‘Tis the season! Winter is upon us and as usual, the hectic holiday season can easily overwhelm our executive functioning.
Unless you are someone who sighs with relief when the rain returns (or you live in a place with perpetual sunshine), it is so easy to slide into a sluggish mindset and thus everything becomes more difficult to do.
For me, the increasingly darker, shorter days of winter can negatively impact my energy and enthusiasm. But did you know that we are biologically programmed this way? As mammals, we are designed to slow down during the winter months when, evolutionarily speaking, access to food drops and the body must conserve body fat to survive the winter.
Well, around my house I am certainly not at risk for a lack of calories, especially with all of the holiday feasting and baking! But I still need to deal with the weather…and the darkness…and all of the to-dos. Oh my!
Are you Checking Your Internal Weather?
I typically eat my breakfast listening to my local classical music station: AllClassical.org. The morning playlists gently pump up the dopamine in my brain, but my truly favorite part of the morning show, at 8 AM, is when the host, Warren Black, gives the weather report.
It is not a prediction of the highs and lows of the day, or the current temperature. It is more a general report of how the weather from his window in the station overlooking the Willamette River. And he definitely tosses in personal preferences. For instance, he’s not a fan of temps over 70 degrees. And he seems almost cheerful when reporting fog and spitting rain.
But here’s the best part. He wraps up by encouraging you to stay hydrated, and always concludes with this nugget of wisdom:
“No matter what the outside weather I hope you can adjust your internal weather to be as sunny as you want.”
It’s that last line that always makes me break into a smile and a quiet giggle. That smile translates quickly to dopamine in my brain, so I do end up ramping up my internal sunshine. It’s delightful. A true reminder that we have the ability to check in with ourselves and work on developing a positive mindset.
In addition to mindset awareness, it helps to know and prepare for what is coming around the bend. This allows the brain to adapt more deftly when holiday stress begins to hit.
Take Care of Your Future Self By Planning Ahead for the Holidays
In addition to setting your internal weather each morning, here’s a list of things to support your brain through the holiday season:
- Write down all of the social events of the season on a paper calendar/planner where you can see them all so you don’t get overbooked.
- Pause before you say “yes” to any holiday invitations. It is ok to say no if you are teetering on the edge of dread because of too many social events! Overcommitting your time is common if you struggle with executive function challenges.
- Keep a list of gifts purchased so you don’t go overboard and regret that credit card balance in January.
- If you have family feasts to prepare, write down your menus and create shopping lists. Consider some dishes that you can do ahead and freeze.
- Stay conscious of the blessings in your life by making a daily gratitude list and sharing it with others. Staying in gratitude is good for your brain.
- Embrace the future by looking ahead to 2023. Start planning vacations, gardens, home projects, people to see, and courses to take.
- Don’t just think it, write it down! If you don’t have a paper planner, we’ve got you covered with our very popular Seeing My Time Adult Planner System.
Take a deep breath. Adjust your internal weather every day and may you have the best holiday season possible!
Marydee and the Team at EFS
