Psychologist Tsarenko: in case of apathy, it is important to take small steps to action
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Dullness, cloudy weather and a small number of sunny days in winter affect the psycho-emotional state, psychologist Yulia Tsarenko told Lente.ru. She gave advice on how to deal with the winter blues and get more productive rather than hibernating.
Do not force yourself
“It is important in such a period of time not to force yourself to do something. If there is internal or external pressure, for example, from close people, this can aggravate the situation. Resistance to this pressure and protest can arise inside, and then despondency and apathy can manifest itself even more, “Tsarenko noted.
Towards action
The psychologist recommended taking small steps for the law “Motivation follows action” to work. Usually we wait until we have a desire to act and only then do something, Tsarenko explained. But with a bad mood and some apathy, it is important to take the first step to action, and this will already be followed by involvement and motivation.
Each of us has gone through a period when, for example, we do not want to clean the apartment. And when we begin to do this, we take one step towards this action, then we ourselves do not notice how they have already turned on the music and cleaned up half of the apartment.
Julia Tsarenkopsychologist
“You have some business, you need to put up and decorate the same tree, I don’t want to do it at all. Start by simply taking out the toys, you don’t have to wait for anything else from yourself, and then you yourself will not notice how after a while you are already decorating the Christmas tree, and it is almost ready, ”said the psychologist.
Give yourself some rest
It is important to pay attention to whether your discouragement is related to the weather and seasonality, Tsarenko noted. The apathetic state and the desire to do nothing most often have their reasons. For example, it can be associated with overexertion and fatigue. “Then the best thing you can do for your productivity is to be in this state, to give yourself some time to rest, really don't do anything. In this place, the fear often arises that then I will abandon everything and do nothing for a year. In fact, after a couple of days you will feel the energy and desire to do something, ”the psychologist advised.
