The first symptom: Always Sleepy
1. Avoid the couch. This is my go-to place after a tiring day at work, but I knew that going straight to it would just make me want to sleep more. So, instead, I opted for doing the things I needed to get done that usually get done on the weekend (i.e. laundry, painting my nails, working on bill issues, etc.) After the productive stuff was done, I got out of the house instead of sitting around watching the television. I felt like this simple decision of avoiding the couch made me feel less tired on Monday night and Tuesday, as well.
2. Dress up. My job requires a business casual dress code, but usually on rainy days I find myself throwing on my glasses and avoiding my contacts, reaching for the comfiest outfit I have, and throwing my hair in a bun (which is exactly what I did on Monday.) So, on Tuesday, I decided to get dressed up. I really do think this helped because I didn't feel as comfortable like I would in my "relax" clothes, and it took an extra effort in the morning so I couldn't hit snooze as much and I had more time to wake up. Also, I felt like I looked great, which made me feel great. I definitely recommend this trick.
3. Opt for natural energy. I'm a sucker for coffee on a sleepy day just like most of America, but we all know that coffee has a lot of negative side effects. So this time, I decided to go for 5-Hour Energy because I've learned in the past that it's made up of vitamins more than caffiene. I didn't think this would help much honestly, but it ended up being the best decision I made out of them all. I really felt like the energy lasted all day and I never felt the dreaded "crash." If 5-Hour isn't your thing, try taking B-12 vitamins or eating power bars.
4. Keep busy. There are always times at work when I have nothing to do and those are the times when my sleepiness really creeps up on me. This time around, I finally listened to all those studies that say getting up and walking around is a great way to keep from getting tired. Now, I can't really move around all that much at my job, so instead I challenged my brain to stay awake by playing mind games. I tried sudoku, crosswords, and even reading a challenging text. Given, I know these aren't the most entertaining form of alertness, but you can manipulate this to something that does interest you. Anything that makes you THINK as opposed to just sitting and watching something happen (like a video on YouTube) will help you keep awake and alert.
The second symptom: Lack of Optimism.
For whatever reason, rainy days also make it more difficult for me to smile. I hate that because I'm always a very positive person, so when I don't have that smile plastered on my face, everyone assumes something is wrong with me. The last thing I want at work is people thinking I have something going on that's interfering, so I knew that I needed to make a big adjustment there. Here's what worked for me.
1. Wake up with music. I normally just roll out of bed at the sound of the alarm clock and get ready completely in silence, especially since most of the time my roommates are still sleeping. However, I heard from a girl in my office that she turned on music first thing in the morning and she said it always had an effect on her mood (depending on what music she played.) So I figured it was worth a try. On Tuesday morning as soon as I woke up, I turned 8 Tracks on my phone and set it in the bathroom while I got ready. I searched for mixes with the taglines of "happy" or "fun." Not only was I singing and dancing around as I got ready, but I literally found that even though I walked outside to a downpour and terrible driving conditions, that smile was already in place. I definitely recommend this!
2. Avoid irritation. I noticed on Monday that most of my optimism was affected by normal, everyday occurrences that I was getting annoyed with. For instance, I deal with listeners every day, but I noticed that the rain made me less friendly and more grumpy. So, on Tuesday, I made sure to put forth the extra effort to be friendly and chatty, and I found it to actually be a great release from the rainy weather outside. I also made sure to have my smile on no matter what, even if I was annoyed. Just smiling helps lift your mood - after all, who can really be pessimistic with a huge smile on their face?3. Lie about your day. I don't normally advocate lying, in fact I never have before, but this one is a little white lie that can help you big time. While at work or school, you probably get asked all the time "How are you?" "How's it going?" or "How is your day?" Well, on a rainy day you could probably retort with "Crappy" "Rainy" "I'm tired" "I can't wait til Friday" or "Who cares." Instead, I decided to tell everyone that I was having a fantastic, wonderful, great day. Surprisingly, this helped raise my mood because then people wanted to talk to me and their smiles were contagious. In addition, the more I said it, the more my brain started to believe it. I kid you not, I literally wasn't lying by about three o' clock. By then, it was the truth!
Final symptom: Unwavering Yearning to be in Bed
What is it about the rain that makes us want to cuddle up in bed and lose ourselves in Lifetime movies? I'm not sure if this was a problem before television existed, but either way, I was determined to shake this yearning. Here's what I tried that seemed to help.
1. Think active. I think one of the reasons I always want to be in bed when it's raining is because there's not much else to do and it seems like a valid excuse. So, on Tuesday and Wednesday I occupied my time with thinking about the stuff I COULD do. I completely avoided thinking about getting into bed and cat napping between episodes of Army Wives and thought about how I could work on a new decoration for my room that I found on Pinterest (inside crafts are perfect for rainy weather.) I also worked on bookmarking recipes I wanted to try and as I said before, I ended up getting out of the house with some friends on Tuesday and Wednesday nights both. I think this is one of those "mind over matter" cases where as long as you don't think about the bed, you won't want it as much.
2. Research. This sounds so rediculous and I even find it difficult to explain, but if you ever feel like you can't wait to get home and go to sleep, do some research on how much time you spend sleeping in your life. I'm telling you, it will change your mind. Have you ever woken up from a nap and thought "Wow, what a waste of my day?" I find myself thinking that from time to time, especially when I sleep in past ten on the weekends. Anyway, doing some research on how much sleep you actually need, how much the average person gets, and how much of your life you lose to sleep might just open your eyes to a new perspective. On Wednesday when I felt the same yearning to just relax in bed, I found myself researching new things to try and I found all the facts about sleeping. This might have been the best motivation to stay out of that bed that I found!
Overall, I found that avoiding the sleepiness that comes with a rainy day is a very difficult task. All of these tricks helped me, but I'll be honest, I was still very thankful to see the sun out today! Next time you're feeling the rainy blues, hopefully this will help. Tell me how you get through a rainy day by commenting below!
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