Make friends with winter. How to mentally prepare for the cold days ahead...

Map out the months ahead with intention and enthusiasm as you embrace these hibernal ways.

     I used to dread winter with its heavy gray days and frosty windows. Now, I welcome it as a chance to slow down. I can't wait to pull winter around me like a big comfy blanket. Realizing at the end of this year, I need rest. Luxurious unabashed rest.  John Boswell, captures it perfectly. “Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments, embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour.”

   There is as much joy to be found in the quiet of winter as with the full extroversion of summer. We are in relationship to the natural world as it expands and contracts. Not simply bystanders and observers in our surrounding landscape, we’re a part of it. 

Grab a pen and paper. Map out the months ahead with intention and enthusiasm as you embrace these hibernal ways. Make friends with winter. Go on a journey of self discovery. As you remember what you love, use that to fuel what you create for yourself moving onward.

Gather golden moments.

Start daydreaming. Rather than sulk into preconceived ideas of cold weather and darker days, close your eyes and imagine how you want to feel.  What do you love about this time of year? Bundling up for an invigorating walk? Staying in by the fire reading a book? Letting a perfectly spiced stew simmer for hours?  In its own unique sensory experiences, we get the perfect capsule of time.  Linger, there’s so much to gain from a dedicated season of being. What will your golden moments be? Make a list of everything you want from this wintry mix of months. Wake up your lungs with a big inhale of December’s cold air. Come alive. Welcome winter.

Embark on a sentimental journey.

While it is sometimes hard to navigate the cloudy days and heavy air, this is a time to be present for both our joys and sorrows. Winter is a time for healing as we rest and recover from the year gone by. We get a good dose of nostalgia as we move through the holidays. So many traditions carried so deep are a part of who we are. Even if there is a bitter sweetness to the memories, be with your old traditions. Never hesitate to start new ones. Celebrate in new and bold ways. Be mushy and gushy with people in your life allowing for sentimental sharing.  Invite people into your heart and home. Host a dinner or game night to bring people together. If you seek community, be community. We are all on this journey, as Ram Dass says, “we are all just walking each other home”.

Enjoy every idle hour.

We all get that little bump of dopamine as we cross off something on our to-do list, but it’s time to start questioning if you’re a productivity addict. As often as we feel like we need to be doing something, there is so much to be said for giving yourself some space to BE.  A chance to sit with life in some pensive moments of reflection. As you catch yourself in a daze, just let the reigns go for a minute. Let your mind run wild like horses through the open field. It’s what the mind craves, a little freedom. Stream of consciousness gives way to a creative spark. We are all seeking the things that inspire us most. Rest assured that so much of the successes moving forward come from drawing inward.

Even if you have to make peace with the temporary isolation, there is plenty of opportunity to gather golden moments. Go all in on self care. Cuddle up in bed for some deep rest. Sink into a bubble bath. Stare out the window to watch the birds. Sharpen your color pencils to finally dive into the coloring book you’ve had on the shelf. Journey into self. Remember what feeds you. Refresh your outlook on the world around you in every idle hour.