Winter-work doldrums

Even though you’re working from home in your boxers and slippers, February can be a tough month for employees. January’s motivational buzz is fading, the skies are rarely blue and this pandemic thing is more than old. You’re sick of online meetings, you miss seeing your co-workers face-to-face and that project you were promised is still stuck in corporate limbo. How do you focus on the good things at a time when your job may seem, well, not so good?

Tim Bono, author of “When Likes Aren’t Enough: A Crash Course in the Science of Happiness” (Grand Central Life & Style, $25), and the assistant dean in psychological and brain sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, offers some advice:

• Go outside, move around: Bono says that research confirms a few minutes walking around in nature can boost both mood and energy levels. “Exercise is key to our psychological health because it releases the brain’s feel-good chemicals,” he says.

• Make time for others: Instead of focusing so much on “me-time,” Bono suggests using some of the extra minutes in your day to help others. “Doing a good deed empowers us to tackle the next project, helping us feel more in control of our lives and less pressed for time,” Bono says. “This translates to higher levels of happiness and satisfaction.”

• Sweet dreams: Get a full night’s sleep on a regular basis. “Our brains are doing a lot of important work while we sleep, including strengthening neural circuits that both consolidate memories from the previous day and that help us regulate our moods when we are awake,” says Bono. “Sleep deprivation can lead to cognitive impairment similar to that of intoxication and often is the prelude to an ill-tempered day.”