how to soothe your nervous system in winter
daily habits to ground you, nurture you and help you sleep
Just a little reminder that you can access past newsletters by clicking on the “open online” link that appears just up there to the right if you’re reading from your email inbox.
Right on cue, nature celebrated the solstice by throwing rain, ice and bitter temps at us. I washed ice off the windscreen three mornings in a row and I thanked past-me who had booked a firewood delivery. I’m not sure there is anything like the comfort of a decent wood pile when you live in lutruwita although ours looks pithy compared to the neatly stacked walls of lumber that adorn the houses in and around town. They are fire fuel and status symbols.
After the shortest day of the year, we walk towards the light. This sounds like the opening line of a pentecostal church service (you must watch this) but it’s also a simple truth; the days get longer from here on. It’s about now that we relish the rhythms the cold encourages whilst also reflecting on the warmth of summer and knowing that one day soon, it will return. Beautiful, reliable cycles. In the meantime, we light candles, sleep for longer, respect the pull to hibernate and rest, mull over all that’s been and what’s to come. And by doing so we honour ourselves and the cycles we follow, the ones that mark the passing of time.
In deep winter, I’m intent on embracing seasonal rituals that support me so I can venture into spring with more energy.
Sometimes I write a sentence and wonder if I’ve already told you? This newsletter fast feels like an ongoing conversation with a friend and in most conversations with friends I think; have I told you this before? (As an aside, Conversations With Friends is an easy winter read and you can read a bit about the author and the joy and despair of writing a novel, here).
At the risk of repeating myself, I want to talk about how to soothe your nervous system in winter which is when our bodies are particularly vulnerable. All the more reason to plant our roots, ground ourselves and seek nourishment from food and rest.
I can share in my five ways to practise simplicity suggestions ways to take care of yourself but often there isn’t enough space to expand on why or how these things support you. Personally I’m quite motivated by the evidence behind these practices; it encourages me to practise them more regularly and once they become habits, I notice the difference when I let them fall by the wayside.
Here’s five simple but practical ways to soothe yourself and invite calm and ease when the temperature drops: