The days are getting shorter, the weather is getting colder, and the snow shovels have already had their first workout in many parts of the country. That means it’s time to start wrapping our heads around the fact that winter is just around the corner. And while there’s much to love about this most Canadian of seasons, it’s not without its challenges: challenges that can feel particularly daunting if you happen to be a parent.

For advice on making it through another long Canadian winter, I decided to turn to an unlikely source: your friendly neighbourhood squirrel. Because, as it turns out, squirrels have a lot to teach us humans about getting ready for and making it through winter. What follows are three squirrel-proven strategies.

Anticipate and plan for what lies ahead

Squirrels are great at planning ahead. Each summer, they squirrel away three years' worth of food. That’s even more food than you managed to stash into your grocery cart on your last trip to Costco! But I’m not just talking about practical preparations, although, of course, they’re important important, too. After all, no one wants to be caught without emergency supplies on hand when the power goes out for hours or days at a time. But it’s just as important to be psychologically prepared for the onset of winter, which means anticipating the types of psychological challenges that are pretty much baked into the experience of winter here in Canada. You know what I’m talking about: colder weather, shorter days, and the emotional rollercoaster ride that is the holiday season. And that’s just for starters….

The best way to manage these challenges is by anticipating and planning for them, as opposed to merely allowing them to mentally sideswipe you and catch you off guard. At this time of year, it can be helpful to spend a little time thinking about

(a) how you are likely to feel if you do nothing to make things better this winter; and

(b) how you would actually like to feel.

Then it’s simply a matter of identifying a series of strategies for pivoting from A to B and then committing to work that plan.

Resist the temptation to go into full-blown hibernation mode as a family

While squirrels are big fans of staying indoors in particularly harsh weather, they make a point of heading outdoors when they can. It’s a strategy you might want to apply to your own life this winter. Sure, you want to spend some time hibernating indoors, reading books, and/or watching movies while you’re cuddled up on the couch with your nearest and dearest. But you don’t want this to be your sole activity for months at a time.

For the sake of your mental health and your physical health, it’s important to try to spend time outdoors on a regular basis. You’ll be more likely to find this enjoyable as opposed to something you dread if you have a game plan for staying cosy and warm. We humans might not have the ability to grow winter hair or crank up our metabolism to stay warm in all kinds of weather, like squirrels do, but we can buy winter clothing and boots to help us to stay toasty warm while we’re spending time outdoors.

Help other parents and kids to make it through this tough time of year

Squirrels don’t just look out for their own offspring. They look out for other squirrels’ offspring, too. Of course, they aren’t totally altruistic. They tend to adopt the offspring of close relatives as opposed to the offspring of random strangers, but, hey, it’s a start. You can carry things one step further because you have a great capacity for empathy than, say, your average squirrel. You can look for opportunities to make life a little easier or better for other parents and kids you know. That might mean inviting a neighbourhood kid to go sledding with your family or playing board games with your next door neighbours or something else entirely. What it all comes down to is doing whatever else it takes to get through the cold, dark days of winter together.

Ann Douglas is the author of numerous books about pregnancy and parenting including, most recently, Happy Parents, Happy Kids. She is also the weekend parenting columnist for CBC Radio.