Rediscovering Motivation in the Midst of the Dark & Dreary Winter Months

By. Kylie Conroy

This past weekend we turned the clocks back an hour which thankfully gave us an extra hour of sleep. On the downside, this means that our days are going to consist of less sunlight and more darkness. The temperature is beginning to drop outside and soon enough will no longer be as colorful as it has been. Along with this, there's a familiar feeling of sadness that comes out to play. Just as the world outside grows frosty and bare, the coldness of our hearts and minds can give sadness the perfect stage to step into the spotlight.

I don't know about you, but for me when this happens I seem to begin to lose all motivation for everything.

This is not an uncommon experience or feeling; Wintertime depression/ the winter slump is a pretty universal experience that many can relate to.

For the past 2 weeks or so, I have been feeling like I don't know what I'm doing anything for:

I go to class and it feels like there's no point

I go to practice

and I question why I'm doing this

Around this time of the year, I struggle to maintain that same inner drive and fire inside me that I previously had during the warmer months. I'm trying to get a hold of these feelings and thoughts before the winter blues fully creep up on me and take over. Getting a hold of them now and trying to find ways to manage my feelings is what going to keep me on track and not lose sight of my goals and my motivation for what I want.

First, before I wrote any of this I did let myself feel all of what I was feeling because I honestly didn't know what was wrong with me, but instead of dwelling on what I was feeling with just feeling sorry for myself, I took the steps to figure out why it was I was feeling off and what exactly was behind each of those feelings and this is what I discovered.

Getting yourself out of the hole of dwell and sorrow and pushing through even when it is hard sets you apart from other people and that is what makes you tough.

Lack of motivation - what exactly is the root of it?

Lately, I have been feeling like I lost all motivation

I have been trying to surpass this feeling and pretend like I'm motivated but pretending can only do so much for me, when in reality I want to crawl into my bed and not leave it.

Burnout:

One of the most significant contributors to lost motivation is burnout. When you push yourself too hard for an extended period, your enthusiasm and energy levels can dwindle, leaving you feeling drained and disinterested in everything.

This is probably one of the most deliberating feelings for runners to feel. It's been a long season for me and it's not even over yet. This summer was long and it has been months of feeling like I have been doing the same training. Burnout doesn't just affect my running motivation but it seems like it affects all areas of my life

Socially I have been feeling too tired to talk to people. It's not that I don't want to hang out with my friends but when I feel burnout it feels like it becomes a chore and I'm not fully there. It begins to feel hard, and easier to be alone.

As for school, it feels like I don't have the energy to focus on any of my classes or to what my teachers are saying. Instead, I fight my eyes to stay open and try my best not to daydream through the class.

Sleep feels as if it doesn't do anything for me. I can sleep for 12 hours and I still wake up tired as if it wasn't enough.

I also start to get more irritable which means Picking fights with people ( my boyfriend) for no reason - because I'm just more irritated than normal.

What are my goals?** Losing sight of them

I can re-read my goals over and over again but when I start to feel like I'm losing sight of them I begin to question what I'm doing this for.

I gave up a lot of things for running, but I chose to.

I'm not complaining, but I did give up the normal college experience of going out every weekend and parties and whatnot for this opportunity to compete at the division one level.

And I'm beyond grateful for this opportunity but when my goals start to move from the tip of my brain and in front of my eyes and move over to the side I begin to question why I'm doing what I'm doing, what's it for?

Maybe that goes along with the fear of never reaching the goals I have set for myself, and the fear of failing at them is a nightmare I hope I never have to live through.

It's a constant battle between staying focused and the allure of what could have been. While I chose the path I'm on, it's only natural to still sometimes think about the alternate realities where I made different choices. But deep down, I know that the sacrifices and the daily grind are what make me who I am. they are what are pushing me to be better and achieve my goals. It's in those moments of doubt that It's important to remind yourself of your dedication and the dreams you're chasing. These are the things that will keep me on track and will help ensure that the sacrifices and efforts I've made will ultimately lead me to the fulfillment of my goals, no matter how distant they may seem at times.

Going through the motions

Doing the same thing day in and day out can lead to boredom and demotivation.

Routine can suck the excitement out of literally everything.

I think towards the end of the semester everyone starts to feel very monotony.

We have been in the same classes for weeks now, work may be picking up and you just feel like you have been doing the same things for some time now.

I feel that way too and maybe that's with my training as well.

The repetitiveness of following the same routine of waking up at 5 a.m. for lift

trying my hardest to not nap my classes away

holding on for dear life as I try not to fall asleep in class.

Going to practice, and working out, and really just to do the same thing over again.

It's as if you've entered a rut, where each step feels predictable and uninspiring.

but that's the beauty of what I'm doing as well.

What can we do to get out of this funk?

After understanding each of the feelings I was feeling I tried to switch my mindset to turn my feelings and thoughts into actionable ones

These actions are easy actions that are solely based on switching your mindset a little which takes time obviously and may be easier said than done but this is what I found helpful for me.

1. Reflect

I began by reading my old journals that I wrote when I was doing better mentally. I re-read my goals and why I wanted them in the first place. I begin to remind myself that the girl who wrote these goals is still the same person I am right now.

