As the days get shorter, the weather gets colder, and the school work begins to pile up, every winter I feel my energy levels hit the ground. Though I love and cherish the fall season, I can’t help but anticipate the seasonal rut that I know is coming my way.
Whenever I feel this wave of no motivation coming along, I try to counter it with positive thinking and acts of kindness towards myself. However, the best way I have found to keep myself from falling into the rut is by keeping a consistent routine. When you know what to expect from yourself and your days, it keeps you accountable and on track of what you are supposed to be doing. So often we become consumed by our negative thoughts, and for some reason, the first things to go are the things that would actually benefit us the most. We stop going to the gym or doing our homework, eating well, or keeping our rooms clean. We become so overwhelmed that we stop taking the time to take care of ourselves. By creating a solid routine and holding yourself to it, you force yourself to keep healthy habits in your life, even if you don’t always feel like doing them.
Another way that I reinforce staying out of a rut is going out of my way to do things that I know will make me happy, even if it’s something as simple as getting myself a cup of coffee in the morning at Dunkin’ before class or buying myself a cute sweater.
Staying active is something that is really important to me and really dictates my mental health. I know that I feel my best when I am consistently moving my body, but sometimes it can become so hard to get the motivation to get to the gym, especially if it is cold and dark outside. To get myself motivated to do at least do something, I like to make myself sign up for classes like spin (shout out to all of our wonderful UMass spin instructors) or Zumba. By signing up for classes, it makes me feel as though I have a commitment that I have to attend. I always like to tell myself that I will never regret going to the gym, but I will regret thinking about going and then not following through for myself.
At the end of the day, we all go through periods of time where we may not feel our best, and that is okay. For a lot of people, myself included, the wintertime can be rough. However, you owe it to yourself to find ways to keep yourself motivated and healthy. Finding ways to counteract however you are feeling is key to staying up and out of any rut you may find yourself in.
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