The Eight Stages of Winter

It has only been wintering for about a month now, but I think that I have already experienced a wide range of emotions throughout these past few months. Since I am a psychology major, and a person who owns a coat, I would say this makes me very qualified to comment on the wide range of emotions you may be experiencing in the winter months.  

1. Wonder

To an extent, snow is kind of a nice reprieve from the sad brown color schemes we are so well acquainted with in November. Snow provides a nice means for the Christmas lights to reflect off of. The beginning of winter, or first snows in general are wonderful! During that time, anything is possible! You could frolick in the snow with your friends! You could go back to your hometown and reconnect with that guy you went to highschool with who was then a little nerdy/a little too high strung but is now an owner of a Christmas tree farm/CEO of a small nonprofit. He might just become your husband.  

2. Comfort 

The snow has accumulated so much and so aggressively that you now cannot leave your home. This is great. Initially. Maybe you’re not going to Hallmark your way out of this one, but at least you have an opportunity to relax for a little bit.You resolve to sit down and watch twelve Disney channel original movies as the snow accumulates outside. Things are coxy.  

3.Fear 

You would think that you’re only allowed to leave your homes when it is safe to drive and walk. And that’s where you’re wrong. If you’re lucky, your car starts. You begin to drive to your destination. The roads are currently an exciting combination of neglected piles of snow, and slick patches. Drive too slow and you will get stuck. Drive too fast and you will slip on the ice. Along your route, you see a variety of cars stranded on the side of the road who have made both of these mistakes. You choose to ignore it and white knuckle it to your destination. You thought that leaving your home would be easy? Now that’s where you’re wrong.  

4. Resilience, but also denial? 

Somehow, you’ve found a way to make it through the snow. You’ve made it and you’re so much stronger for it. You feel so very cool. The snow has melted to a point where you feel as though the past very snowy times are behind you, so you can talk about your going outside experiences as an ancient relic. You can nonchalantly mention to your peers “yeah, driving in the snow isn’t that hard,” hoping they don’t see the fear in your eyes and be grateful that they didn’t see that one time you gambled on a particularly slushy road and lost.  

5. Anger 

Okay, really, it’s going to snow again? After it already has snowed at least one other time? What is this, winter? This is getting ridiculous. As you’re walking around campus outside, you slip on the ice and reach up and knock down an icicle. It hits you on the shoulder, and causes your eyes to well up with tears. You rub your shoulder and are filled with a renewed sense of mission.  

6. Denial 

Okay, it really can’t be that cold outside. In an effort to convince yourself that spring is maybe approaching soon, you go out in a blizzard wearing shorts and a crewneck and a hat. The hat should do the trick, right? You shove your hands in your pockets and look with disdain on those who are wearing things like *coats*  and *pants* They are silly. They don’t know how pleasant it is to be wearing shorts in 20 degree weather. You just feel so alive. 

7. Depression 

No matter how much you conquer winter, it feels like it's kind of conquering you at the same time. Maybe the snow has melted enough so that you can see the ground, but that doesn’t mean that this is pleasant. The sky is white. The ground is white. The snow is white except for when there is dirt on the snow. In that case, the snow is gray. Anyways, the current color schemes are white and gray and gray-brown. And it still gets dark so early. It really just makes you want to curl up in a ball and cry a bit. 

8. Acceptance  

Eventually, you learn to survive, and accept that the cold is happening. You wear pants, and sometimes even a coat. You go outside when you can and accept when you can’t. Spring will come eventually.  

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