Bring a Little Light to Your Winter Life

Welcome to the first week of December. The clocks have changed, it’s getting dark out earlier, and the holiday rush is not yet fully upon us. Sometimes it’s hard to make the switch to winter mode. Especially when you leave the office and it’s already night out (even at 5 pm!).

Though there’s no fighting the clock or the season, there are still a few things we can do to bring a little light to our winter lives. Even before the holiday lights start twinkling. Here are a few tips:

1. Take a walk in the middle of the day. Go outside! Preferably without your wallet or even your phone (!). Just take a walk around the block. In the middle of the workday. Even for 5 minutes. It will get your blood flowing, it might improve your mood, and even if it’s an overcast winter day — it’s still daylight. Leave the office for a few minutes. And if it’s a glorious sunny winter day, even better. Take advantage of it!
2. Open the window shades. Sometimes we find ourselves working in a dark office, especially if we want to block the glare from hitting our computer screens. While the sun may hit your workstation at a certain hour, until then — raise the shades and let the sunshine in! It’s worth taking the 15 seconds it takes to raise the shades. It can affect your whole day.
3. If everything around you seems cold and grey, and a little light to your ears! There’s nothing like listening to some upbeat music to brighten your mood. Whether you fancy Beyoncé, Prince, James Brown, or Pharrel Williams, a little music in your life can definitely make you happy (feel free to clap along). Put it on for the office to enjoy or plug in your headphones for a personal soundtrack if you need. It will light up your life (Debby Boone might be your thing, too). Looking for some inspiration? Check out this playlist we put together for your listening enjoyment.
4. If you’ve tried everything you can think of, even putting nice scented candles on your desk, and still feel the winter blues — print out a picture of your favorite summer escape and tape it to your monitor. When all else fails, just picture yourself at your favorite summer getaway.

And don’t worry, nothing lasts forever. Spring is just around the corner… eventually.