Christmas decorations packed up. New Year resolutions written. In stone. In Google calendar? It’s time to hibernate? cultivate the art of a winter living.
No matter what out civilized mind wants to think about ‘modern’ winter our evolutionary old conservative bodies feel, deep down: winter is the only time you can relax deeply, indulge into reflection, intimately connect with your inner life and take time pondering important life questions.
How to turn the Winter after Christmas into a season of quiet magic and insight for the New-Spring-of-Action? Also addressing many of those questions which surely popped up during Christmas-with-Family time? Improving your health, strengthening your inner core, gaining insight into your Self, relationships? Relationships with your Self including? As the most important of all your relationships actually??
Here are some tips for Winter after Christmas joy of living.
Well, n 1 includes stepping out of mentality of living a life in a ‘it’s either Christmas or Summer holidays’ mode, waiting for the next one to come and and being suspended in a rather long run ups to big yearly destinations: ‘Christmas is over, now it’s time to plan summer holidays destination (with an intermediate stop for Easter..). Living every season not just glamorised ones instead. Do you live every season?
n 2: keep your focus inside, simply go in, dream work and journalling are the best; keep journalling and highlight themes. ‘New Year resolutions’ may be not needed to be acted upon now but noted. Do you dream? Do you pay attention to our dreams? Do you journal?
n 3: reflect! in times gone by people would rest, tell stories, share the memories of the year. Do you create time for reflection? Are you comfortable with reflection?
n 4: ‘hibernate’ as much as possible. Take a lesson from hibernating animals who are fully active in spring and hibernate in winter; they live much longer and pretty much stroke and heat attack proof. This will ensure your blooming in spring. Do you feel the need to sleep more in winter?
n 5: take stock: this includes your resources, including financial, your skills, your networks, where are you in your life. Are you clear and happy with where you are at in your life?
n 6: contemplate rather then act ; going through the pictures of the past year and even some old pictures of you is a good one. Do you see the theme of where you are in your life right now?
n 7: cultivate your well-being and learn some new self-help tool depending on what you need to improve in your life. Choose a Winter of Wellness for some structured learning. What part of your being needs nurturing?
n 8: winter-ise your environment and relax into winter colours: look around you, and think about the colours of the season (after red/green Christmas): there are whites, greys, silvers and golds, browns. Are you comfortable with these colours?
n 9: embrace the outdoors for the natural light and elements but
n 10: beware of LAN (Light At Night) and keep your indoor winter lights low. What is your indoor/outdoor balance in winter? What is your light habits?
The general theme of winter is that of contraction, conservation, contemplation and rest. The Nature itself contracts, goes in, preserves itself in winter. The life is there, it’s just protected from the cold and due for a good rest.
What is your Winter after Christmas look like? What can you do to experience this season as a season of quite magic? Will this winter be different?
Enjoy your Winter Journey!
