Could it really happen? Daylight Savings time permanent? No more 4:30pm darkness in the winter? It’s been talked about before and now the biggest move to date has happened… The Senate has passed a bill to keep Daylight Savings intact. The reality is, however, if the bill is passed it would not go into effect until November of 2023.
So how can your emotional intelligence help you weather the storm of changing clocks? Consider a few key strategies to help you along the way.
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Know what pushes your buttons about the time change.
If the thought of losing an hour sleep in the spring mortifies you, plan ahead. Go to bed early the day before the clocks change or allow yourself to sleep in on the Sunday the change goes into effect. In any case, gift yourself that hour back somewhere in the coming week. If you know it’s going to happen, don’t fret about, attack it head on.
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Acknowledge others disconnect with losing the hour when we spring forward.
This is a great opportunity to pause and listen. Sometimes people just need to vent, and other times people are looking for solutions. Consider sharing the advice above regarding plan for the change. And remind others this is only one hour change for this one time this year.
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Don’t be fooled by the bad mood the change in time has caused you.
Remind yourself this is just one hour of time. And look at the positives…it stays light longer; instead of ending work and it feeling like it’s time to put your pj’s on, you can actually do something; spring forward also means that Spring weather is just around the corner.
In the end, we all own our own responses to what has been a traditional day (and sometimes week) to complain about springing back our clocks. Try a new tactic and think positively to get you through this time and look at it from a new angle.
Interested in reading more about how we perceive situations? Check out our article on cognitive biases.