Winter rituals
My favorite seasonal neighbor
I’ve grown to love the winter. Yes, the days are dark, dreary, and fecking freezing here in Upstate, NY. And yet, this season has so much to offer. For me, winter is an opportunity to reflect, rest, do less. It’s a kick in the arse to get creative about the ways I cultivate joy and care for my mental health. Every year it hits a little different, and this January, here’s what’s on my mind:
I’m reflecting on the highs and lows of my days and the past year. I’ve also asked my friends this question and found solace in the experience.
Proactively planning and giving myself every opportunity for pleasure and ease. Taking an extra fifteen minutes to snuggle my dogs or stay in savasana, embracing my Michelin tire-looking winter coat to keep toasty outdoors, and searching for interesting details within the grayscale landscape of January days (like the owl asleep in a tree).
Reconnecting with the repetitious habits that support my happiness like my AM yoga, journaling, and giving myself a firm bedtime. Watering my silly plants.
I am creating moments of connection with humans I adore, including relative strangers like my favorite Trader Joe’s employee or first-time students in my online yoga classes.
I am renegotiating the relationship I have with my phone. My NYTimes app and Reddit have become constant companions over the last year, and it’s relatively one-sided. I haven’t “quit” my most distracting apps, but I have set boundaries around how, why, and when I use them. Right now, I’m focusing on phone-free mornings and evenings.
Making small upgrades to my physical space; framing and displaying my favorite photo of Ballintoy harbour, hanging curtains, and upgrading indoor light sources.
And lastly, a few simple things warming my heart; reading Poet Warrior by Joy Harjo and watching my senior dog prance through the snow in her winter sweater. What are your favorite things about Wintering?