How To: Stay Motivated In The Winter Months

Heeey y'all. Sorry I'm late again :/ I always think I'll have time to post on the weekends but I always have too much homework D: I have a little time now though, so I thought I'd try and post :)

It's that time of year. It's dreary, dark, wet/snowy (depending on where you live I guess haha), and it seems to be a common theme, to lose inspiration during winter.

BUT NO MORE!!! For I have come to you with 7 tips on staying inspired throughout winter!!!

SO LEGGO!!! :)


1. Set goals. If you have something to work towards, I think it's much easier to get through these months. But even better, set goals that make you excited to get up in the morning. And write them down!! I'm going to do that right now in fact - and you should too. Scroll down to the comments and put 'em in, we can support each other in our endeavours to reach our full potential :) Okay so for the winter (so from now - January - until, like, March) my goals are (I'm just going to set 3, to make it easier to reach them):

-drink more water (this seems simple, but I get dehydrated a lot simply because I don't have my water bottle with me during class. Then this results in headaches and dizziness which is no fun, and makes swimming insufferable because I feel like I'm going to pass out. SO. I shall make sure to pack a water bottle every morning, starting tomorrow.)

-prioritize better (do you ever look at a weekend to do list and realize you have way too much and then start to panic? Cause I do this a lot. SO. I will prioritize better during the week to get things done, so that my weekends are much more free and stressful.)

-work out/exercise every day (I want to get better at swimming, and stronger and healthier in general, so this would help. I have my Fitbit too, so I'm going to try and get 10,000 steps a day at least on it. There are days when I so don't, so this will help me regulate how much I sit around daily! I'm at 9,463 right now - so close!)

2. Set your background photo as an inspirational quote. I've been doing this lately and it's really helping me. My current screen is "don't make decisions based on the advice of those who don't have to deal with the results". This really resonates with me right now cause I have to make some pretty big decisions in the next month or so that have the ability to be influenced by those who, well, won't have to deal with the results. I'm trying really hard not to be influenced by them though, since I want to make these decisions for myself and what's best for my future. So picking a quote that resonates with you and your current situation is even better :-)

3. Do something for yourself every day. Whether that be blogging, watching youtube, relaxing, reading, writing, taking a bath...the possibilities are endless!! But planning out something that makes you happy will make going through the day that much more exciting, since you have something to look forward to. I am trying to do this more. So today, my thing is blogging :)

4. Keep a journal. On and off throughout the years, I have done this. I love looking back through my old journals to see how much I have changed and grown throughout the years. It's really interesting to see. But seriously, if you're like me, writing things down makes it seem so much better. I always write things down whether I'm super excited, super nervous, in a weird/bad mood, anything. It's just so helpful to, well, figure ma life out!! Also, I find that if you try and write down at least 3 good things that happened in your day (even if it seems like there isn't anything) this can help to look on the bright side!! (Also, anyone watch Blackish? Please comment if you do haha. I love that show omg. Jack in the last episode, with his glass half full metaphor :') "I see the glass as half full!" "...it's a bowl" anyone? anyone? No, just me? Okay...:P)

5. Surround yourself with positive people. This may seem very cliche, but it's true. If you surround yourself with positive people, your life will be instantly brighter and better. Eliminate all the negative energy, yeah?

6. Get a good night's sleep. Well okay. I'm guilty of going to bed quite late most nights, and so I am often very tired during the day. But this needs to stop!! For me, for you, for everyone. Sleep is important. I once heard someone say that they don't sleep cause there's "plenty of time to sleep when you die". He was a pretty successful guy...HOWEVER. You will actually die earlier if you don't get enough sleep!! My top tip for getting to sleep is getting a spray that you spray over your bed sheets, and pillows, that has a nice, calming scent to get you to sleep. I use lavender (just started last week) and it actually works. This is coming from a person who never believed in that stuff EVER before I tried it last week. So I would totally recommend it!!

7. Try new things. OMG Iris, isn't that what your blog was originally started for? Yes, yes it was. But trying new things and pushing your comfort zone is the key to success in life, I think. If you never try new things, how will you learn??? How will you grow, as a person?? How will you know what you really, truly love?? So I say, push the boundaries and just GO FOR IT. Stop all the negative thoughts, and pity parties, and don't wait for the right time. Just go and do it!!! The time will never be completely perfect, so you might as well just do it now. I know you probably hear that a lot, so here's a tip: the next time you get an opportunity (and it won't make you overstressed due to a busy schedule, because that's not good either) just say yes!! What do you have to lose? And also, when you wake up in the morning, just remind yourself that "today's gunna be a good day". Cause guess what? It is :)

Anyways, that wraps up this post, folks :) Let me know if any of the tips helped you, if you're going to/already use them, and any more that you have!! Also, remember, comment your goals down below, too, so we can help each other and hold each other accountable :) (if you are more comfortable you can email me your goals instead, or just share them with someone you know!) Wouldn't it be cool if we could start a "support group" type thing to help each other reach our goals? Comment/email me if you are in, that would be so fun :)

And, are there any specific posts you guys would like to see this year? I'm always adding to my list of possibilities so feel free to comment ideas below :) Any and all would be helpful, because I like writing posts that help and inspire you, my wonderful readers!! :D

If you want to chat, email me, I love talking to new people :) And check out my pinterest/follow me if you like, for inspirational quotes and things!! I pin quotes like 24/7 (well pretty much every day) so you can visit me there too :)

That's it for this post!! Thank you so much for reading :) And remember, you ARE capable, and you CAN do it. I believe in you.

Till next time!!

~Iris xx