“At the height of winter, I finally learned that there was an invincible summer within me.”
Albert Camus
“Without winter, spring would not be pleasant. Without adversity, prosperity would not be welcome.”
Anne Bradstreet
Winters here in Sweden are dark and cold, often with a mixture of rain and snow.
And spring is still far away.
Maintaining energy and optimism is not as easy as it is on a bright, warm summer day.
So today, I’d like to share 7 habits I use that help me stay positive during this dark and often gray season.
1. Find one of your biggest energy deficiencies.
Ask yourself: What is the biggest energy drain in my life right now?
For example, you may find that you have a very negative person in your life.
Or the report you’ve been trying to finish for a month is now dragging you down.
Then ask:
What can I do about this?
You may want to stop dating that person. Or at least spend less time with him or her during her week and more time with the people who give you the most energy.
Perhaps you can start over today with just five minutes to complete the report.
Some energy suckers may not have a simple solution. Or, at least for now, a solution at all.
Then you might want to find one of the lesser leaks in your life where you can actually do something.
Take a few minutes or half an hour out of your day to plug just one of these biggest leaks. That way, you’ll have more energy to spend on the things that really matter to you.
2. Be grateful for the little things and things you take for granted.
Looking out the window in the morning at a dark, rainy landscape, it’s easy to forget what you actually have.
Something like:
- Overhead roof and warm house.
- clear water.
- Three stable meals every day.
I’ve found that zooming out on my perspective in this way is very helpful in getting me out of all sorts of victim thinking and negativity.
3. Vitamin D supplements.
Over the last few winters, I’ve taken a daily vitamin D supplement and have found that it restores a significant portion of the energy that is often lost during the long winters.
Several people close to me have also taken them and have reported similar positive effects to varying degrees.
4. Go outside for 3-5 minutes first thing in the morning.
This has been my favorite new daily routine for the last year or so.
I first learned from a popular program Huberman Lab Podcast By Andrew Huberman, professor of neuroscience at Stanford University.
I’ve found that just being out on the balcony for 3-5 minutes in the morning as soon as the sun comes up (around 9am here in Sweden) really wakes me up and makes me feel more. I am alert and energetic during the day.
When you’re out on the balcony, just look at the sky and the scenery for a few minutes. And even on cloudy days, when your eyes are exposed to sunlight, several processes are activated in your body that not only increase your alertness during the day, but also help you get a better night’s sleep. It helps (according to Hooverman’s podcast)..
It didn’t make much of a difference to my sleep personally, but it was already working pretty well.
5. Phototherapy lamp.
I’ve used the phototherapy lamp for a few winters and it has had a pretty big effect (more energy and easier to maintain optimism).
As I mentioned in the previous tip, this winter and the last one when I didn’t really feel the need to go outside for the morning light had a huge positive effect.
6. Exercise.
It’s a no-brainer, but it’s very effective.
Regular exercise – I lift weights twice a week and also do light cardio twice a week – gives me more energy. Helps release inner tension, anxiety and stress increase.
This makes it easier to stay relaxed and positive, think clearly without overthinking, and act decisively.
7. Take action and move forward.
Few things create more frustration, worry, and anxiety than sitting on your hands and doing nothing.
So while it may be a little difficult to continue to achieve your dreams and goals during this season, remember that in doing so you can replace the above feelings and thoughts with optimism. confidence.
And remember, you don’t have to make big or rapid leaps.
The most important thing is simply to move forward. Even if it’s by taking small or slow steps one after another.
Because even though these steps don’t seem all that impressive on their own, they add up quickly over the course of a few weeks.