If you’re like me, then you want nothing more than the warm months to come back, so you can stick your toes in the sand and soak up the sun all day long. Summer is when I’m the happiest. I love the beach; pools; shorts, tank tops, and sandals; the late nights sitting around a fire and roasting marshmallows; camping; the sounds of all the bugs putting me to sleep; and the feeling of the sun warming up my skin.

So, you can imagine how hard it is to enjoy the cold months when all I do is look forward to the warmer ones. However, it’s not healthy to be living your life always looking forward, always waiting for the future, always wishing summer would come faster. Sometimes it’s hard to live in the present when you hate something about the present, like, for me, how cold it is.

However, it’s important to learn to find things that you can enjoy even when you’re not the happiest. So, that’s why I complied a list of 10 things you can do to get yourself through the rest of winter, but also enjoy it and be happy.

1. Nature walks

Being afraid of the cold and hiding out in your house until it passes really makes you miss a lot of nature’s beauty. It’s a wonderful experience to see the world when it’s dead and silent. So, bundle up, suck it up, and go explore the outside for all it’s beauty.

2. Take a road trip to a local mountain

Go grab some of your friends and head for the slopes. If you don’t know how to ski or snowboard, then learn! Or enjoy the show of some great skiers/snowboarders and the comedy of your friends falling on their butts from the lodge’s window with a hot coco in your hands.

3. Check out Groupon

Groupon always has amazing deals for fun indoor activities. Try something new; do something you’ve never done before, like, rock climbing, or paint balling, or a paint night, or go to the trampoline park, or bowling, or laser tag; or if you just want a "you" day, print out a Groupon for a massage.

4. Cook

Pick up a cook book and learn how to make some meals. It can be pretty fun, and it takes up a good portion of the day.

5. Go to a museum/aquarium

Not only are museums/aquariums an all-day activity, but they’re educational too. If you go to the Museum of Natural History, you don’t even have to go out into the cold world. You can take the train right to the subway, then from the subway, there’s an entrance to the museum. Nothing can beat that.

6. Ice skating

I know this one deals with being on ice, so, naturally, you are going to be cold even if the ice rink is indoors. However, I still think it’s a fun winter activity. Just bundle up for an hour, and you’ll be okay and might even enjoy it.

7. Read

This is my favorite winter activity. Sitting in front of a toasty fire and getting lost in someone else’s world always makes the cold days go by faster.

8. Exercise

I know, I know, working out is always the last thing someone will resort to, but believe it or not, it’s a good way to pass time. Also, working out gives you the added bonus of working on that summer body now, so it’s ready in time for when those warm months finally roll around.

9. Girl’s/Guy’s night out

Go grab a drink with your friends at a local bar or even just a restaurant. Split some appetizers or even a pitcher or two.

10. Cuddle with your dog or cat

You’ll love it and they’ll love it. Don’t have a dog or a cat? Well… go get one. It’s as simple as that.