Head-talk for managers--5 things to do for seasonal “blues”

If you’re a manager—and you likely are if your reading this post—part of your job is to serve as a primary role model.  Like it or not, you are called upon as an implicit expectation of you duties is to set a positive tone, keep up the work-a-day pace, and generally be a confident “pack leader” [to borrow a term from Ceasar Milan].  Few of us are able to fulfill these requirements unfailingly, all the time, but most good executives and corporate leaders I know are able, more-often than not, to not let variations in personal mood affect how they perform and—here’s the important point—how others they work with and lead perceive them in terms of their personal energy and outlook and optimism.

On occasion, demonstrating a level of work performance from a consistently positive point of view is not always easy to do:  life being what it is, there are, from time to time, always personal problems associated with friends, children, spouses, personal finances, illness, etc.  Hell, that’s just part of real-life—all are affected by that—yet one’s “job” as a manager is to rise above those emotional impediments in fulfilling the role of a person who others look to for guidance, stability, role-modeling, inspiration—these are exactly the reasons you are the “manager” and not someone else! 

There are some predictable occasions when this is for many a particular challenge—and, as I compose this post, we are in the middle of what is likely the most threatening time of the year for this:  the change of seasons and, more immediately, the coming of fall and, soon, winter.  It is precisely at this time that many are affected by what is called seasonal moodiness—including managers of all types—maybe you.  I thought it timely to make a few points along these lines. 

First, if you are affected by the weather, change in day-lengths, temperatures, stuff like that—welcome to the club--a lot of people are, perhaps you.  No, you don’t have a psychological disorder, you are likely not manic-depressive or [to use the term now widely misused in ordinary conversation] “bi-polar.”  In other words, you are, if not perfect, normal.  However, that others are affected by mood swings associated with seasonal change, does not mean you are “off-the-hook” for performing as a leader of others at as high a level as you are capable.  Second, recognize that what you are experiencing mood-wise is exactly what it is:  a temporary, largely externally aggravated, shift in your feelings—and nothing more.  This is not the time to wonder if you’re deviant, going to be “okay,” or if you are made of the right stuff to be the person others are expecting you to be.  Third, take conscious steps to help yourself minimize the temporary depression and get back to your regular, can-do, fully competent, manager self.  Here are a few tips for helping yourself do exactly that. 

[1] Pay attention to how your treat yourself in terms of your daily living activities, and particularly your health.  This means eating right, getting additional sleep if you can, and exercising—particularly when you don’t feel like doing it!  An additional measure to take if you can is to expose yourself to as much light as you—ideally natural, outdoor light; the lack of this element likely accounts for most of the problem in the first place.  Exposing yourself to natural light—the sun if possible—is part of the “therapy” to making the seasonal transition you’re a natural part of.  Make it point to refrain from self-medicating, including the consumption of alcohol or self-administered drugs—these will only prolong the called-for seasonal adjustments in your physical and psychological make-up. 

[2] Take a news diet.  If you are feeling seasonally “blue” the consumption of news—especially broadcast news on television or radio—will do little to make you feel better.  Instead of any routine you might be in the habit of to take in the news of the day, make a “date” to get back to being a news-consumer when you’re ready to be--the world will have to handle its own affairs without you for awhile! 

[3] Treat yourself to an indulgence that you might not otherwise do.  Read a book, go to a movie, take in a play, visit friends, visit the mall—do something that is positive and you like.  If someone you knew needed a “lift” you’d help then out if you could—well, now’s the time to do that for yourself! 

[4] Engage in positive self-talk.  A great number of people I know fail to do this—or, worse yet, find themselves even disregarding the need to do this in the first place.  The human animal, psychologically speaking, is the sum total of all the messages that flow from both the external and the internal environment.  Sometimes a person can’t always do much to affect what comes from others or outside of themselves—that’s where the change of season effects come into play in the first place!—but we can control some of our self-generated messages.  Seasonal depression is a perfect time to carry on an internal dialogue that focuses on positive themes associated with the kind of individuals we are [or aspire to be] and our reasonable beliefs about what the near-term future holds.  It is also a good idea to always dress smartly at times like these; yes, even by something so simple we can provide positive the feedback to ourselves we need to have and can benefit from! 

[5] Defer any important or personally relevant decision if you can.  When anyone is in the midst of mild, temporary depression of any kind, that is not the time to make major life, financial, or career-related decisions.  When seasonal moodiness occurs, then is not the time to demonstrate your decisiveness or ability to control circumstances of a weighty nature—that is if you can easily enough defer such decisions.  The time to make a more graceful and confident decision is likely just around the corner.  The key point here is that when a person is even mildly depressed they make sub-optimal decisions.  The outcomes of inferior choices are just that—inferior and those, in turn, lead to feelings of even greater discouragement.

To be a good manager, you first have to take care of yourself—your first obligation is to make sure that you take steps to be the person you can and want to be.  Only after that can you be the kind of leader others need and expect you to be. 

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