The spring equinox is March 20, but living in Grand County, you know there is still plenty of winter remaining after that. At the Grand County Library District, we want to give you the resources and recreation opportunities to make the most of this time.

Winter is naturally a season for staying cozy inside, and the library can help you make better use of this time.

One example is a course from Gale Presents: Udemy. It’s called “Find Happiness in a Profound Gentle Way with Hygge.” You may have heard of the Danish concept of hygge (pronounced “hoo-gah”) and been curious how to integrate this coziness, simplicity and being present into your own life. This course will provide you with practical activities and challenges to make your time at home more comfortable and restorative.

Udemy’s Personal Development category offers a variety of yoga, meditation, arts, music and photography courses to fill your time at home with quality information, creativity and transformation.

Crafting of all kinds is a natural fit for spending time indoors. Through library digital resources like Creativebug and Hobby & Craft reference, you can add to your current knowledge of a hobby or start something new. The variety of instruction and reference material will truly aid you in making something you’ll be glad to share. And our Library of Things is ready to aid you, as well, with fiber crafting tools, silicon molds and even a sewing machine to bring your creations to life.

You don’t have to live in the far north to find that changes to the amount of light in the course of the day can affect your mood. The winter months can disturb energy levels, alertness and emotional well-being. Research has shown that light therapy can benefit those needing a boost at the start of their day. You can try a light therapy lamp, available in the Library of Things at each branch, before you buy one and see if you notice a difference from 30-minute sessions over the course of three weeks.

Sometimes though, there is no substitute for getting out of the house, shaking off your cabin fever and enjoying the wonder of recreation in the snow. The library is ready to help with that, too. Borrow snowshoes from the Library of Things and get out on the trails.

The library’s Access Grand program also has free passes available for Snow Mountain Ranch and Grand Lake Nordic Center as well as the Fraser recreation center, Grand Lake Center and Middle Park Health Wellness Center.

Winter can be a challenging time for all, but with these library resources, we can make the most of time spent indoors and out.

John Marte is a digital resources associate at Grand County Library District, providing programs and technology assistance. He can be reached at jmarte@gcld.org.