If you work standard hours, the sky may already be dark when you leave the office or log off Slack. It’s that time of year: The days are shorter and, depending on where you live in the Northern Hemisphere, the sun may be setting as early as 4:30 p.m.
For many people, finding the motivation to do anything — aside from curl up on the couch — can be tough on winter evenings. Research shows that the decrease in sunlight causes your body to produce more melatonin, a hormone that induces sleepiness, and less serotonin, a hormone that regulates mood. The result: Finding the energy to get anything done on cold, dark winter nights can feel like a monumental task.
HuffPost 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 you log off at the end of a busy workday and start thinking about all the things you should be doing with your evening, take a second to pause and reflect on what it is you actually want to do — and why you 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.
Do you want to grab dinner with a friend because you value relationships and connection? Or do you want to drop into a workout class because you know movement lifts your mood? “When you pinpoint your motivation, following through with something you know you want to do for yourself can become much easier,” Lurie said.
This approach will help your post-work activities become more meaningful rather than feeling like something obligatory you 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 your workday — essentially, any activity that pairs an emotional feeling, such as pleasure or relaxation, with a physical one to help your brain and body sync up.
One option 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. You’ll feel more motivated, grounded, relaxed and happy.
Plus, exercise increases blood and oxygen flow throughout your body, which can give you a substantial energy boost, according to Harvard Medical School. You don’t need to work out vigorously — 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.
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Sit in front of a light box for a few minutes.
If you feel particularly lethargic at the end of your day, 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. As such, camping out in front of one can lift your mood and energy levels, according to research. But don’t use it too close to bedtime — aim to sit in front of it at least an hour before you go to bed to avoid disrupting your sleep.
Wilson recommended buying a product that emits a light intensity of at least 10,000 lux and positioning it 12 to 24 inches from your 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 you gave it your all at work or took care of your kids all day, you 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.
Swap your 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.
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Let yourself go at a slower pace.
Katherine Hayes, a licensed therapist in Chicago, said that if you feel sluggish, it’s worth listening to your 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 yourself to do activities you might not feel motivated to do, embrace the change of pace and let yourself slow down. Having a movie night or listening to an audiobook in your bedroom can be incredibly restorative, Hayes said, which can ultimately improve your sleep and your mood.
“I’ve had clients notice both increased mood and sleep from creating a slower after-work routine,” she said.