Self-Care In Winter
Confession - I’ve not been looking after myself!
I’ve just spent the last 10 days with a nasty winter cough/cold/flu/covid virus. Shock horror - I’m not immune to all the ailments and illnesses - I’m not perfect - I don’t always do the things I tell my clients they should do - and as a result, I sometimes get injured or sick or worn out or stressed, or all at the same time! In fact, often at this time of year, I end up forced into bed because I’ve basically run myself ragged trying to do everything, and I often reach for processed carbs for fast energy (schoolboy error obviously!) making me feel even more washed out and lethargic.
So here I am still with the tail end of this nasty virus which I took with me to Scotland for a mini break, and rather than miss out, still climbed Ben Lomond and had a dip in the loch (stupid!), which is probably why I’m not completely better already! That urge to achieve, to ‘Do’ rather that ‘Be’ is just so deeply ingrained in us all, it’s hard to stop, even when your body is telling you to. And now we have 3 weeks to Christmas, and I’ve got an electrician due any minute, followed by a plumber, I need to replace my car and all kinds of other stuff is going on to make December pretty stressful and busy. So no chance I’m going to chill out over the next 4 weeks…
As most of you will know, I don’t usually do anything in January because it’s a crappy month with crappy weather and we all feel crappy because we’ve just eaten our bodyweight in chocolate and mince pies! Plus there are things in the cupboard which need eating up which don’t fit in with restrictive diets and cutting things out. Blue Monday (the third Monday in January which is supposed to be the most depressing day of the year) is a completely fabricated thing, but seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is something a lot of us living in the temperate zones suffer from in the winter - low mood due to short days and dull weather, low vitamin D levels due to the sun being low in the sky. I don’t know about you, but I definitely suffer with this - I just want to hibernate, sleep more, not run around so much and curl up in front of the fire with the dogs.
There are a lot of reasons January should be a time to rest, recuperate, heal, take time out, engage in self-care etc rather than putting ourselves under pressure or rushing around. In historical times, we wouldn’t have had electric lighting or heating. The short days would have been forced upon us and we would have taken to our beds to stay warm through the long evenings, doing what our bodies are often telling us to do during the winter - sleep longer and work with our circadian rhythm, rest as nature does - so we have energy to work hard through the longer summer days.
Although I generally suggest keeping to the same sleep/wake cycle throughout the year for optimum energy levels and better sleep quality and quantity, one can adapt this in the winter to fit more with the outside light - perhaps going to bed a little earlier and getting up a little later to give you an extra hour in bed each night. But I don’t recommend hiding away from the cold and staying indoors all day long! Getting out during the middle of the day and maximising the amount of light in our eyes as well as communing with nature can really improve energy and mood as well as regulating hormones to improve the wake/sleep cycle. Cold walks out in nature and gentle exercise alongside resting and nourishing the body is really important.
So this January, after the mayhem of December and Christmas, as usual, I won’t be setting any New Year’s resolutions or partaking in any restrictive or competitive activities. These are just more traditions which have us chasing goals, rushing around, trying to fit too much into our day and competing with someone, something or ourselves, often ending up beating ourselves up because we fail to achieve the goal we set ourselves. But rather than doing nothing this year, I will be taking positive steps to look after myself, setting myself up for a healthy and happy and more energetic Spring and Summer.
What is this going to look like?
Earlier nights
Evenings in front of the fire with a good book
Winter walks taking in the cold crisp air
Clearing out any toxic household and skin/haircare products
Lots of warming soups and nourishing meals
Saying ‘No’ more
Cutting out all alcohol, because it really isn’t good for your liver or your brain
Engaging in something creative - maybe I’ll knit a jumper!
Allowing myself time to heal and energise
Lying in a little on the weekend (I never lie in!!)
Watching some good comedy on the TV - laughing really is the best medicine!
A massage or a pedicure, things which I wouldn’t usually do as they are ‘extravagant’ and I just don’t have the time.
Connecting with friends and family - connection is so important for our mental health.
Who’s going to join me?
#onehealth.