What an absolute whirlwind of a year this has been. We’ve all been through a lot, and even though the end of 2020 is in sight, it’s important to take the time for ourselves to make sure that we all can end the year stronger than ever before. Last week, we talked about the things we can do for our friends and coworkers in the era of the Zoom office, but just as importantly as taking care of each other is taking care of ourselves.
Seasonal affective disorder is a very real thing and as it’s getting darker earlier, we are really swinging into it at its peak. This lack of sunlight, time outdoors, and general isolation are hard enough in a regular year, add in restrictions resulting from COVID-19 that have been in place for the last few months, and what you have is a cocktail of negative influences on your mood and feelings for the remainder of the winter season.
So how can we go up against this? The first step is acknowledging it. Once you recognize it, take the time for yourself! Get outside and take a nice walk in the middle of the work day to get every drop out of the last of that fall weather, pretty soon I’m going to be bundled up like the Stay Puft marshmallow man just to grab coffee at the little shop a block away from me. Work in the rooms that you can be most productive in, but also take the time to work in the spaces with the most natural light. With the end of the work day now coinciding pretty much with total darkness, you’ve gotta take in the most sunlight you can on the clock because you can’t get much after hours.
Creativity is also a great way to keep the mood up, and with so many online tutorials for drawing, painting, and other creative arts, there has never been a better time to flex that creative muscle. The Fresh team loves not just doing creative work for clients, but creative and fun projects in our free time! Everything from drawing and painting to writing music and building guitars, creativity drives and motivates us all to do the work we love doing both on and off the clock.
We all find we’re at our best and most productive when we can put the time and work into something we’re passionate about. So find your creative outlet, and take advantage of all this time! Keep busy with a new project or an old hobby, and you won’t even have the time to think about the fact that the sun sets at 4pm!
What are your favorite ways to get creative in the winter time?