We’ve all heard about SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and some of us may truly suffer when the natural light gives way to darkness at certain times of the year. A recent article dealt with a particular “annoyance” that we may experience specifically when we leave our offices/studios/places of employment and it’s dark outside.
In the article, experts share how they find time to rejuvenate when they get home from work in the winter.
The article notes that If we work standard hours, the sky may already be dark when we leave our work space. It’s that time of year: The days are shorter and, depending on where we live in the Northern Hemisphere, the sun may be setting as early as 4:30 p.m.
The article further notes that for many people, finding the motivation to do anything — aside from curling up on the couch — can be tough on winter evenings. We’re told that research shows that the decrease in sunlight causes our body to produce more melatonin, a hormone that induces sleepiness, and less serotonin, a hormone that regulates mood. The result, according to this report: finding the energy to get anything done on cold, dark winter nights can feel like a monumental task.
The author asked therapists if there’s anything people can do to reenergize themselves and reclaim their evenings after work when it’s already dark out. Here’s what they said:
Think about what you want to do — and why you want to do it.
If we log off at the end of a busy workday and start thinking about all the things we should be doing with our evening, we should take a second to pause and reflect on what it is we actually want to do — and why we want to do it.
“Think about what these activities add to your life,” said Saba Harouni Lurie, a licensed marriage and family therapist and founder of Take Root Therapy in Los Angeles.
We’re asked to consider if we want to grab dinner with a friend because we value relationships and connection? Or do we want to drop into a gym because we know movement lifts our mood? “When you pinpoint your motivation, following through with something you know you want to do for yourself can become much easier,” Lurie said.
The article suggests that this approach will help our post-work activities become more meaningful rather than feeling like something obligatory we do on auto-pilot. “By aligning your actions with what you really want, you’re doing things from a place of self-care and curiosity, rather than feeling obligated,” Lurie explained.
Practice a few minutes of brain-body activity.
Melissa Giuttari, a therapist with a private practice in New York City, said the hormonal changes that take place during the winter can “leave us with feelings of sluggishness, lethargy and low motivation and energy.”
She recommended practicing brain-body activities after our workday — essentially, any activity that pairs an emotional feeling, such as pleasure or relaxation, with a physical one to help our brain and body sync up.
One option proposed is practicing yoga or going on a brisk walk outside for 10 to 15 minutes. “Aligning the mind and body in relaxation is extremely powerful in regard to our sense of well-being and can increase motivation and energy quite efficiently,” she said. The result, the experts say, is that we’ll feel more motivated, grounded, relaxed and happy.
Plus, article points out, the exercise increases blood and oxygen flow throughout our body, which can give us a substantial energy boost, according to Harvard Medical School. We don’t need to work out vigorously according to the article — even gentle movement, like tai chi or stretching, can act as a pick-me-up, said Lienna Wilson, a therapist specializing in anxiety in Princeton, New Jersey.
The takeaway is that activities that use our brain and our body can help us feel relaxed.
Sit in front of a light box for a few minutes.
Experts also say that If we feel particularly lethargic at the end of our day, we should consider sitting in front of a light box for 20 to 40 minutes. Why? Most of the mood and energy changes we experience during the winter months are due to the lack of sunlight, Wilson said.
A light box “mimics natural outdoor light and may stabilize brain chemicals that are linked to low mood,” Wilson explained. So camping out in front of one can lift our mood and energy levels, according to research. We’re warned, however, not to use it too close to bedtime — we should aim to sit in front of it at least an hour before we go to bed to avoid disrupting our sleep.
Wilson also recommended buying a product that emits a light intensity of at least 10,000 lux and positioning it 12 to 24 inches from our face. “Using a light box is a passive activity, so you can combine it with other enjoyable activities, such as reading a book, watching TV, crafting and many others,” she explained.
Choose high-reward, low-effort activities.
Riley Brown, a mental health counselor with a private practice in British Columbia, Canada, said willpower is a limited resource, so if we gave it our all at work or took care of our kids/families all day, we understandably might be less motivated to do activities that require energy at the end of the day.
The lack of light during the winter can exacerbate this issue, research shows. “The reduced light during winter diminishes focus and willpower, making these activities more challenging,” Brown said.
To cope, Brown suggested engaging in high-reward, low-effort activities during the winter months. She noted it can be tempting to scroll on your phone for hours — a high-reward, low-effort activity that offers immediate relief — but it can also bring up negative feelings like depression and anxiety.
So we’re advised to swap our phone for a puzzle, book, adult coloring book, baking or crafting. “Doing a puzzle can feel satisfying as each piece finds its place, and using adult coloring books can provide a sense of accomplishment as we fill in the pages,” Brown said.
Let yourself go at a slower pace.
Katherine Hayes, a licensed therapist in Chicago, said that if we feel sluggish, it’s worth listening to our body and going at a slower pace. “We’ve evolved so that our brain associates darkness with slowing down and sleep,” she said.
Her advice? Don’t fight it. Instead of pushing ourself to do activities we might not feel motivated to do, embrace the change of pace and let ourself slow down. Having a movie night or listening to an audiobook in our bedroom can be incredibly restorative, Hayes said, which can ultimately improve our sleep and our mood.
“I’ve had clients notice both increased mood and sleep from creating a slower after-work routine,” she said.
For me the bottom line is often to just ignore the reduced visibility and either pretend there’s still enough light to engage in some activity outside my living room or embrace the darkness and appreciate being at home doing my own “thing”.
Courtesy Julia Ries
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