With winter fast approaching, it's time to be gentle with our minds, emotions, spirits, and bodies. Typically, we are all on the go in the nice weather pushing ourselves to the limit trying to fit every wonderful moment in. It's important to have those times of rest and gentleness as we glide into the winter months. “Slow down,” they say. “Rest,” they say. Why is it that we have to wait until everything outside slows down before we can go with it? It really can be an easy transition if we let it.
It reminds me of a roller coaster. It starts slow and then shifts gears and goes extremely fast, runs it's course for a while, and then slows down again. We need to give ourselves permission to ease into the changing of the seasons. Whether you know it or not, it does take its toll on us in many ways.
Preparing can be a way to ease into the change. We start by preparing our minds. A simple exercise is to write down everything you have accomplished over the last season. Write what you are grateful for, the experiences you have had, and the people who have shared the experiences with you. You might want to do a meditation looking at preparing to shift gears ahead of time so you’re ready.
Emotionally we prepare by getting excited about all we want to accomplish as we go inward during winter. If we put ourselves in a healthy, good, internal place and clear out any leftover clutter from the season before, then we have room for healthy growth. We need to put our attention on what we want to do, be, give, create, or experience. Then we can get ourselves excited while exploring options for the winter.
Preparing our environment for comfort is extremely important. We need to think of things that nurture ourselves in all ways. Nurturing foods, nurturing things that surround our environment, and reminding us of enjoying the current season. Make a list and just do it! If you do it now, you will be looking forward to enjoying it fully!
Comments