© Joan Currie

Perhaps when we find ourselves wanting everything, it is because we are dangerously close to wanting nothing. Sylvia Plath

It has not stopped raining for days and more rain is predicted for the next week (ditto for snow). Here are some ways to combat the winter blues, especially if you are alone:

1. Connect with others – phone, G-chat, IM, send an e-card, comment on a blog, go to a coffee shop.
2. Complete one task, no matter how small – organize a desk drawer, bake chocolate chip cookies, read a magazine, fix your bike tire, sew on a button.
3. Embrace the weather – if it is safe, don your rain (or snow) gear and head outside for a walk around the block, hike, ski, snowshoe, skate.
4. Play upbeat music – rediscover 70s disco favorites, cheesy wedding songs, check out YouTube videos of bands reunited.
5. Take a trip down memory lane and look at old family photographs, it really helps you appreciate who you are and where you have come from. If you have gotten off track, looking at a photograph of you as a child can help you reset your compass and resolve to do better.