January is often considered to be a difficult month for many people. The days are shorter, the weather is colder, and it gets darker. This combination as well as the stretch between school breaks, it makes it difficult for many students to stay motivated.
Elliot Estes (11) believes the amount of schoolwork, and knowing that big tests are coming up in the future makes it difficult to be motivated.
“Personally, whenever I’m doing homework, or any of my schoolwork, I always put on music because I feel like it really helps me stay focused on my stuff and adds value to the work that’s usually pretty boring and not actually fun to do,” Estes said.
Estes uses the community around him to stay motivated in different times, and encourages others to do the same saying,“Talk to the people around you. I think that so many people have good advice that they just aren’t able to give out. And if you just ask those people around you, especially people that you know care about you and you know, also have those same struggles, I think that that community is really helpful.”
Gracie Osantowski (11) agrees that January is a difficult month, saying it is her least favorite.
“The weather makes it horrible, it’s cold. It’s right in the middle of the year and you have spring break, which is two months away. You have to wait two months before you can actually get another break.”
Osantowski says her motivation is trying to maintain good grades until the end of the year.
Hanna Faley, Atherton’s Mental Health Counselor, says that January is more difficult for people based on research, not just opinion.
“It is very impactful to some people. Many people have seasonal affective disorder which impacts their happiness and motivation greatly. It is really difficult because it is cold and the weather isn’t good, and mainly it is dark. We need the sun, and we don’t have a whole lot of it in the winter.”
Faley mentions tools that she recommends to people to stay motivated in times when they are struggling.
“I recommend that people do what I like to call “dangle the carrot” which is when you always have something fun or positive planned so that you can look forward to it, even if it’s small.”
She also mentions how useful social media can be for finding motivation, saying, “I think there’s a big stigmatism about how bad social media is, but there’s also a flip side of that. And there’s a lot of positive things on social media about coping skills and motivational tips. I think those things are important to focus on and try to follow them or emulate them in some kind of way and bring that into your own life.”
Faley mentions a piece of advice that she thinks people should follow which is, “Try to just take it one day at a time, one week at a time, one month at a time, and like doing the things that help to motivate you and keep you in a positive headspace. I think it is important.”