It is okay to lose sight of these goals every now and then but that doesn't mean I can just give up because that's the hardest part of achieving our goals, getting through the tougher times.

This is the difference between the ones who give up and the ones who push through the tougher times

2. Set some new goals.

This doesn't mean that your real goals are being thrown away in the trash but maybe for the time being you may need to see sight of some more reachable and obtainable goals for the time being, while still on that journey for your bigger goals.

This goal for me right now may be to finish the book I have been trying to finish instead of watching Netflix til I fall asleep.

or trying to force myself to journal more

or even just get through each day and end it with a positive mindset.

I know I don't want to be a normal college student because if I wanted to be I would be. I like my choice and I'm grateful for my opportunity…

3. Understand that It's Okay to be scared of failure-

I did not achieve my goal at Maacs. In my head, I failed but I didn't because failing and not achieving a goal is learning and it is just proof of more work that needs to be done.

My goal going into this race was to place all Mac which is top 15 in the conference. It's a very hard achievement but it wasn't out of my reach to achieve. I had a pretty great season up until this point so I wanted to give myself a shot and an opportunity to achieve it or at least try. I put myself in the front to the race starting, and somewhere along the way I won't go into specific details about the race, but I ended up placing 29th. Disappointed at first when I finished but realized that just because I had a goal for myself does not mean I failed; I just learned and realized that I can still be proud of myself because I still tried. so one thing I'm doing differently here is that even though I may have these crazy goals for myself this upcoming track season I'm not going to let not reaching those goals deteriorate me because it's just going to motivate me for the next race or to achieve it next time.

Another important thing to remember is that just because a person fails does NOT make them a failure. failing is an event, not an identity of who you are.

4. Change Your routine!?

Maybe if I feel like I'm going through the motions I need to switch it up a bit. That might mean trying to do something new every day even if that's small like getting a coffee with a friend who I haven't in a while. Or reading when I wake up instead of just getting ready for class aimlessly. Or even just doing something small for myself, like a face mask or a hair mask.

This can help add a little bit of excitement to your dull day that feels the same as yesterday and may feel like tomorrow is going to be today on repeat.

5. Don't dwell

It's normal for people to dwell on why they may be sad or why they feel like this:

It's essential to differentiate between healthy self-compassion and unhealthy self-pity.

That is why reflection was the first thing I did because you don't want to fully ignore my feelings and say you have no reason to feel like this, but at some point, you do need to take the steps it takes to help yourself out of this rut.

Instead, embrace those feelings and let yourself feel instead of pushing them away or being afraid of those feelings. You should give yourself permission to embrace your feelings and allow yourself to truly experience them.

By letting yourself feel, you not only gain a better understanding of your emotions but also create a space for self-compassion. can help you understand your emotions better and understand your wants and needs.

Dont be him ! smile :)

6. Get help and support-

There's a difference between being depressed and a bad case of the winter blues. Depression can certainly be debilitating and something that can't be managed on your own without outside support. We can't do everything on our own, so if you having trouble managing your feelings and emotions then talking to someone professionally about what you are feeling is also a great step as well. even if you may feel like what your feeling is not that serious having an open ear and someone to listen to you is always helpful.

8. Prioritize yourself more -

Rest and recovery in all aspects of life are important both physically and mentally.

running for me I realized that maybe my lack of motivation is coming from the need to prioritize my rest and recovery a bit more during this time. Mental recovery and rest is so essential whether that is doing the compression boots or just taking the night to watch grays Anatomy in my bed alone.

Book I started reading: --(thank you Bella)

Do the Hard Things

By Steve Magness

I haven't finished this book yet but I saw it in my friend Bellas's room last week and I wanted to start reading it because it caught my eye and I needed a bit of motivation since I have been feeling pretty down and low. I'm only on page 60 and I 100% recommend this book.

I am not very far in the book to give much more than just a recommendation on my end, but maybe I will do a blog post when I'm done to write about my reflection after fully reading and finishing the book. but overall Steve Magness talks about toughness and what it really means to face hard things. The book goes into four pillars of how we can rebuild and cultivate resilience:

1. Ditching the facade and embracing reality

2. Listen to your body

3. Respond instead of react

4. Transcend discomfort

Overall Realization:

Motivation is not a constant state; it's a fluctuating force that requires care to keep it alive. So, we need to start embracing the journey, learn from the lows we have, and let our regained motivation that we hope will find us soon enough propel us to new heights and places we have never reached before.

I've been told that you don't always need to be motivated to be successful

And it's true.

As long as you find ways to continue to work even when you may not be motivated.

Who said you needed to be motivated to get out the door every day?

Just because you may not be motivated does not mean you can skip the workout for the day or just not go to class.

We aren't constantly going to be motivated and have high energy so instead of dwelling on why I feel this way and not doing anything to help myself, myself instead I'm going to make a list of things to help myself stay on track and get through the lows so I can get back to the highs.

Getting through the lows only makes us stronger on the other side.

And in those moments when motivation wanes, it's your dedication and discipline that will keep you moving forward, even when the excitement might temporarily elude you.