How to Stay Motivated in Winter

If you’re anything like me, the cold winter months can really drain you; physically and mentally.

I once had a college professor that told the class to “befriend all the seasons.” This advice was given after the class was complaining about how harsh that particular winter was. Every winter since, I have heard her voice in my head telling me to befriend the cold. I’ve tried to embrace it, enjoy it, see the beauty in it. But year after year I find myself wrapped in a blanket indoors, cursing the ever-dropping temperatures with little to no motivation.

Friend? No. Winter is quite my foe.

I can admit that I change in the winter months; my energy is low and my creativity suffers. But since I can acknowledge this change in myself, I can also recognize what I need to do to stay motivated and better myself in the winter months.

How to Stay Motivated in Winter

Make Lists

Spring, Summer, and Fall – I don’t need to remind myself to be active and creative. It happens so naturally when I am energized. In the winter months, I need to remind myself what I need to do to stay productive throughout my days. The best way I have found to do this: make lists. If I have a visual to work off, I am better able to accomplish those items. Make sure your list has items that are sure to enhance your mood; something that truly makes you feel happy to do!

1. Write a blog post
2. Talk a walk
3. Make a new recipe

Learn Something New

When the temperatures really started dropping this year I found myself in my usual spot: hibernating under a blanket on my couch. I was watching TV when I thought “I NEED to be doing something better for myself this winter.” That was the moment I started researching into blogging. I absolutely love to write, so why not? Blogging has been a new and completely eye opening experience for me. I’ve learned that there is a whole blogging world out there; people just like myself who have creative passions and want to share those passions with others.

Researching the best avenues for blogging, finding and connecting with fellow bloggers, and writing about my DIY experiences have allowed me to have a much more engaged and productive mind this past winter.

[clickToTweet tweet=”There is a whole blogging world out there; people just like myself who have creative passions and want to share those passions with others.” quote=”There is a whole blogging world out there; people just like myself who have creative passions and want to share those passions with others.”]

Stimulate Your Mind and Reduce Stress

I absolutely love reading; aside from my love of writing, it’s the reason why I studied English for my undergrad. “Read novels for homework? OK!” Reading can help stimulate your mind and keep your brain more energized. When you find an engaging story, the stress of life can slip away as you lose yourself in imagination. To further relax and make reading even more fun, I love finding books-to-movies-adaptations and watching the movie after reading the book to make comparisons. This keeps your brain more engaged when watching the movie. It also allows you to compare your imagination to the director’s imagination of the same story, which is fun to do!

Get Enough Sleep

Although you may feel like being active non-stop in winter would be best to fight those winter blues, getting enough sleep is more important. With less light, our desire to sleep increases – don’t fight this natural desire. Set a routine for yourself; routines can help you become more successful with your days, and success can lead to happiness. Plan a daily routine that can help you successfully achieve the right amount of sleep. Try waking up at the same time, meditating, exercising (as simple as taking a daily walk), or taking a bath to warm your body and soothe you before bed.

Staying motivated in winter can at times seem like an untouchable challenge. Low motivation in winter, for me, was always inevitable. This winter I made simple changes to my daily life to help ward off the winter blues and find more inspiration in every day life. Let’s try to make winter our friend.