101 Ways to Beat the Winter Blues

June in Australia. The shortest days. The most convincing arguments for staying in bed. The point in the year where I find myself eating soup for lunch and wondering why I live somewhere with weather.

I love a good list in winter. It makes the season feel more manageable. So here are 101 ways to beat the winter blues — most of them free, all of them tested by someone who has definitely had the blues.

1. Make a big pot of soup and eat it for three days
2. Buy yourself a good candle
3. Watch the sun rise (yes, even in winter — especially in winter)
4. Get outside for twenty minutes every day, no matter what
5. Start a new book you’ve been meaning to read
6. Rearrange a room — even just moving one piece of furniture changes the energy
7. Text a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while
8. Make hot chocolate from scratch with real cocoa
9. Light a fire if you have a fireplace; light a candle if you don’t
10. Put fresh flowers on your kitchen table (winter waratahs are magnificent)
11. Have a long bath with epsom salts and a podcast
12. Finish something that’s been half-done for months
13. Cook a new recipe that uses seasonal winter vegetables
14. Go for a walk in the rain (with a good coat)
15. Reorganise a bookshelf — and if you need inspiration for what to put on it, browse good books for mums that are genuinely comforting and worth reading
16. Watch a documentary about somewhere warm
17. Buy a plant for your windowsill
18. Have people over for a casual dinner — nothing fancy, just company
19. Catch up on letters and cards you’ve been meaning to write
20. Find a yoga class or online routine for cold mornings
21. Make bone broth — it takes all day and makes the house smell wonderful
22. Sort out one drawer that’s been chaos since last year
23. Bake a cake and take half to a neighbour
24. Listen to an album all the way through, front to back, in one sitting
25. Have a slow Saturday morning with nowhere to be
26. Learn something small — a new word, a new fact, a new skill
27. Go to the library and browse with no list in mind
28. Pray for someone specifically and then tell them you did
29. Make a winter reading list
30. Clean out your email inbox (this is weirdly uplifting)
31. Visit a museum or gallery that you’ve been meaning to get to
32. Have pancakes for dinner
33. Watch old family videos
34. Do a jigsaw puzzle
35. Have a cup of tea in silence — no phone, no book, just tea
36. Sign up for something — a class, a course, a community group
37. Knit or crochet while watching a series
38. Write in a journal — not to record events, but to process feelings
39. Look at photos from a holiday you loved
40. Plan something to look forward to in spring
41. Donate to a winter appeal charity — hardship is harder in winter
42. Visit a friend who lives too far away (or plan to)
43. Have breakfast in bed on a weekend
44. Start seedlings on a windowsill for your spring garden
45. Watch a comfort show you’ve seen before
46. Cook from a recipe book that’s been sitting on your shelf unused
47. Have a screen-free evening
48. Eat dinner by candlelight
49. Go to a winter market if there’s one near you
50. Make a list of things you’re grateful for — a long list, not just three things
51. Get your hair done or treat yourself to something small
52. Have a conversation about something you actually care about
53. Go to bed early with a book
54. Clean your windows so the winter light comes in properly
55. Make your own stock
56. Take a long walk somewhere beautiful
57. Volunteer somewhere — the perspective helps
58. Get a vitamin D supplement (winter + Australian indoor heating = worth considering)
59. Call your mum, or whoever in your life plays that role
60. Do something your children want to do without agenda
61. Have a family game night with no winners declared — or try one of the simple family traditions that kids will actually remember long after winter is over
62. Make your house smell good — bread, roasting vegetables, a good candle
63. Find an audiobook for the commute or the school run
64. Do a meal prep session on Sunday and feel smug all week
65. Go for a swim in a heated pool — counterintuitive, completely effective
66. Find five things in your home you can donate
67. Repair something that’s been broken for too long
68. Have a conversation with an older person about what winters were like when they were young
69. Write down three things you love about winter
70. Make a meal that takes all afternoon and fills the house with warmth
71. Buy a new tea you’ve never tried before
72. Go outside in the morning sun, even if it’s cold, and stand in it for five minutes
73. Finish a project you started in summer
74. Have an early night with a podcast or meditation
75. Find a new podcast series to get absorbed in
76. Look up what events are coming up in your area for winter
77. Make your bedroom a haven — good pillows, warm lighting, no screens — there are practical ideas for creating a relaxing home environment that make a real difference in winter
78. Cook a tagine or curry that warms you from the inside
79. Do something creative — draw, paint, make something with your hands
80. Have a solo date — go to the cinema, a cafe, an exhibition, on your own
81. Reconnect with a practice you’ve let slip — faith, exercise, creativity
82. Read some poetry, even just a few verses at a time
83. Light candles at dinner every night for a week
84. Buy yourself a bunch of winter flowers from the supermarket
85. Sit by a window with a cup of something warm and watch the world go by
86. Learn to make a new kind of bread
87. Have a proper slow Sunday roast
88. Start a collection of your favourite quotes in a notebook
89. Go for a drive somewhere you’ve never been, just to see what’s there
90. Have a movie marathon of a director or actor you love
91. Declutter a space that’s been bothering you — if you’re not sure where to start, these quick decluttering tips for overwhelmed mums make it much more manageable
92. Find a new walking route near home
93. Visit an op shop with no budget and all the time in the world
94. Spend an evening looking through old letters or cards you’ve kept
95. Make a winter playlist
96. Go to bed grateful — name three things specifically, before you sleep
97. Give someone a genuine compliment
98. Accept that winter is a season, not a punishment
99. Remember: spring is coming

Save this for the next really grey Tuesday when you need it. You’re going to be fine.