Five Little Things You Can Do To Help Cure Your Work Winter Blues

It is officially winter and with the dropping temperatures, morale is known to lower too.  According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, about 14% of adults in the US suffer from some kind of seasonal mood changes, or the “winter blues.”  Even a person not included in that 14% can feel less energized during the winter months; someone who loves the winter and seeing everything covered in snow can be affected too.  Let’s face it, the dark mornings and evenings, and gray days can feel a bit depressing.

Make sure while the temperatures drop, your workflow doesn’t.

1. Organize company or group lunches

Whether you’re the boss or an employee make an effort to get your co-workers together for a casual lunch. Socialization can help put you in a better mood! Maybe you could spend 15 minutes of that lunch playing a fun word game. Whatever you do try to avoid conversations about work; the group get together should be a getaway from the routine of everyday tasks.

2. Liven up your desk with some greenery

Next time you head out to the store pick up a little plant to live on your desk! Office plants can help battle the blues in a few ways. A 2014 Study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology showed office plants can increase happiness and productivity by 15%. The bright, fresh color on your desk won’t hurt your morale either!

3. Get out of the office

By December and January, it’s probably dark on the drive to the office and dark on the way home. Enjoy the little daylight you can! On your lunch break, even if it’s only for 10 minutes, get out of the office, especially if it’s a sunny day. If it’s too cold to go outside, try sitting next to the window at the restaurant or coffee shop you’re at.  Get your daily dose of Vitamin D any way you can!

4. Treat Yourself

Give yourself something to look forward to! Maybe on Wednesdays stop at your favorite coffee shop before work or binge your favorite Netflix shows on Thursday nights.  Just do something you can look forward to week after week— give yourself a little something to keep you going.

5. Get the summer vibes with tunes

Nothing can affect your mood quite like music! Get yourself back into summer mode by cranking up your favorite warm weather tunes. Picturing yourself lying out in the sun is much easier when you have the background noise to make it feel believable!  If you don’t have a go-to summer playlist, try something that is, at the very least, upbeat and energizing!

The winter blues can affect us all but hopefully, with these few tips, the winter won’t feel so cold this year!  Let us know if you have any of your own tricks to beat the blues!