Fighting off the winter blues

Photos courtesy pexels.com user kaboompics.com

Photos courtesy pexels.com user kaboompics.com

Is it spring time yet? As the colder months keep rolling it seems like people are getting more stir crazy in my northern climate. This happens every year, just after Groundhog Day. Sunny days and outside plans can’t come fast enough.

My approach to this has changed through the years, but I’ve learned there are things you can do to help with the stir craziness. I also learned some interesting approaches from co-workers. Here are a few elements I recommend to cope with these seemingly long days:

    • Get up and move
      In my last post I spoke about the importance of getting up and moving. In these cold months, I feel like this is even more important. I’m committed to walking everyday on my lunch break. Getting the blood pumping regularly is important. Thanks to my commitment to increased blood flow I was recently able to learn how the Milwaukee Skywalk system works and how many buildings you can get through without going outside (it’s over 1.75 miles in total!)
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    • Change the setting
      There are many tasks to perform during the day. I try doing some of my daily tasks in a conference room, or in an empty office. One of my peers will occasionally take paperwork to the coffee shop and do that for a half an hour, just to get out of his office. Checking email? Most of us have our smartphones with us and can easily do that in almost any setting (depending on signal strength of course). Breaking up the routine helps me feel like I’m approaching things fresh and interrupts the static nature of the day.
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    • Get social
      This is a good time of year to get connected. People have New Year’s goals, businesses have new initiatives. I mean this for both in person and online approaches. Setting up which events you go to can help connect to new skills and development, adding connections on LinkedIn can help increase your professional network. This is a great time for planning and executing your professional development needs. I suggest Meetup.com, Lynda.com, and LinkedIn to find professionals and opportunities.

The end of winter can be a grind but there is plenty of opportunity to try new things and grow. I’ve found that being cooped up challenges me to adapt. Changing my focus and approach has helped. What works for you?

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