Students and staff struggle every year with winter burnout, but this year they are doing something about it.
“I love to work out. I especially love to do abs. I love to run and just get in the gym to shoot free throws whenever I can. Overall, just staying in shape is a release for me,” Ms. Jenny Finora, science teacher, said.
Senior Stasia Buckalew and Ms. Finora share the same release.
“I like to stay in shape, so I like to go to the gym and I like to go to the courts and shoot baskets. It all makes me feel better about being in the wintertime,” Buckalew said.
Although exercising is a beneficial way to avoid winter burnout, Ms. Finora, girls varsity basketball coach, gives her players some time off.
“I give them a few days off here and there to reset and to get their bodies healed. We took about five days off between Christmas and New Year’s after one of our tournaments. When you are in the middle of a season, it can seem like it goes on forever, but it is really flying by. So, besides a few days off here and there, sometimes we go a little lighter at practice. Other than that, it is just like any other day because the season is quick,” Ms. Finora said.
Exercising and staying in shape is not the only way to stay motivated during the dark months.
“I sleep a lot more and more often. I hate feeling tired, and the wintertime makes me feel exhausted sometimes. I spend more time with my family because they make me feel motivated and can get me out of a bad mood. I try not to be on my phone all the time because it just makes me want to lay in bed all day,” freshman Ben Hommell said.
Mrs. Sandy James, psychology teacher, guarantees that these are all effective ways to avoid being burnt out.
“Sleep is very important so that the melatonin is gone. So if that means sleeping seven or eight hours when you normally sleep six, you should give yourself the extra time to rest. It is why bears hibernate because we need more rest. Exercise is also really important. When someone exercises, it raises their endorphin levels. It gives you more energy, and it makes you feel better. So, it raises the levels of serotonin in your brain, so that you actually start feeling better,” Mrs. James said.
Although there are ways to help prevent winter burnout, it is not always avoidable.
“Winter burnout is a chemical problem. We have this hormone in our brain called melatonin. Melatonin makes us sleepy which is why a lot of people take it over the counter when they have trouble with insomnia. Melatonin is balanced in our brain by sunlight, so when someone gets sunlight on their face, their brain makes less melatonin which makes them more awake. So, in winter it is dark all the time, and people are getting elevated amounts of melatonin, so they are going around in a fog a lot of the time. It is partly chemical, but the other part of it is mentally we are in the middle. When students come back in January and February, it is just day after day, and it is hard to stay motivated. When it starts getting closer to Spring Break, it gets warmer outside and lighter, and there is finally an end in sight. I usually call it the ‘middle drag,” Mrs. James said.
