With shorter days, comes cooler temperatures and with cooler temperatures comes a sign, winter is near.
While it might not be the brightest, sparkliest and most festive season of the year, the winter is an incredibly valuable few months. Winter allows us the opportunity to rest, find peace and stillness, and shift our focus internally to reflect.
The flow of our bodies naturally slows down during this time, but the world around us remains business as usual, continuing to push us to do more, and in turn we resist our natural yearning to slow down. This resistance to rest shows up as feelings of overwhelm, guilt and stress. These feelings are our bodies trying to send us a message, one that says, 'I can no longer do it all'.
Nobody should feel as though they need to being doing everything, all the time. We need to reframe the narrative around this 'need'. Reconcile with yourself, let go of the guilt and tell yourself this season of slow-ness is necessary. It's necessary, it's healthy and it sure isn't selfish.
Without this winter period of slowing down, our body will push and push, until it crashes, both physically and mentally and by the spring time we will be left burnt out and fatigued.
So, when the time is near, your body will tell you it's ready to start winding down and settle into the winter season.
These signs will look and feel like:
- Beginning to favour warming, heartier foods
- Being called to spend more time indoors
- Physically slowing down - favouring soft gentle movement over intense exercise
- A need to sleep more
- A desire for a quiet schedule rather than a busy one
- Self reflection and contemplation
Listen to these signals and allow them in, embrace them with open arms.
When the sun shines bright and warm again, you will be grateful for the slowness.
You will feel re-nourished and ready for your spring harvest!