By Brooke Jordan
When it’s gloomy, sometimes we have to make our own light.
When people think of Penn State they think of football, partying, the quintessential American college experience. They wouldn’t be wrong to think that either. Penn State does feel like one of those archetypal colleges that serve as a background in a cheesy 90s movie, with “Two Princes” playing as background music. However, what is left out of the fantasy is the frigid temperatures that creep up during the winter months and last till the end of Spring semester.
Located in the valley of Bald Eagle and Tussey Mountains, we are susceptible to more clouds. Often during the winter months, we can go days with very minimal sunlight and low temperatures. As tired, hardworking college students, this can hinder motivation and overall happiness making school work, classes, and efficiency harder.
As we gear up to enter those trying months, there are a few tips and tricks that I do to stay as motivated as possible during this cold season.
Exercise
The number one thing I do when it’s cold out is make sure I’m exercising daily. With this I am able to keep my endorphins up, regulate my emotions, and build a schedule around it. Whether that is going for a walk/run (I recommend inside on a treadmill), lifting weights at the gym, signing up for workout classes, or anything else you enjoy, getting your body physically active and those endorphins flowing will maintain a positive mental space.
Schedules
To piggyback off of that idea of building a schedule around working out, planning out the schedule for the week as well as planning something to look forward to has kept me grounded. Not just things like going out, but movie dates with friends, baking nights, a new episode of a show, etc. Those little sunbeams throughout the week act as a motivator to keep going.
Bringing warmth and light inside
I do anything I can to stimulate warmth and light in my apartment. Recently, I purchased a space heater to keep my room nice and toasty, finding it helps me stay more motivated and lively. When it’s cold not just outside, but inside as well, I find that I’m less motivated and want to lay in my bed all day.
Not only does the temperature affect my mood, but also the lighting. At night, warm, sepia lights are always the vibe because it’s now the appropriate time to be dark, but when it’s 1 p.m. and the sun is nowhere to be seen, it’s the absolute worst. To rectify that, I’ve purchased an artificial sunlight lamp. It provides a nice light to keep me up and ignore the gloominess outside.
While I can’t completely remove the treacherous winter or even stop myself from having days where I’m incredibly unmotivated, I can add the little things in my day-to-day life to provide sunshine and keep me going.
Happy Valley Comm 