The right way to Winter: Harness Your Mindset to Thrive on Chilly, Darkish, or Tough Days

Worth reading if you live where there is cold winter
A book worth reading. It is about our attitudes toward winter and mindsets. Stanford Univ PhD.

Excellent book
This book was so helpful in changing my attitude about winter. Suggested how to shift our mindset about the cold and dark winter months and provided examples of how others embrace this time of year. I will probably reread this book every year.

Interesting Premise
Stars: 🌟 🌟🌟Title of Review: Interesting PremiseTitle: How to Winter: Harness Your Mindset to Thrive on Cold, Dark or Difficult DaysAuthor: Kari Leibowitz, PhDDate(s) Purchased:• Kindle (K) – 22 October 2024• Audio (A) – 29 October 2024Amount Paid:• K – $15.99• A – 1 creditPage number: 302Audiobook Length: 8 hours and 24 minutesGenre: Non-Fiction; Self Help; Mental HealthDate Finished: 6 January 2025Date of Review: 6 January 2025How to Winter by Kari Leibowitz is a refreshingly balanced exploration of a season that often provokes negative feelings. Drawing from the experiences of Nordic cultures—who manage to thrive through darker, colder winters with less seasonal depression than people in lower latitudes—Leibowitz offers fresh insights and practical strategies for rethinking winter.Leibowitz’s research centers on what we can learn from cultures that embrace winter, particularly how adopting their perspectives can improve not just our experience of the season but also our ability to navigate life’s challenges year-round. While her advice is most applicable to an audience of Americans with desk jobs (a demographic she gently targets), her arguments are broadly relevant and thought-provoking.The book is divided into three main approaches to help readers have a better experience of winter:1. Celebrate Winter – Finding joy in the unique aspects of the season.2. Make Winter Special – Creating traditions and rituals that transform the mundane into meaningful moments.3. Get Outside – Embracing the outdoors, even in the cold, to shift perspective and improve well-being.Leibowitz doesn’t shy away from acknowledging that some elements of enjoying winter are beyond individual control. She discusses the importance of infrastructure improvements and systemic changes that enable people to adapt more easily to the season. For instance, access to well-lit public spaces, safe transportation, and flexible work schedules can significantly influence how people experience winter. While these sections might feel less relevant to readers without desk jobs or flexible working environments, Leibowitz’s awareness of such limitations adds depth and fairness to her advice.Ultimately, How to Winter is an empowering guide for reframing how we think about winter. By blending personal strategies with broader societal insights, Leibowitz invites readers to consider not just how to endure the season but how to thrive in it—and perhaps, in all seasons of life.

Perfect holiday gift
Engaging and insightful, this book offers guidance for navigating winter—and life’s challenges. We got one for our home and gifted another to a friend. It makes a wonderful gift for a loved one during the winter holidays.

I really do wonder how the writers of these books have managed to get through life without ever meeting anyone with asthma. I am a lifelong severe asthmatic and really hoped this book would provide suggestions that wouldn’t kill me if I tried them. Any kind of candle, let alone scented, has the potential to kill me, as does an open fire, even if that wasn’t illegal where I live. And the brief open the front door to take in a parcel, is enough of an air temperature change to badly affect me. Not a book suitable for asthmatics!