Letting go of Winter Burnout

As the new year begins and as classes start up again, it’s easy to lose your goals and motivation faster than you obtained them. As a new freshman entering her second semester with a new job, new internship opportunities, and trying to maintain a social life while also doing well in school, I know how hard it can be. It can be hard to stay upbeat and motivated when it’s cold outside, especially when all you want to do is stay inside. Regaining motivation isn’t easy, but knowing you’re not alone is an important first step. 

I have sometidbits of what I try to do to get myself out of a winter funk! Starting off, what has helped me the most is finding a planner and writing down my goals for the day, and if there is any work I might need to get done for the day. I found that writing my to-dos down has been a really big motivation for me to actually complete my assignments and tasks! It’s also an extremely helpful way to plan out your week or month! Sometimes a visual is all you need to get your day started on the right foot. 

Another tool I have found very helpful is taking a minute to breathe and relax. Sometimes, the anxiety of knowing you have a lot to do can consume the anxiety of actually doing the work. Putting on your favorite playlist, podcast, or meditation could be a nice way to calm yourself down and figure out what you can realistically do and complete. This idea leads me to say that if something isn’t filling your cup up with positive energy or motivation, it might be smart to rethink if this is best beneficial to you or if there’s another thing that could bring you so much more happiness. 

As we all know, nobody likes the cold. ESPECIALLY, losing a tan and nice weather impacts how a person feels a lot. There are some small things you can do to fill your cup, like using fake tan, taking a nice warm shower, using a nice new scent, or trying new makeup. Small things like reading and discovering a new tv show also help bring you out of a burnout and out of your comfort zone. 

Winter burnout is not an easy thing to deal with, especially when you’re busy and don’t have the motivation to do it. What’s important to remember is you’re not alone, and you have a support system to help you every step of the way. Sooner than you know it, it’ll be nicer outside, and the motivation will become easier, but until then, I hope some of these pick-me-ups come into use!