I have the winter blahs. The world is gray, gray, and then there's some more gray just to top it off. It's cold. I'm sick of snow. Sunshiney days are being marred by -17C windchill. Even in the Great White North we get sick of winter and this winter seems to be unending. I have declared that I am done with winter but unfortunately winter is not done with me. Or my fellow Canadian women bloggers.

Kelley of Biting My Truant Pen has the Winter Blahs too and sees all the gray that I do.

I’m sick of winter. I’m tired of gray and snow and cold and wind. I want it all to go away. This is how I know that no matter how beautiful Alaska and northern Canada are I could never live there. I’m tired of trying to find ways to entertain myself and other small people in one tiny house. I also feel like sometime right after Christmas my house started to shirk. I’m pretty sure that I don’t support that idea.

Over at Marisa's Ramblings we have another female Canuck downed by a case of the winter blahs.

In Canada, where I live, winters tend to hang on until almost the end of March. So I really still have another month of Winter to deal with. But once March arrives I usually figure I’m seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I look forward to the time that I can just slip on a pair of shoes to go outside, instead of having to take the time to bundle up against the elements.
Marisa's Ramblings

Aside from seeing the world through grey-coloured glasses and the feeling that your house is shrinking in around you, another symptom of the blahs is that you don't feel like doing anything. You want to crawl into bed, pull the covers over your head and have someone wake you up when spring arrives. Really, all those bears are on to something with the whole hibernation thing. This has to be normal, right?

Well thanks to some research by Savvy Health Girl we know that the winter blahs are normal.

With shorter days in the winter, we get less sunshine and less Vitamin D, which is known to improve individuals’ moods and reduce depression. (Just think how great you feel on a beautiful sunny day). Did you ever wonder why you may be more cranky, moody and sluggish from November to March? Well it has a lot to do with not so many sunny days to wake up to, lots of nasty weather, and less opportunities for being outside. It’s also a time where we are not as physically active. Almost everything I read indicated that some form of exercise is great for curing the “winter blahs.”

Debb, of The Architect of My Own Destiny got through January's Blue Monday and put the January blahs in their place with some good old fashioned exercise.

So, I bundled up in my parka, snow boots, Hot Paws mitts, Penguin hat and took the dog for a walk. I didn't want to bring my dSLR because it was way too cold out, so I grabbed my old 3mp Sony P&S and went out on Lake Ramsey. The sun was getting low in the sky and it was dull and grey, but what a beautiful day!! The skating path was plowed and ready for eager skaters, but this day it was just me, Gracie, one ice-fisher dude and one skater... on the whole lake and on the boardwalk beside it!!

It's nice to be reminded of the beauty in a winter day. My vote is still for kicking Old Man Winter to the curb early this year. I'm ready for sunshine, daffodils and April showers. Or maybe I just need to take a page of Debb's book and go for a nice walk...as soon as it gets warm out.

Contributing Editor Sassymonkey blogs at Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.