Winter used to be the bane of my existence.
I hated the cold, got sick of the rain, felt depressed post-holidays when there was seemingly nothing happening.
But in the past couple of years—more specifically, since I started participating in New Year’s silent yoga and meditation retreats, during one of which I slept in a glorified tent in below freezing weather for three days—things have shifted.
I now see winter as a time of rest. And in 2020, heading into the pandemic winter that I have been dreading since around April, that lens feels all the more vital to me.
This winter is going to be hard. The health and economic crisis is severely worsening, and we’re kept away from our friends and families. Depending on your situation, this might already be a difficult time of year for you, regardless of what’s going on in the world.
So, I’m mentally preparing myself by choosing to focus on the upcoming months as a true period of rest. I need to let my body decompress from this year’s stress and grief, and I need to nourish and nurture myself in any way that I can.
Here are some of them:
Talking nicely to myself. This includes not whisper-shouting expletives when I accidentally wake up 15 minutes before a morning Zoom meeting, and not being hard on myself when I can’t seem to gather the energy to be productive.
Turning my text alerts to silent. (Yes, even a phone vibrating is an assault on my senses right now.)
Downsizing social media, but not eliminating it. In these isolated times, I don’t necessarily think social media is a bad thing—we need to feel connected to others. But it’s a lot to consume that much media all the time, so I try to be selective and intentional about what I engage with.
Saying no to events and responsibilities. At least until I get some energy back.
Only holding myself accountable for accomplishing one important work task each day, when possible.
Taking care of my body so that I feel good, not so that I look good. I like having a routine for getting myself clean, keeping my dry winter skin moisturized, and feeling renewed on a nightly basis—it can do wonders for how I feel about myself.
Eating hot, nourishing meals.
Watching 9 hours of TV on a Saturday if I want to.
Wrapping myself in cozy, warm layers of soft fabric. I pile on sweaters, hats, scarves, wool socks, blankets, even though I live in California. I wear leggings and UGGs almost every day—jeans and real shoes are too much work.
Now, I’m intentionally being careful not to list any self-care activities that involve a lot of financial or other resources. I think that’s a trap. While I am a total sucker for skin and hair care products, retail therapy, and booking massages at the drop of a hat (in non-COVID times)—which you are totally allowed to do from time to time—it is still a myth that we need to purchase things to feel better about ourselves.
There’s a lot you can do at any time that you always have at your disposal.
It’s about creating physical and mental spaces where our bodies and souls feel nurtured, slow, and gentle. Environments where our bodies can do the work they need to restore themselves, where our brains can process the intensity of everything that has happened this year.
So, how are you going to rest this winter?