As the clock falls back an hour at 2 am on Sunday, Nov. 7th, we get an extra hour of sleep, but the shorter, darker days roll in.

As the nights become overwhelmingly long, it’s easy to just fall asleep and have a lack of motivation. Daylight savings time has been proven to negatively impact one’s quality of sleep and mental state, according to selecthealth.org. 

Regardless, there are many ways to stay motivated and practice self-care throughout this time. Maintaining a schedule is the best way to stay consistent during the winter months. As the days start to feel shorter, it’s easy to fall off track from a regular schedule. 

Getting enough sleep at night is the best way to stay motivated. Changing a normal sleep schedule due to the time change can affect how one deals with their day. Try and get back to a normal sleep schedule as soon as possible.

Exercise is a way to keep one’s mental and physical state happy and healthy. Use a workout machine at home or sign up for a gym membership. Even going on walks will keep one occupied and healthy.

Winter is a time to catch up on hobbies or activities. Instead of watching tv or taking naps, do something different. This could be reading a book, catching up with friends or even trying a new recipe.

Making little goals each week is a great way to stay motivated. Think of what there is to accomplish in the week and make it a task to complete. It could be a goal such as getting in an exercise or doing an act of kindness. 

Senior Zoe Yaeger struggled with daylight savings in the beginning. She knew she had to put a schedule in place to keep herself in line.

“When daylight savings ended, it was hard to stay on track with my daily schedules because it was getting darker so much earlier, ” Yaeger said.

Yaeger made a schedule to continue going to the gym and getting her homework done right after school if she has time. She also started making weekly goals since daylight savings ended. 

“I try to make goals for myself every week because it keeps me motivated and makes me get my work done throughout the week, ” Yaeger said. 

The ending of daylight savings is hard for some, but there are many ways to stay motivated with the changes that come about. Getting through the darkness is a challenge, but one can always overcome it.