Wellness through Winter

Many say that February is the hardest month. The days still feel short, it’s cold, and we’ve had a lot of snow (and snow in the mountains for outdoor activities is fun but snow at home day after day may not be fun anymore). March seems to bring the promise of spring, longer days, and often a hint of warmth.  So how do we care for ourselves, our whole selves, in February, the depth of winter.

Each of us cares for ourselves in different ways and prioritizes different things.  I’m going to share my thoughts and some of what I do, and you can create your own beautiful ways of nurturing your body, mind, and spirit.  Please feel free to share in the comments what you do so that we may all learn from each other.

I will start by admitting that I am not a winter person. I love spring and summer. Winter is hard for me. I have learned from my own teacher over the years to begin to view winter through a different lens and to begin to appreciate winter for its gifts rather than just tolerate it (I still have a ways to go, but I’m learning). From the perspective of various traditions including Five Elements and Shamanic practices, winter is a time of rest. The earth is resting and preparing for the rebirth to come. The days are short, and we spend more time indoors.  One of many valuable lessons I learned from being a Peace Corps volunteer in a rural agricultural community was how disconnected we are from the natural world.  Wintertime in my community meant we changed how we lived. People worked differently. We often shifted tasks (like washing clothes by hand) to the middle of the day because it was warmer.  We ate dinner earlier and gathered indoors in the evening to drink mate and enjoy each other’s company. We went to sleep earlier and slept longer, rising with the sun and sleeping much earlier than in the summer. 

In our society, we try to maintain the same schedule and activity level regardless of the season.  For me, maintaining that schedule has a cost. It contributes to fatigue and feeling like I have to push my body harder.  For me, learning to shift how I live just a little bit with the seasons has been helpful. I do not live in rural South America so my life now doesn’t shift to the same extent, but honoring the seasons helps me feel better.

For me, sleep is essential. I have been sleep deprived as an undergraduate at MIT, as a medical student and resident, and then as a mom of young kids. I am not my best self when I do not sleep enough.  So, I prioritize sleep which means I make sure that most nights I am in bed for 8 or more hours. Sometimes I take a nap or do yoga nidra if I am feeling like I didn’t sleep well or didn’t sleep enough or just need extra rest.  It’s been a journey to learn to listen to my body and rest extra if I need it.  A book that has helped me on that journey is Daring to Rest by Karen Brody.

Food also matters.  In the summer, I like salads and smoothies and ice tea and all things light and refreshing. In the winter, I rarely eat salad.  I’ve been nourishing myself with lots of soups, chili, and warmer, heavier foods.  I tend to eat more roasted or cooked vegetables and feel better if I have some healthy protein (for me usually fish or chicken).  I try to avoid cold foods, especially in the evening.  I love tea and nourish myself with herbal teas, green tea, or my favorite new tea concoction (which is especially soothing when I’m sick) - honey, lemon juice, warm water, and grated fresh ginger.  When choosing a tea, I’m very intentional. I usually stop and think about what I’m wanting in that moment… something flowery or something earthy or something to nourish my immune system or green tea. I find that choosing intentionally what I am drinking adds to the feeling that I am intentionally and mindfully taking care of myself.

While talking about food, I cannot leave out the importance of staying hydrated.  I live in a dry climate, and winter means having the heater run frequently which exacerbates the dryness. We use humidifiers in our home. We have one in our bedroom which we use most nights and another in our living room/kitchen area which we use when it’s feeling especially dry – noted by increased thirst and itchy, dry skin. 

Another important aspect of both physical and mental health for me is movement.  In the summer and fall, I found I was easily getting 10,000 steps a day and most of my movement was happening outside.  In the winter, I’ve found I have to put in effort to get to 8,000 steps a day (I think my January average was 7,500).  So my movement practice has changed. I am doing more yoga and it’s not the intense vinyasa practice I used to do. I’m doing more slow flow classes or very slow hatha classes that get me into my body and give me the time to pay attention to the sensations.  I’m walking or jogging on a treadmill more and outside less.  And although I love my treadmill at home, I try to go the gym more because it gets me out in the world and allows me to connect with other people.  Our conventional health culture really touts exercise and tends to teach that more intense exercise is better. In my opinion, movement is essential but the type of movement needs to be tailored to the individual.  Thinking about winter, it is a time of gathering in our energy.  So I think about my movement practices and which ones really expend a lot of energy (running or weight lifting) and which ones get me moving but are more nourishing and energetically less taxing (slower walking and yoga).  For winter, I shift the balance towards more of the slower movement practices and less of the intense exertion. How much intense exertion I need versus how much slower movement I need changes day to day, but I try to listen and give my body what it needs.

Lastly, winter is a time of slowing down and going inside.  In the warmer months, I spend more time outside on many things (horses, working in the yard, etc). Since I can’t do those things, I’m using the time and space to slow down and to connect. I do more journaling, more reading, more spirit time.  As I slow down and pay closer attention, I am having a lot of things come up for me, lots of insights and teachings about how I interact in the world and where I need to grow and heal. I am using this time to do that work and heal and learn and hopefully be better and live slightly differently. (An important teaching from one of my coaches is that if you want different results in your life, you have to change something.) 

Connection is incredibly important for me (and we can easily get isolated in winter – especially those of us that are introverts). I connect with nature for brief moments – by mindfully looking at the trees and the sky from my house, by stepping outside for just a moment to feel the elements, or by pausing for just a minute when I feed the horses to stare at the beautiful sky. These moments ground me and soothe me.  I am also finding myself thinking about how I can connect more in my human relationships as they also need nurtured.  When life is busy, I tend to nurture my relationships less and yet they are incredibly important to me.  So, one thing I’m thinking about and trying to improve is how I nurture and lean in to my relationships. 

I wish you wellness and connection and joy as we move through winter!