Winter is not just a season. It’s a state of mind.
The excitement of the new year coincides with the dark, cold, bare of exciting events winter days, especially in the northern countries. A new year means new beginnings but also finalising lingering tasks from the year before. How can you cope with the prolonged winter days when projects beg for your attention? How to find the will to be productive when your body wants to hibernate?
Embrace The Stillness
Slow down. Listen and appreciate the buzz of idleness and slowness that follows up the festive season. There is magic into lowering gears and enjoying the ride. Winter days are not just the transition from the Christmas celebrations to the glorious spring days, but an opportunity to spend time with ourselves, appreciate the silence and invest in our body and mind.
Find Joy In Simple Moments
Where most people see sadness, you can finally cherish staying at home by yourself or with a good friend, in the company of candles and warm lights.
Where others see inertia, you can focus on indoor exercise and hearty, nutritious, warm meals that are good for the body and the soul.
Where some see lack of purpose and futility, you can prioritise by chucking away the small but loud things that fill your days with noise.
Allow yourself to feel bored. Winter is the perfect time of the year for that!
Boredom is a gift that offers space to focus on what you value filling your day with, while skipping the unimportant and frivolous. Let yourself be idle- watch the movie, read the book, cosy up and sleep, sip the coffee, stare out the window, walk slowly, let the hot water run in the shower.
Move Your Body And Declutter Your Space
Focus on your body. Create a corner at your home that inspires you to exercise a few minutes a day. Go outside for a run and breath in the cold air. Stretch your body and let the blood flow everywhere. Ah, nothing like a good stretch!
Declutter and simplify. Spending more time at home means more opportunities to investigate your cabinets and wardrobes and declutter. Ask yourself: what serves real purpose in your daily life, what do you need and want, what makes you happy, and what makes everyday life easier and more fulfilling. Make space for all the things that add to your wellbeing by getting rid of the excess. Focus on the quality, not the quantity. Create a space that you truly relish to live in- a space that offers you a safe and peaceful haven after a long day.
Winter is not a dead, wasted period between fairy lights and sunny days. Winter is an opportunity to look inwards, slow down, reflect, make new beginnings and enjoy the silence.
