This year’s Michigan winter has been brutal, and I, along with many others, am already mentally done with the snow and freezing wind. When the temperature has been in the negatives for days on end, and the sun is nowhere to be found, it can be super hard to get out of bed and get to class or work. At U of M, the chance of a snow day is slim to none, so students don’t even have that to look forward to. I noticed the number of students present in my lectures dwindling as the snow accumulated during our first few weeks back from break, which only made me want to stay home even more.Â
Today, the Weather App greeted me with the best news I’ve heard in a while (except for Harry Styles’ album announcement): The high would be above 40°F as I walked to my 1pm class. For the rest of the week, dipping below freezing will be rare. A small change like this shouldn’t give me a huge mood boost, but it completely changed my attitude for the day. I walked to class slower, taking in the sun and listening to upbeat music, and I noticed students around me smiling with a positive energy that I haven’t seen since fall. Snow still covered the Diag, and students weren’t sitting outside doing work, but it was a step in the warmer direction for sure.
It’s easy to forget that spring will come back each year, no matter how long winter tries to persist. To help put things in perspective, here are the times the sun will set in Ann Arbor for the following upcoming Fridays:
- February 20th: 6:13 PM
- February 27th: 6:22 PM
- March 6th: 6:30 PM
- March 13th: 7:39 PM
- March 20th: 7:47 PM
The hour jump in mid-March occurs because of Daylight Saving Time. We may lose an hour of sleep, but the sun gets to shine for another hour, which I think is totally worth it. By the time this article is published, it’ll be less than a month away. I used this website to find the sunset times, if you’d like to look even further into the future.
If that wasn’t enough to convince you that winter is fleeting, another thing I love doing to reduce the winter slump is planning summer activities. Living right by Lake Erie, I love scheduling lake days with my friends, usually including heading to a nearby beach and lying out in the sun or playing volleyball. I also love potluck picnics, where everyone brings at least one dish. The more people invited, the bigger the meal! It’s also a great way to debrief with friends from home after the school year ends, basking in the glory of no more schoolwork for the next few months. Museum trips are also a big hit with my friend group. Many museums offer free admission or discounted tickets to college students, so we try our best to take advantage while we can. Whether it’s having a photoshoot outside the art museum or perusing the Museum of Natural History, doing it together makes it ten times more fun and takes us back to our childhoods.
Hopefully, I’ve given you some inspiration to push through these last few weeks of winter and maintain a positive attitude even when it feels impossible. Remember, the sun always returns even after the gloomiest days. Take care of yourself, and focus on the brighter days ahead—they’re closer than they seem.