How I Get Out of my Winter Slump
I just don’t care for February. I am a warm weather/sun person, so by the time February rolls around with the continued clouds and chill, I find myself more down. This year enter COVID and ice, and I really need to reach into my self-awareness and intentionality to create my own sunshine.
Here are some of the things I employ:
Do a physical check. My first stop is a check of what I need physically. It is always surprising to me how quickly my mood changes when I adjust food, exercise, and remember to recognize what I may be lacking in physical health.
Have I eaten healthy foods?
Have I exercised in the last couple days?
Do I need to sleep?
Am I drinking water?
Recognize my rhythms. My sleeping and energy habits change during the winter. When the sun goes down, it is a signal for me to go to bed. I used to fight this but now give in, go to bed, and get up whenever my body is done sleeping. I find I am just happier and more productive.
What times of the day am I most tired (and non-productive) vs most productive?
Does my work or busiest hours of the day match with this so that I am resting when my body most naturally does?
Get creative. I find Netflix and a glass of champagne only get me so far for a break. Instead, taking time out for myself to get lost in a creative project brings me joy. For me, it is painting, poetry, or journaling. This requires something different from my brain and helps me express myself. See my previous blog on creatively content.
What creative project do I get “lost” in and how can I create time or breaks for that?
Set intentions for the day. Some days, it is nice to not have a plan; but if this happens too much, I feel a lack of purpose. I set my goals to accomplish for the day and also my intentions for how I want to be to make my life most meaningful. See my articles on setting morning intentions or the most important meeting of my day.
Be realistic. Some days are just too busy to get all my intentions done, so I pick three things.
If I complete only three things today, what three would be the most meaningful or beneficial to me?
Celebrate the small and large. I have many clients that don’t recognize how much they have accomplished in between our meetings. We take time to celebrate. I find I can fall into this as well…check the box and move on. Now I take a moment to recognize a good meeting or a difficult project completed. Since I’m home, I celebrate with my dog and give her a treat (she gets excited, so I feel like she’s cheering for me).
What am I proud of today? What am I grateful for? How am I recognizing and celebrating this?
It is natural to occasionally be down. We are human! Sometimes I just need to have a break, be by myself, and do nothing. This helps me to revive, recharge and refocus before getting back to my regular routines. The goal is to spend time and energy on what is important that makes me feel fulfilled. This is what helps me know I am cultivating what really counts in my life.