Understanding self-care and acknowledging the winter blues or seasonal affective disorder (SAD) has built a beautiful community around individuals who struggle this time of year. Knowing like-minded people struggle from the lack of sunlight and the stressful holiday season has always been comforting to me knowing I don’t experience it alone. However, understanding self-care tips and to nourish yourself during this season is a great start but unfortunately not enough for some (including me). Without anything to look forward to or a key driver of motivation, winter can feel more like a survival season than a season of carefree forward-thinking energy.
This year I decided to approach winter differently. Don’t get me wrong self-care is an extremely important component to everyday life and especially this time of year, but I needed more than a list of tips. I could read a good book, do a facemask, go to the gym, go to class, and have a glass of wine every day if I wanted to, feeling accomplished and like I was taking care of myself, but I still wasn’t excited about anything or had the “pep in my step” as I do in the summer. This got me asking myself why is it so different? Besides the obvious external components that the season brings, and my lazy tendencies, I realized in the summer I am just more happy, carefree and driven rather than just going through the motions.
I began to make a new year’s resolution list knowing I needed some excitement to feel that push in a positive direction. The list was simple but things I really wanted to experiment with or work on. I realized that as soon as I was taking care of myself and also had something to look forward too, I instantly felt an energy shift. Rather than letting the weather or environment completely impact how I started each day; I began to switch my mindset and devote my alone time to bettering myself and going out of my comfort zone. This doesn’t work for everyone, especially those who suffer from SAD like I have in the past but can be a great step forward when realizing what we need at different points of the year.
It’s completely fine to feel a lack of energy and motivation this time of year or frankly, any time of year. Remembering to focus on what makes you happy, excited, and surrounding yourself with great energy will always be my favorite self-care tip. However, going beyond self-care and combining it with things that get you excited and can experiment with can be a reminder that this season can be just as eye-opening, memorable and exciting as your energy at other points in the year. I began thinking with “summer energy” and not changing my mood, emotions, and routines to fit the season, attempting to take control of my own happiness. Finding that little push of some resolutions and new things to try can make world of a difference when changing your mindset from survival mode, to a forward-thinking mentality. It can be a challenge but extremely eye-opening and just what many of us need this time of year building one step further on our self-care.