Yes, I do love winter. Despite the short days and long nights, the cold and damp, it feels to me like winter is a time for reflecting, for planning and thinking about what we want to create in our lives over the coming year – the birth place of genius. I don’t see it as a time for taking massive action but a time for resting, sleeping and for eating healthily to enable our bodies to recover and repair. This is in contrast to the idea of New Year resolutions which are usually requiring some action.
New year, new beginnings. For many this is so. A time of hopes and dreams of a wonderful year to come. I’m not fond of resolutions, particularly at such a harsh time of year, when we’re often below par and our immune systems are doing their best to ward off the worst of the germs. Resolutions themselves can be on the surface motivating but can all too quickly turn into frustration and despair, a sense of having ‘blown it’ again, and a lot of negative self judgement thrown into the mix.
For example, aspiring to be healthier and fitter, for example, is logical – taking responsibility for our physical well being makes sense – though not just in January – good health benefits us all year round. Changing habitual poor eating patterns that have caused us to gain weight or become unhealthy can be done with love and kindness towards ourselves rather than resolving to go on yet another quick fix diet (often steeped in a sense of deprivation) and beating ourselves up if we slip off the wagon – this goes against everything I know about self love and self care.
If you are a big fan of resolutions, then why not wait until the spring? When the weather is a little warmer, the days are lengthening and there is a natural vibe of hope and growth – mirrored by nature and the emerging of colourful spring plants and nesting birds. Energetically our bodies are much more able to cope with making significant lifestyle changes then.
We have now passed the winter solstice and are now moving onwards towards spring, so things are on the up.
I’m taking the pressure off the thought of new resolutions and instead simply treating each day as full of possibilities – who knows what that may lead to!
Here's to a wonderful 2018!
Shirley x
