I've lived in Ohio for all of my 24 years, and if there's one thing I know, it's that nearly half of the year is spent hiding inside, hoping that the sun will shine again soon. On every slightly warm day, I get my hopes up that the snow and cold have been sent packing for the year; I'm usually disappointed. Here are five ways to suck it up and beat cabin fever:
1. Spring clean
I hate cleaning. I'm lazy and I'd rather eat a bag of potato chips and stare at the piles of clothes on my floor, but I always feel so much better when I sort through all of my stuff and get rid of what I don't need. My favorite part is digging out my favorite Spring-y clothes from the depths of my closet to get them ready for the weather break.
2. Read a book
Keeping your mind busy is just as important as keeping your body busy, so pick up a new bestseller or an old classic and submerge yourself into a new world. It's nice to escape reality, especially when the skies are gray.
3. Visit a museum
Sometimes, nothing can distract you the way learning can. My favorite museums are art and children's museums: endless food for thought and plenty of activities to keep you busy!
4. Start working on your summerbod
When it's snowy or rainy, but you have a lot of energy, hit the nearest gym. Sometimes I have outbursts of energy (rarely; like I said, I'm lazy) and I need to get out of the house. Luckily, I can head to the nearest Planet Fitness and get my endorphin fix (and tan, because that's the closest thing to sunlight that I'll see).
5. Plan!
When I'm most bored or down in the dumps about the gray skies, I plan things that I want to do in the summer and it reminds me that I have something to look forward to. Hocking Hills when it gets nice out? On my list. Picnics, stargazing, weekend trips? On my list. Countdowns to these events means countdowns until brighter days, and who wouldn't want that?
It's not always easy to be cheerful when the weather is garbage, but keep yourself busy and you'll almost forget that you can't remember the last time you saw the sun.