Winter’s Coming – Do We Need to Act Like Bears?

Wondering if you need to act like a bear probably isn’t your usual thought process but stick with me here.

Winter has finally arrived in full force recently, at least here on the prairies. It arrived with the usual unexpectedness to many people who live where I live. It’s the end of October and having prepared ahead of time by putting snow tires on before the snow arrived was not contemplated by so many.

That makes for a fun adventure for EVERY single driver on the streets. But we all need a fun little, unexpected adrenaline rush to keep us alive right? Maybe not.

All that to say is winter has officially arrived. Do you feel like a bear? Probably not. Although I am sure you have some early mornings where you get a little bit closer to feeling that way.

Right now the temperature isn’t -35 degrees celsius (-31 degrees fahrenheit), but just hold on, it will get there eventually. So that is kind of where I am going with this.

In preparation for the cold, darkness of winter what are you doing? Do you normally do anything? Do you normally think of it at all?

I am sure that you are probably thinking WINTER! Why would I want to think any more than I have to about winter. It haunts me every year already. True, friend, very true.

Quite honestly there are many days in the depths of winter that no one really feels like leaving home. Leaving the warm, comforting space of home. That can really affect us emotionally.

The many hours of darkness can really get to us. Don’t you think?

But even if that is the case does it mean that hibernating is the answer? That’s a tough one because who wouldn’t want to eat a lot of food and just stay inside for months. Be honest!!

Well I know there are at least a few people who wouldn’t.

Some people are surprised to learn that winter is actually my favourite season. Oh yes I can definitely have those days when I cringe at walking out the door in to the brisk wind that can hit your face and feel like icy pellets. Who wouldn’t frankly?

Not surprisingly my desire to counter the nature of a bear during winter is based at least in part to my emotional health. Absolutely when my mental health is low and I’m struggling, even walking out the door can be a very difficult.

So it’s important to take stock and have an appreciation for where you are at. Is your desire to hunker down because of the weather outside or because of what’s going on inside of you?

Be honest. It’s ok.

No matter how “cute” you think a stuffed teddy bear is, we don’t necessarily need to emulate the life of a bear.

Participating in the glorious adventures of the winter can be so invigorating. I realize there are many of you who might not live in the land of the great white north on any continent. But I hope you can enjoy whatever seasonal change you might experience where you live with a sense of renewed vigor and enjoyment. No matter what the temperature is.

Even if you don’t claim to enjoy the winter season as much as I do, you can always know that eventually the season will pass and a new one will come. Come with a breath of freshness and renewal. Even if that breath is sucked out of your lungs by a cold wind. I’m not really selling you on the joys of winter here, am I?

We don’t need to hide from winter, even if we desperately want to.

But do we need to protect ourselves during a harsh season? Oh most certainly. What protection you take or what that looks like for each person will look a little different.

It can be the key as to how we make it through the tough, seemingly never-ending season that is winter and snow.

So friend, I encourage you to think about where you are at as we head in to this new season. Will be live the life of a bear or do something different? It’s up to you. No one else can determine that for you. I pray you take a few minutes to think about and walk forward intentionally. I know you can do it!

Maybe you can become a little bit more like me and actually enjoy winter. Crazier things have happened I promise!

Comment below with your thoughts about winter, bears, hibernating or anything else. I would really like to hear your thoughts or your questions. Shoot me a personal message through the contact form on the site. I would love it if you like this enough to share it with others. Please SUBSCRIBE in the box above, it helps you know more of what’s going on.