As the days get shorter and the nights get longer, we reflect on how students can stay motivated throughout the seasons and not just briefly over exam periods.
It’s getting colder outside and you just can’t stop thinking about how much you’d like to be in bed watching Netflix with a nice warm drink. It’s alright we’ve all been there. But how do we continue being productive throughout the year when motivation seems to come and go? And how do we stay consistent even when the conditions around us are changing?
Luckily being adaptable is a part of human nature that exists in all of us and while the seasons change and clocks may go back and forth, days shorter or longer, our circadian rhythm adjusts and we find ourselves adapting rather quickly to all these changes. While we may physically adapt though, a great deal of people struggle to make the mental adjustments to the changing environment. While this can be a common experience, severe cases are often medically diagnosed as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) which can affect daily life as well as hitting motivation. If you think you may be dealing with this please speak to a medical professional.
There are a few things we can do to mitigate the effects the changing seasons have on us, and while some may seem small or obvious a lot of people tend to forget the big difference these things can have on our lives.
1. Keeping a routine
The truth is, motivation comes and goes. Consistency keeps you on track despite that. The popular self-help book ‘Atomic Habits’ highlights how simple habits accumulate over time and can greatly improve, or impact, your achievements. While this isn’t to scare you, it can help in understanding the importance small daily actions can affect not only your progression but even your confidence and other aspects of life. That’s why one of the key things you can do to keep going through the seasons is sticking to a routine that is easy to follow, such as going to the gym at a certain hour, meal prepping on a Sunday, taking vitamins, or revising for an hour in the evening daily. Whatever you need to do, block out some time daily or weekly to get it done.
2. Reflecting on the ‘Why’
We don’t realise it but sometimes if you forget what your real goals are it can be easy to get side-tracked with things that simply don’t matter in our lives. Maybe you dislike a module you are currently studying and decide to go on TikTok instead of writing up your notes. In order to achieve the grade, you want that year you need to score a certain mark in the module so even though you don’t enjoy it some work needs to be put in. If we think about the bigger picture, like getting your dream job, then in reality a small sacrifice like ignoring social media could actually reap you great returns. And who cares you missed a trend that’s going to disappear in two months?
3. Delayed Gratification
Leading on from the previous point, setting time aside for fun is important. But giving yourself too much leeway is equally detrimental. While it’s good to be flexible from time to time it’s easy to slip into bad habits. It can be easier to find motivation if you tell yourself, ‘If I finish this assignment today I can go on that night-out’ or ‘If I achieve X grade I will buy myself something nice’. Although instant serotonin can feel rewarding, it is far more gratifying to wait for a reward than to allow yourself to indulge immediately where the good feelings quickly dissipate. Procrastination can be a symptom of stress. For instance, you’re worried you won’t get something done in time or good enough, so instead of trying you put it off for longer and do something that will bring immediate comfort like watching a movie, which is essentially a distraction and band-aid for the worry you might be feeling. Giving yourself the time to get things done is important, and you will feel much more rewarded having binge-watched that new show after your assignment.
4. Self-care
Our self-care habits may change depending on the seasons. Maybe during winter you focus on hair masks and products for dry skin. Lighting candles in the evening to lift your mood and make your room smell nice. A simple self-care routine can be particularly important during the changing seasons and can make it easier to adjust comfortably. Think about what you enjoy the most and find a way to incorporate it into your routine. Find things to be grateful for and celebrate the changing seasons. Every season there’s a holiday you could celebrate and look forward to, whether that’s Christmas, Diwali, Harvest festival, or Summer solstice, the list goes on.
5. Limit Distractions
It can be hard to stay motivated when we have a million things going on in our minds. Having a declutter can help with that, this is exactly where ‘Spring Cleaning’ came from, the idea of starting afresh for the new season can be an excellent way to mentally prepare for a new period. If you’re still not sold, have a look at Marie Kondo’s The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up.
Limiting social-media time and ‘doom scrolling’ is also an important, albeit obvious thing to do. There are apps that clock screentime so you can see where your time is going and decide what might need to say goodbye from your home screen or be muted from notifications. Careful consumption from news outlets is another way we can protect our mental health and prevent worry and negativity from sucking out the joy of life.