Supporting Your Brain in Winter: Four Strategies Every Leader Should Use
Winter doesn’t just shift the weather; it alters the way your brain functions. Reduced daylight, colder temperatures, and disrupted routines can take a toll on clarity, decision-making, motivation, and emotional resilience. For leaders, that impact spreads beyond personal well-being; it influences how you show up for your team, make decisions, and sustain performance through the slower months.
The good news: a few intentional habits can help you maintain energy, focus, and emotional steadiness all winter long. Here are four leadership-friendly strategies to keep your brain performing at its best.
1)
Bright
Light
Exposure
–
Own
the
Morning
- Your cognitive performance is directly tied to your circadian rhythm, and light is your brain’s primary regulator. Morning light boosts serotonin, sharpens alertness, and helps stabilize your mood throughout the day.
- Leadership Application: Within your first hour awake, sit near a window or use a 10,000-lux light therapy lamp for 15–30 minutes. This simple habit enhances focus, improves emotional regulation, and reduces the mental “drag” many leaders feel in winter mornings.
2) Move Every 90–120 Minutes
- Sedentary days quietly drain dopamine and norepinephrine—two neurochemicals crucial for motivation, focus, and clear decision-making. Winter often means longer hours at the desk, making micro-movement even more important.
- Leadership Application: Set a timer to stand, stretch, or walk briefly every hour or so. These small movement breaks help you maintain sharper cognitive performance, reduce stress, and stay mentally agile for the decisions that matter.
3)
Eat
for
Neurotransmitter
Stability
- Your brain consumes roughly 20% of your daily energy, and during winter, it requires steadier fuel to maintain mood and cognitive output. Leaders who skip meals or rely on quick carbs often feel the crash midday.
- Leadership Application: Include protein at breakfast (eggs, yogurt, tofu, nuts). Add complex carbohydrates at lunch (quinoa, chickpeas, sweet potato, brown rice). Incorporate omega-3s to support emotional balance (salmon, walnuts, chia seeds). This approach stabilizes energy, supports executive function, and prevents the mental dips common in afternoon hours.
4) Prioritize Warmth for Stress Regulation
- Warmth directly influences areas of the brain tied to mood and stress. For leaders navigating pressure and fast decisions, temperature becomes more than comfort—it becomes a regulatory tool.
- Leadership Application: Use a heated blanket, take a warm shower, sip hot tea, or spend a few minutes in a sauna. These warm-up moments activate the parasympathetic nervous system, helping your brain shift out of stress mode and back into clarity and composure.
Leadership in winter requires intentional support of your cognitive health. The season’s shorter days and colder weather can challenge your energy, focus, and emotional steadiness but they don’t have to undermine your performance. By leveraging light, movement, nutrition, and warmth, you can keep your brain resilient, your decisions sharp, and your leadership grounded through the darker months. These small practices create a meaningful difference in how you lead, think, and thrive until spring returns.
- Julie "Brain Lady" Anderson