During our long Northern winters, days are gray and sunshine seems a scarce commodity. Though I’ll always have an affinity for summer, I’ve learned that blessings come from taking intentional action on winter days.

Over the years, I’ve curated a sort of “tonic for dreary days” – it’s my guide I turn to when the weather isn’t cooperating and my energy and mood threaten to be low. By practicing these simple, intentional habits, I can keep my spirits high during the winter months and give my spiritual life a boost, too.

Establish Rhythms of Daily Prayer. When daylight hours are particularly short, established rhythms and routines provide structure when the sun isn’t dictating my day.

A routine of prayer when I rise and rest punctuates my day when the sun and moon do not. While I strive to sustain this year-round, I find the practice particularly comforting in wintertime. Personally, I have become fond of the Liturgy of the Hours, sung by Paul Rose. Praying and chanting in this ancient way reminds me that though I may fixate on my own small perspective, I am always connected to the universal Church.

Find Beauty Outside. On the dreariest days, I can find myself muttering about the supposed lack of beauty out the window. However, I am ever-astonished by how my outlook shifts upon simply stepping outside.

Entering nature, I can’t help but notice the beauty I believed to be absent, jumping out to me in plain view: puddles reflecting a pretty cloud, darling critter prints in the mud, rugged plants that still manage to bloom despite the abysmal conditions. Suddenly, I’ve shifted from feeling trapped and agitated inside my home to feeling a sense of wonder and awe right outside my door. In my experience, you don’t have to wander far to experience this (though I am known for my long walks!) — as St. John Paul II put it so well:

“Our very contact with nature has a deep restorative power; contemplation of its magnificence imparts peace and serenity. The Bible speaks again and again of the goodness and beauty of creation, which is called to glorify God.”

Bring the Outdoors Inside. Of course I love having plants and flowers in my home at all times, but in the winter months, they seem to carry more substantial weight.

Every time I’m running errands, I scan for bargain blooms at the grocery store. If I don’t find anything to my liking, I keep an eye out for something in the wild. If you have branches or bushes in your yard, consider snipping a few. Something that seems drab or uninteresting outside can take on a whole new perspective when trimmed and arranged in a vase. And as my mom taught me, never underestimate the power of a single stem!

Each time I see a little stem or sprig – on my desk, at my sink, near my bedside – my spirit is lifted and my hope feels gently refreshed.

Move. There are heaps of scientific studies and centuries of wisdom that will confirm this, but personal experience is my greatest motivator: Movement changes everything. Our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit, and moving mine with intention is something I look forward to every day. Sometimes I have to get clever to incorporate exercise into my day when the temperatures are below freezing and the winds are fierce. But I find over and over that whatever I manage to do, I never regret moving. As St. Ignatius of Loyola reminds us, “... bodily exercise, when it is well ordered, as I have said, is also prayer by means of which you can please God our Lord.” If you’re able to move your body, it is always time well spent.

These blues-beating tactics have carried me through many winters, serving as drops of sunlight throughout my day. Though wind and chill always come, leaning into these habits brings peace and joy. I hope they do the same for you.