Beating the Midwinter Blues: 3 Ways to Get Your Joy Back

Snow. Extreme cold. Tornadoes. More snow! Winter seems to be dragging on. And you might be feeling a bit gloomy, or sad, or way too tired these days.

Need help beating the Midwinter Blues?

Here are three essentials I’ve found helpful to get your joy back. It’s time to get inspired and look forward with hope!

1. Get a new vision for your life. One of the best things about life is that you get to start over. Every single day. Not just on New Year’s Day.

You can start fresh, or keep on going, right now. Boom! A fresh start. A new beginning.

New choices can lead to incredible and good changes.

What do you want to be different in your life? Think about what you want to change in your life and how you want things to be better. What do you want to see happen 30 days from now? 90 days? One year from now?

Instead of “resolutions,” I make intentional prayers and ask God to bless my health, finances, career, and my community (family, friends, church and others).

I ask God for an amazing man to marry and do life with together. I ask God for wisdom in how I can best serve and bless others. And to have courage and joy no matter what may come.

I give Him praise and thank God for all He has done and for who He is—loving, wise, powerful and good.

What about you? Ask God to show you what He has for you, and look forward with purpose and passion, hope and joy!

2. Ask God to empower you. A lot of people make new goals and then bail on them a few weeks (or days) later. Why? Because in our own human strength, we can’t keep the promises we make.

Sure, we may have good intentions. We want to do the right thing or make changes in our lives, but self control doesn’t come easy.

So we give up, get bored and get a pizza.

Instead, I ask the Lord in prayer to help me do what I cannot do on my own. I need his SUPERNATURAL wisdom to know what to do, and the power do do it well.

God created each of us. For His good purposes. He’s the one who loves us most—and He will empower us to do what we cannot do: change.

Real and lasting change is possible with God’s power at work in us.

So whether your goals include losing four pounds or forty pounds, getting out of debt or finally doing that thing you just never get around to doing, ask God to empower you and help you.

And then remember: Life doesn’t change one day at a time, but one choice at a time.

Choice by choice, moment by moment—with God’s power at work in you—transformation happens. Change comes.

3. Get inspired. Lastly, but most importantly, God’s Word is the fuel for our faith. So pull out your Bible or read one online.

Here are eight great Bible verses for the days ahead. May they give you strong hope, good courage, and joy despite your circumstances.

The mind of man plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.
Proverbs 16:9 (NASB)

Show me your ways, Lord,
teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
Psalm 25: 4-5

As for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise you more and more.
Psalm 71:14

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
Psalm 32:8

For we live by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7

See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.
Isaiah 43:19

“For I know the plans I have for you,”
declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you
and not to harm you, plans to give you
hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
Jesus, in John 14:12

Get a vision. Get empowered. Get inspired!

One day, maybe soon, winter’s blasts will cease and springtime will come. And you, my friend, will be ready for better days ahead.

With God’s help, you can do this!

Additional Resources

by Jackie M. Johnson

Power Prayers for Women 
Prayers with Purpose for Women
Praying with Power When Life Gets Tough 
When Love Ends and the Ice Cream Carton Is Empty