In the deep well of Traditional Chinese Medicine, there exists five seasons. Four are shared with our Gregorian way of doing business, and the fifth steals my heart every time. Earth season is the most familiar because it comes around four times a year, at the end of each season.
(If you’re reading this the day it’s delivered, it’s now.)
Now is a great time to reflect on your life luggage - the collections of items, the standing appointments on your calendar, and the things that always seem to be pushed out a week, or to the bottom of the priority pile. This is a wonderful time to think about how you’d like to travel through winter. If your winter story includes dread or melancholy I understand, and this is for you. If your winter story involves skiing in some fashion, you probably already do this (and well!) orienting on joy.
Also, for my southern hemisphere friends, save this one and invert/apply as you feel called.
HOW TO WINTER
1. Center Rest - you’re probably already great at this, right? Longer darkness is more conducive to extended rest. For some of us, that is medicine. For others, we can lull ourselves into a sweet seasonal depression and languish horizontally. Winter is a great time to consider your bedtime routine rather than Resolutioning Yourself into some inane Early Morning Miracle program where you’re alternating page readings and burpees and affirmations. Bedtime routines means setting an alarm to start the bedtime routine and then maybe it’s putting lotion on your feet, or taking a bath, or reading a book on paper or via audio. Maybe it’s a season to befriend your local library and get a few paper books to replace the evening screen time.
2. Create Cozy - the most important purchase I made in 2023 is a pair of down pants. They are men’s, they are not in any way flattering, and they make dog walks in the bitter cold more manageable and nourishing. This is also a time for warm beverages that feel cozy and rest-ish. Say, herbal tea or cocoa. Weirdly, my body appreciates the concoction recommended in Ayurveda whereby one boils fennel, cumin, and coriander seeds, strains, and then sips. I don’t find it tasty in any way, but it is surprisingly cozy.
3. Relish Introspection - guard rails if you tend towards despair - this is not that. But winter can provide an optimal time to make plans inspired by joy, not by punitive goal setting. Look back, look forward, reconnect with your therapist or sponsor or other healing space holding pro. Maybe - I don’t know - practice some yoga? At home or at a studio (or both!) in such a way that you spend principled time and space with your own sweet self. Jot down a takeaway. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
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