Some people enjoy the winter, but others can’t wait for it to end even before it technically begins. It might be seasonal affective disorder, or it might just be the long nights, but many people have trouble staying productive as the winter wears on. Still, things need doing during every month of the year. Therefore, it’s important to know how to keep your spirits and energy up and stay productive. With any luck, the following tips should keep you moving.
Get Plenty of Light
Image via Flickr by Wendelin Jacober
You may have seasonal affective disorder (SAD) without realising it. SAD can affect your energy level and mood throughout the day. The reason for this is that you aren’t getting enough natural sunlight each day.
Consider going outside for at least half an hour each day, or sit closer to the nearest window while the sun is out. If all else fails, you can give yourself a healthy dose of sunlight with a special lamp that offers just the right rays to perk you up again.
Stay Healthy
While it’s not related to winter, eating a moderate, healthy diet while keeping up a regular amount of exercise is great for maintaining your energy level and keeping up with work. However, you may find it harder to exercise when the winter blues get a grip on you and the cold weather makes it harder to go jogging or biking outside. Still, you’ll need to power through and come up with indoor exercises because it’s essential for maintaining a high-energy level throughout the year.
Modify Your Environment
Too much heat at home can leave you feeling sleepy and warm and unwilling to do anything productive. Too much cold will have you focusing on your discomfort and unwilling to do anything productive. You’ll need to thread that needle if you want to keep yourself busy at home.
While you’re at it, you might want to get your HVAC system inspected to make sure it’s scrubbing your air of biological growth spores and dust. Too much can be bad for your health, and bad health is another reason people act sluggish.
Go on Vacation
Sometimes the best cure for winter is to get away from it for a while. Depending on where you live, it might be nice to drive south for a day and relax in a spa in a southern state, or you might want to take a plane all the way down to the Gulf Coast and bask in the sun for the whole winter break. Once you get back, you’ll still have the memories of bright sunlight and warm days to keep you going into spring.
Not everyone slows down during the winter. But if you’re the type who does, then it’s important to know how to fight it and carry on. If you can do that, you’ll be able to keep your productivity up even in December, keeping your mood from dropping too low from the long nights and chilly winds.
Do you suffer from SAD? What strategies help you?
Very sensible advice. I’m pretty sure that air quality in our homes would be managed better if we could see the biological growth spores and dust.