Facing winter blues is common, but you can conquer the lack of energy and focus with a few simple strategies.
While winter can be a magical season, it can also bring about an overall sense of dreariness and daily doldrums, especially during the workday. When the beautiful colors of fall have given way to the gray and white of the winter months, just leaving a warm bed in the mornings can be a struggle, much less focusing throughout an eight-hour workday.
Because the sun sets so much earlier, it can feel like you’re working longer hours and missing evening activities. You might be less motivated to work at a steady pace when you have only pitch blackness to greet you by the time you initiate your close-of-day shutdown. Add fewer social engagements to the mix, coupled with less time outdoors in nature, and it’s no surprise that we end up feeling weary and our productivity levels dip.
For some, the winter blues can even lead to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a type of depression that occurs on a seasonal basis. Some findings suggest that people with SAD have lower serotonin levels in winter and overproduce melatonin, which disrupts normal daily rhythms. SAD can be treated by a health care provider or mental health specialist.
If you’re prone to just a mild case of seasonal malaise, there are several steps you can take to ameliorate the negative effects of the winter season, like a lack of focus, lack of energy, and general sadness.
To help lift your spirits and combat the winter blues at work, try these tips and tricks.
01. Brighten up your workspace.
When the weather is dreary outside and there’s a lot of cloud cover, you can bring the sunshine to your workspace in other ways. There are several options for infusing some light and joy into your work environment to imitate the sun’s rays. Since natural sunlight is in short supply, a lot of people turn to light therapy lamps. You may want to at least add a normal desk lamp to your workspace if you don’t already have one, or even a string of holiday lights.
Bright colors are known to boost alertness; sunshine yellows and fire-engine reds can help us feel more optimistic and upbeat. Maybe you can add a vibrant rug to your workspace, a frame of a colorful print, or even a simple pen holder with highlighters and stacks of post-it notes in assorted colors. Plants can also be beneficial—research suggests that they increase our oxygen intake as well as office productivity.
02. Reevaluate your morning routine.
In one treatise on health that scholars believe was written around 300 B.C.E., the author gives the advice that one should “retire early and get up with the sunrise.” Rising at dawn would certainly allow you to maximize hours of sunlight, but even just getting up a little earlier than usual could provide perks.
Perhaps you schedule your coffee maker to run earlier, or showcase your tea selection in an inviting way for the morning, and set out your journal or planner the night before. Instead of relegating them to the evenings, you can build in restorative activities before work, like writing, reading, and planning. You could even start a hobby that you spend a half hour on each morning—knitting, calligraphy, art, etc. These small moments of joy in the mornings can motivate you to get up and kick-start the day.
As you transition to work, try an opening phrase, similar to a closing mantra (check out this past edition to learn more about shutdown routines). This can give you the mental cue to seamlessly switch your focus to the work day.
Then, be intentional about leveraging your resources and work rhythms. If you focus best in the mornings, for example, tackle your priorities and most challenging work then. If you know you’re prone to an afternoon slump, check your email and perform tasks that require less brainpower around that time.
03. Stay hydrated and plan warm lunches.
It may seem simple, but staying hydrated in the wintertime is crucial. In lower temperatures, you typically feel less thirsty, but your body still needs adequate water intake. Set a daily drinking goal, warm up cold water if you prefer it, and try different flavors of tea to diversify your beverages.
You can also eat hydrating foods, like oatmeal, yogurt, and soups. Incorporating warm lunches can also help combat lethargy and indifference during the work day. Not only are tasty, hearty meals nourishing, but they’re also uplifting.
Try different crockpot or stovetop recipes for chili and soup. Make winter-friendly versions of your favorite salads by adding hot vegetables, quinoa, or rice. You can also put your sandwiches in a toaster oven or a panini press.
04. Incorporate movement into your workday.
Exercise has myriad benefits for both your physical health and mental wellbeing. If you’re accustomed to walking, running, and hiking outdoors, you may be more limited in the winter, depending on your local climate.
But perhaps you can still go for a walk in the early morning or during your lunch break. In Norway, the concept of friluftsliv, or “open-air living” is a cultural commitment to spending time outdoors, no matter the weather. Norway was ranked as the fifth happiest place in the UN’s 2020 World Happiness Report. And just two hours a week spent in nature is associated with higher levels of well-being, according to one study.
If you do prefer to remain indoors, there are plenty of free fitness apps that offer workouts with minimal to no equipment required. Yoga, pilates, cardio circuits and weight training can all be completed at home. Schedule a 20-minute break in your workday or set out your clothes so you can immediately jump to an exercise routine when you wake up or finish your work.
05. Connect with others.
Winter can be isolating, as we tend to retreat to our homes and spend less time with friends and coworkers. But that doesn’t mean you have to lose all connection with the people in your network. Schedule a coffee or tea break with colleagues (whether in person or virtual) once a month to catch up and chat without the shoptalk.
If you like to plan phone calls and FaceTime sessions with friends and family on the weekends, add a few calls to your evenings or lunchtime breaks. This will give you something to look forward to during the workday and mitigate the lonely feelings that can be spurred in the winter months.
