Winter study challenge days 7 and 8 //
7th December - How do you stay motivated during winter?
I have honestly never noticed if my motivation has ups and downs strongly linked to the different seasons, but it could very well be. Let’s say that I try not to get too overwhelmed by the stress and anxiety and I try to get some rest. The thing is I tend to feel more anxious and generally less well when I don’t do much, it’s a mix of melancholy and guilt for “waisting my time”, it’s not easy to explane. It’s something very unhealthy that I have been working on in the past few years, finding ways to feel relaxed but not guily for taking time for myself. I feel like my motivation levels are strongly liked to all of this mix of emotions. the more I keep everything balanced the better I feel and the more motivated I am. Generally what I do is try to have small things to look forward to, and that usually does the trick.
8th December - When should people start preparing for, decorating and celebrating Christmas?
I should say that each year I am more and more tired of Christmas and everything. And one thing that bothers me way more than it should is early decorations, I kid you not I saw the first decorations of the year a week before halloween. It is infuriating for me. It takes out all the magic out of it. Anyway traditionally me and my family have always decorated our home on the 8th of december, it’s celbrated as a festivity in Italy so the day off was usually the best option to start decorating. And even if I am more and more far away from this festivity we still tend to decorate around this date.
I mostly celebrate the solstices and equinoxes so the festivity I am excited about during this time is Yule, I have a strong connection with this celebration and I look forward to it strongly. I don’t have precise moments on which I prepare my celebrations, it honestly depends if I am celebrating by myself or with someone. This year I will probably put up my altar in these days and start planning a few activities, usually what I plan the most is recepies I can cook for my family on the night of the festivity, but I usually don’t plan it too far ahead.
