicago Sport Social Club or find a group of like-minded souls on Meetup.com.
STAYING SANE WHILE STAYING WARM
These are just a few of the many ways that you can keep your sanity during the winter months. No matter what your interests are, we recommend getting out of the house (to limit that pesky cabin fever), spending time with others, finding ways to play and be creative, and challenging yourself to step outside your comfort zone to help you through these Chicago winter months.
And of course, if you feel like you could use some additional support to help beat the winter blues, contact us today to schedule an appointment. We’re here for you, rain or shine (or sleet or snow or hail, too!).
Nicolle Osequeda, LMFT, is the founder of Lincoln Park Therapy Group, specializing in anxiety, depression, and relationship counseling in Chicago. As a Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator, she incorporates Dr. Brené Brown’s research into her therapy. Nicolle holds a Master’s in Counseling Psychology from the University of San Francisco and is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in Illinois and California. She is a Clinical Fellow of AAMFT, a member of IAMFT, and the Financial Therapy Association. Nicolle has Gottman Method training and has taught at DePaul University, dedicated to helping individuals and couples achieve meaningful change. 
