Updated January 2024
Your out-of-office at Christmas time was on, and you were signing off to enjoy the festive period! You’re now back, the number of emails gathering in your inbox is upsetting, and the January weather has hit you like a ton of bricks.
How do you cope with the short days (although they are slowly getting longer!), the drab weather, colleague and staff illnesses (yes, you are picking up their work), and the general feeling of sadness and depression? This time of year can be especially upsetting and traumatic for those suffering with addictions too. The festive period for so many is a dark place for others, including their loved ones. If you, or you know anyone who may be struggling with addiction or mental health issues, please do read on and I will link to some amazing charities at the bottom of this blog. 
SAD* (seasonal affective disorder) is different to the topic of “winter blues”, and those that suffer from SAD often require medical intervention. In this blog, I am concentrating on the “meh blues” and the typical conversations at work we have, and how the ILFM team spur each other on.
Does your firm have a wellness strategy in place AND are you all proactively following it at work (and from home)? Mental health and well-being in law firms (especially high-risk ones) are a big topic of conversation in the professional indemnity insurance renewal aspect, so if you don’t have one in place per se, it is well worth implementing this within your firm because of PII alone!!
Firstly though, here is the list of usual symptoms when it comes to the “meh blues”.
Key symptoms of the Winter Blues:
- depression
- sleep problems
- lethargy
- overeating
- irritability
- feeling down and unsociable
Do you ever listen to your body? Is it telling you to hunker down and stay in bed, wrapped in your duvet? So, as a person who hates the winter and craves sunshine (and that includes Autumn sunshine), I’d advocate these ways to lift your mood.
D for Depression and Vitamin D
Research suggests that vitamin D is part of lifting moods, helps with sleep problems, boosts our immune systems AND is linked to bone health. As the majority of us working in the legal industry will attest, we are quite a sedentary lot, our job is mainly on the computer, and even if our workstations standing ones, it’s still a role that has us hunched a lot.
On average we get 90% vitamin D from the sun and only 10% from our food.
Vit D is the only vitamin we cannot get enough of in our diet alone. I am no dietician, but I do remember this one from cookery lessons at school. Buy some supplements or a spray that goes under your tongue.
Go Outside
Put a coat on and stand outside for periods throughout the day, even if it’s raining.
Yes, you can still get mood-lifting, immunity-boosting vitamin D on a cloudy day. Full-spectrum sun is still doing its work behind that grey sky and sombre cloud cover. The ultraviolet needed to trigger the synthesis of vitamin D is still there so look up and enjoy.
Office Snacks
Many of us are hybrid workers now, meaning that we sometimes go into the office and sometimes work from home. Snacks are so important to sustain us throughout the day. Why not keep a bowl full of oranges, little cheeses, boiled eggs or keep a box of cereal to hand (either with milk or without).
If you’re at home do make sure you don’t graze on carbohydrates all day, even though you might be reaching for the winter comfort food. Plan the days ahead, that’s the key.
Get Active
If daily exercise doesn’t come naturally, then sadly the winter blues might affect you more. Personally, I make myself go out for a walk (not every day admittedly) but at least 3 to 4 times a week, normally in my lunch break. So many of us take lunch late in the day, and we have worked non-stop up to say 2:30 pm, our circadian rhythm is out of kilt and we slump. Before you know it, the darkness folds in, so the walk goes out the window.
Even if when you for 10 minutes, that’s better than nothing at all! Everything helps. Exercise releases the feel-good endorphins, which in turn boosts morale and our own productivity.
The ILFM are putting together a team to take part in the London Legal Walk and this is spurring us as colleagues to support each other in getting out and about.
Daily Routine
A daily schedule that is maintained can help enormously.
Adopting a good sleeping pattern (don’t lie in on the weekend until 11am Saturday morning and then you can’t get to sleep until 2am Sunday morning!). Totally gets us out of whack. That said, spending time with friends and having a good time is also good for the soul.
Burnout is real and we need to keep an eye on our colleagues, especially the ones working from home, because they often work longer hours owing to the “imposter syndrome” effect. The phenomenon of imposter syndrome is the feeling that one is not as good as others might think they are, and the constant gut feeling that they are sinking. The blurred boundary of working in isolation and at home can cause the anxiety of underperforming, which can manifest in overworking.
Schedule time out (even if it to GO OUTSIDE and look up, or go for a short walk) a couple of times each day.
With colleagues, check on each other (we use Microsoft Teams to check in with each other). If you are a freelance professional and feel isolated, it really is important to check in with someone – whether that’s a mentor, or if you’re part of a membership (such as ours) find out about events that can be scheduled into your diary. You are not alone!
March and April Weather
Although the clocks jump forward in March, and we lose an hour’s sleep, the joy of the longer days mitigate any awful weather we are still experiencing!
Keep eating well, exercising and getting some good sleep. Time to enjoy that book you’ve been waiting to read for a while now. Or book yourself onto some of our training and qualifications and start studying!
As a reminder, here’s the quick link to our learning & development page including training & events, click HERE.
*SAD isn’t confined to winter months only and is a mental health disorder characterised by distressing and overwhelming feelings of sadness that can interfere with daily functioning. Unfortunately for SAD sufferers, the UK’s weather isn’t a good partnership, which is why lamps, holidays and moving country to hotter climates, are on their lists of requirements. If you think you may be suffering from SAD please have a look at MIND’s link HERE.
HELP LINE: Rehab 4 Addiction offers a wealth of resources and information about addiction and mental health, which could be invaluable to those in need. The charity provides a helpline that offers immediate assistance to those struggling with addiction. Rehab 4 Addiction also offers a comprehensive directory of treatment centres throughout the UK, making it easier for those in need to find help near them. If you want to find out more, please READ HERE.
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