As the temperatures plummet and the snow starts to fall it can be difficult to feel motivated to do anything.
Cold weather can drain you and the long winters in the north of Scotland can feel rather monotonous.
Even doing activities we normally enjoy can leave us feeling bored.
But psychologists don’t see boredom as a negative emotion and highlight how it can actually be useful – and help us be productive.
Here are some top tips from local experts to help keep you motivated during the winter months this year.
1. Plan for the future
Plan adventures to look forward to and make sure this includes small activities on a daily basis and for over the next week.
“Anticipating positive future events helps our brains feel good,” Aberdeen psychologist Emma Hepburn says.
“Taking part in them doubles the impact.”
2. Celebrate your achievements
Emma also recommends taking time to reflect on what you have done well over the past year.
“We have a tendency to set lists for the new year, however, it can be helpful to reflect on even tiny achievements from the previous year,” she says.
“You can do this yourself, or with someone else.”
3. Just slow down and relax
Allow yourself to hibernate by going slow and relaxing. We often want to achieve constantly and can see relaxing as unproductive.
Wintertime can challenge this belief because we can feel more tired and feel like doing less.
But allowing yourself to go slow can in itself be helpful as rest is actually productive – and we all need rest after the year we’ve had.
Emma suggests thinking about what really helps you relax that will help take your mind off your to-do lists.
Creating comforting spaces in your house can also help you switch off.
4. Take time to consider why you may be bored
Often we feel bored when activities are not meaningful or valuable. Sometimes reminding ourselves why we are doing something can help bring focus back.
Motivation is higher when there is a reason for doing something, so take time to think of the bigger picture and visualise the end goal.
“Research has shown that boredom is a healthy process that allows for curiosity, creativity, and change,” says Highland psychology lecturer Nikki Perrin.
“Nowadays, we are often constantly engaged with technology and feel like we need to be
stimulated all the time.
“Try to break the cycle of turning to a screen and filling the time, allow yourself to sit with the feeling and see where this takes you, don’t feel guilty for doing nothing.”
5. Change how demanding your activity is
Research also shows that boredom is actually a useful emotion because it highlights what has the most meaning to a person.
But sometimes we don’t have the choice and need to finish a task or activity even though we’re not too keen on it.
However Dr Francis Quinn, a psychology lecturer from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, says we can alter how demanding the task is.
You could make it a little more challenging so it’s fun. Or if it’s too much to get your head around, take a break from it so you can get back to it later with a fresh pair of eyes.
6. Try to see the value in the activity
Focusing on how valuable the activity is can also make it more meaningful.
This could mean thinking about a monotonous task in a different way. Perhaps you’re repairing old furniture, but could this fix bring a smile to a loved one’s face?
Or maybe you just need to make sure you’re taking part in an activity that matches your own goals or values.
Learning something new such as taking on a new hobby can help keep you motivated.
Maybe you just need to stick to doing things you see as important, or that you’ll have an interest in, to beat that winter boredom when the cold nights draw in.
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