How do I adjust to winter in Tennessee? (records, day, city)

[AJ1013]

Originally Posted by dontbelievehim

I only wear a coat when it hits sub 40f lows(3-4 weeks a year.) Love sleeve shirts, slacks, and nice socks is what I use for the majority of winter. It can get depressingly gloomy but it doesn't last long(a week here or there). Drought winters are very sunny, but I prefer the gloomy winters cause I like seeing everything green. I'm in Fresno CA

There's even more sun the further south you go(Bakersfield, Riverside, etc). Tucson isn't a bad spot either. Look out west if you want milder winters.

Yeah, we have pretty mild winters and usually only see accumulating snow once every year or two

A typical mid-winter forecast would look something like this: 56/42 (rain), 54/29 (sunny), 61/33 (sunny), 65/38 (sunny), 73/45 (partly cloudy), 67/47 (partly cloudy), 64/40 (partly cloudy), 49/36 (rain), 59/32 (sunny) 66/40 (sunny)

[Sun Belt-lover L.A.M.]

Originally Posted by dontbelievehim

Look out west if you want milder winters.

Yes. It'd be a dry cold if it was even cold during the day at all, and I could grow tree-form (California/Mexican Fan) palms instead of just shrubby ones.

I doubt I will, but I'm still open to moving to Phoenix, Vegas or even Yuma, depending on how well I adjust to the coming winter(s) and what happens politically. Plus, they don't even have cold days nor nightly air frosts on average.

[Peregrine]

In... Tennessee?!?! You don't know winter depression at all. I'd trade my winter for yours.
And what do you mean"whatever happens politically?"
You'd base a move... on politics?

[leebeemi]

Having lived MUCH further north, here are a few tips on how we survive winter:
1. Embrace it. Buy a coat/jacket/heavy sweater/raincoat that makes you happy (a bright color, a great print). Same goes for hats/gloves. Get outside. Focus on finding something even a little pleasant--Does the air smell like burning leaves? Did the ice/snow cover plants, fences, etc? If it's cold outside, have some hot cider or tea or cocoa.



2. It it's too cold/rainy/icy to go out, curl up with a good book & a blanket.


3. Expect it to be awful out. Then, when you have a jewel of a day, you will really enjoy it. If it's nasty out, you won't be disappointed.


4. Try something new, like feeding birds. Watching overwintering birds can really be fun. Song birds are easy to attract, and they can be really entertaining.



5. Like others have suggested, take Vit D3 on the regular. If you aren't getting outside even in the sunny months, you may still need to take it. Virtually no one gets enough naturally where I live, but as a fair-skinned redhead, I'm pretty much shielding myself from the sun all year.



Dreary, cold, rainy weather is no fun. But you can't change it, so just go all in. Get some houseplants to satisfy the need for green. Put some mums in pots on the doorstep to add a little color. Paint your room a color that pleases you--my turquoise dining room never fails to make me happy. Even just a shade warmer than white--a nice ivory or alabaster--can brighten you mood.

[Rowan123]

I agree with the above suggestion. Add some houseplants to your room. Lowe's often has them on clearance for a few dollars.

[sholomar]

Exposure therapy. Acceptance of what is. Psychological techniques to help you acclimate to things that are uncomfortable and not be so picky about everything. Its hard at first but really beings a sense of peace later when youre not resisting everything anymore. Works for me. I used to purposely eat things I didn't like and the only foods I dont still like is mostly pickled stuff.

Otherwise, move! I live in eastern south Dakota in the coteau des prairies. Snow will fall in November and not melt until march. Combined with double the average annual precip the last 14 months its been another acceptance exercise. Haha. Either accept what is, or change your life situation until it meets what you desire. I may move in the next couple years.

[fluffydelusions]

Originally Posted by dontbelievehim

Look out west if you want milder winters.

Yeah but if you suffer from SAD don't look at the PNW.

[Joe90]

Go skiing, then you look forward to winter.

[Isleofpalms85]

Originally Posted by Sun Belt-lover L.A.M.

Last winter was unusually mild, and I can comfortably wear summer clothing down to about 55F (TN average sweater weather limit is 60F, but people here seem to wear up to 65F). However, I still hung on by a thread even when switching to long sleeves and gloves, and I often felt cold outside/house-confined if the high was even just 45F. Here are my known obstacles to dealing with winter blues:

Spoiler

--Most of the native forests and trees/shrubs my parents planted are deciduous, so looking out the windows does nothing to help this bleak outlook on winter.
--Winters here are sunny slightly less than half the time, and the midday UV index in December and most of January is 2 even when it is sunny. Many places' winters don't surpass 1 or even 0 and are cloudier, but that just makes me wonder how they even get by at all.
--I try very hard to see my friends no matter the season, but most of them are always busy. The few that aren't haven't met me in person, except one who has an irritating little sister and another who often bails on me out of laziness.
--My hopes of finding a boyfriend before I turn 17 are now quashed, so I have no love to focus on instead.
--Wearing a jacket or extra shirt makes me feel even less comfortable than being cold and just adds to the winter blues. Plus, it reminds me of the old days I was being bullied and unfairly punished in middle school as well as the days I was still closeted, which are not good memories to have around.
--Listening to music full of good memories in winter often counteracts the initial effect, and doing that with bad-memory-filled music in summer doesn't counteract the initial effect.
--Winter highs here average in the mid to upper 40s in January, but it's bound to be lower 40s or below several days in a row at some point. I don't know if I had a tougher time with sleeves/gloves because last winter was so humid (it rained almost 10in in January) or if I'm just not built for the cold.
--I know exercising generates more heat, but I can't do it for long. Running gets me worn out in less than a minute, and I ultimately lose all the heat I regained before resting enough to run again.
--In summer, I can adjust to the heat by drinking cold water, closing my door and vent with my PC running to trap my room's heat and taking hot showers. However, taking cold or even cool showers is unbearable for me, feeling hot gives me trouble sleeping, and my parents refuse to use less firewood in winter despite the knowledge of my struggle, the carbon footprint burning wood leaves and our brown recluse problem coming from the firewood's entry. I know I could technically just sleep outside, but that'd expose me to hypothermia (our average lows are in the mid to upper 20s, and I'm a sweaty sleeper) and wildlife.
--Doing things with family, even supportive family, is rarely an option. Mom is often bed-ridden due to her thyroid disease; her mom is usually housebound taking care of my elderly great-grandfather; my cousins (at least those besides my estranged maternal cousins) are no less busy than my friends; and the rest of my family, including dad, has little to nothing in common with me.

I hate to admit it, but I think I have low expectations/self-esteem and am seasonally depressed. Any advice on how to acclimate?

Just be glad that you don’t live in a cesspool continental climate ffs

[Sun Belt-lover L.A.M.]

Originally Posted by Peregrine

In... Tennessee?!?! You don't know winter depression at all. I'd trade my winter for yours.

I do. I'm a more sensitive person overall. I'm sure I couldn't take anything colder/longer/gloomier, even if hardly so.

And what do you mean"whatever happens politically?"
You'd base a move... on politics?

Yes. If I were merely a liberal, I could live with it, but being an autistic LGBT person in Tennessee under the Trump administration is far from comforting. If he were re-elected, or (even worse) if Pence became president, I'd feel seriously unsafe compared to a place like Nevada, Virginia or even Arizona.

Anyways, back to topic, not here to start a debate. I was only answering someone's questions.