Do you love November or have you successfully proved to be tougher? If your answers fall in the black or white region, then you’re good. However, if you’re like me, with an answer somewhere in the grey region. Then, read along as I share how I am learning or better still, learnt to love this interesting month.
So what makes this particular month outstanding? It’s the “preparation month”. Changing weather conditions and darker days are the two key points. When I mean “changing”, I should really say “spontaneous”. I remember a morning this week at KTH, with the sun peeking through the grey clouds and melting the ice on the roads and on parked cars; then, in the afternoon, it decided to snow a bit and then, in the evening, the rains decided it was their turn:) Quite a day, right?
In various discussions with different groups, it is very common for the weather to be laid out as a topic of discussion. This is not surprising as people are not only interested in knowing how the next person is coasting along successfully but their perception; as most students, have just moved to Sweden for the first time.
For me, I was mentally prepared for the cold and dark days Sweden has in its nature. However, mental preparation wasn’t all that was needed. My brain clearly showed me that it has a pattern it has grown accustomed to over the years and there’s a process called adaptation. I would classify myself as a “day-person”. Someone who works better when the sun rises and slowly shuts all brain-tasking activities, as the sun sets in preparation for the next day. Some people are the opposite.
The view of the general public is that we tend to sleep early or actually get tired of studying early as the brain delivers a misconception that it has been working the whole night when the clock time says 21:00 (lol). Then, waking up to meet early morning schedules is getting harder. So, it’s a “rest well but still feel like you need more rest ” atmosphere. Guess what, the period two started this month and with deadlines lined up like it’s a queueing sequence, finding ways to love November is the right move to make as its a preparation for the future ahead:) So, here goes my list:
EXERCISE
If you have been doing this, this is not the time to quit or get lazy. In fact, this is the time to ensure you do not skip physical exercise. You can either choose working out at the gym or simply walk or run. Do what suits you but try not to skip this very important part. I stopped working out for the longest time period in my life, but I tried it recently and can confidently tell you it had an unbelievable positive effect (the missing part of my embracing jigsaw puzzle as I like to think)
ART OF LAYERING
There’s an amazing vibe that comes with wearing nice clothes (or seemingly warmer clothes) and looking like you’re not wearing so much as to just manually putting on whatever would keep you warm. Waking up and thinking of different ways to wear what you love and successfully carrying out your wish through the art of layering, can surprisingly keep you excited the whole day 🙂
GET UP AND GET GOING
I had to point this out in this manner because it is simply what it is. Get up, leave your apartment and get to work. The number of times you spend outside, the faster you get used to it and dark days or not, the adaptation process is over sooner than expected.
STICK TO THE EXCITED CROWD
Now, if you have one or two friends that fall into the category of those that LOVE the month, hang out more often with these guys! Their happiness can be quite infectious and that may be all you need to take the first steps in your love process:)
Here, are my four points that have helped out and presently, I work well without feeling the extra wave of tiredness that comes with the setting of the sun at 15:00 (yay!!)
If you have other ways that you have tried and you feel works or you just want to share your November experience, would love to hear from you through the comments section:)