Winter’s Embrace: Navigating the Dead of Winter
“It is all very well to survive the abundant months, the Spring and Summer, but in Winter we witness the full glory of nature flourishing in lean times. Plants and animals don’t fight the winter. They don’t pretend winter isn’t happening and attempt to carry on living the same lives that they lived in the Summer. They prepare, they adapt, they perform extraordinary acts of metamorphosis to get them through. Winter is a time of withdrawing from the world, maximizing scant resources and carrying out acts of brutal efficiency and vanishing from sight. But that’s where the transformation occurs. Winter is not the death of the life cycle, but it’s crucible.” - Katherine May
“In the depth of Winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible Summer.” - Albert Camus
Embracing Winter
Even though Spring is almost here, we still have another few weeks of winter. According to Ayurvedic philosophy, we are smack dab in the middle of Kapha season, the period of late winter and early spring.
Kapha is one of the three doshas, or, bioenergies. It’s associated with the elements of earth and water, embodying qualities such as heaviness, solidity and stability. In terms of the body, Kapha season may manifest feelings of sluggishness, lethargy, congestion, as well as, weight gain, water retention and a tendency to feel more emotionally attached or stagnant.
Winter is a good time for introspection and reflection. The long nights and shorter days provide an opportunity to turn inward, contemplate life and evaluate goals and priorities. Because of the cold temperatures and inclement weather, Winter can lead to a sense of isolation and withdrawal. Some people find solace in spending more time alone, while others find this time of year incredibly challenging for various reasons like seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or finding it difficult to slow down, relax, rest and restore.
How has this winter been for you?
If you are someone that finds Winter challenging, you are not alone. We live in a society infused with hustle culture, a mindset that glorifies constant busyness and the relentless pursuit of productivity and success at all costs. Despite Winter pulling on our mammalian systems to slow down and turn inward, the patriarchy and its best buddies capitalism and hustle culture don’t let up this time of year.
If you’re someone who’s burnt out and OVER the demands of hustle culture, it may be time to learn how to embrace Winter. When we embrace winter we honor what our bodies, minds and souls truly need and we get the bonus of smashing the patriarchy in the process!
Check out the next section with journal prompts to help you get started uncovering your inner blocks to fully embracing Winter, rest and rejuvenation.
Blocks to Rest & Rejuvenation
Journal Prompts:
How is it for you to relax and rest? What tends to happen when you try to relax or rest?
When was the last time you remember truly relaxing and feeling settled & rested? Write out a few sentences about that time.
How are you feeling right now as you focus-in on these topics? Describe the sensations and emotions in your body.
When did you first learn about productivity? Who did you learn it from?/How did you learn about it?
How and when did staying busy and being productive become so important?
What are you afraid might happen if you really let yourself relax & rest?
“If I am not always being productive, then __________________”
“If I am not always busy, then _______________________”
Fill in the blanks as many times as you need to with your various fears
To get at the underlying limiting belief connected to these fears you can go a step further and ask: “Say that’s true, then what does that say about me as a person, that I am ________________”
Ex: “If I am not always productive, then I’m lazy. Say that’s true, (that I’m lazy), then what does that say about me as a person, that I am not worth much (I am unworthy).”
Therapist Highlight: Lindsay Fahey
Meet the dazzling Lindsay Fahey.
Lindsay is a licensed mental health provider in Colorado and New York. She is passionate about working collaboratively with others and the physiological & neurobiological underpinnings of mental health.
Lindsay has training in CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), DBT (dialectical behavioral therapy), emotion focused therapy (EFT tapping), EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy) and solution focused therapy.
By integrating these different healing modalities↑ Lindsay works collaboratively with her clients to help them regulate their nervous systems and learn skills for working through and releasing painful emotions.
Prior to joining the team at Brave Counseling, Lindsay worked in all levels of care including crisis, hospital, inpatient, outpatient, residential and private practice. Lindsay has worked with a variety of folks including kiddos, adolescents, college students, adults and those facing end of life concerns AND she has a sub-specialty in substance abuse.
Lindsay brings curious, empathetic, patient and understanding energy to her therapeutic work. She truly believes that we all do the best we can with what we have at different points in our lives and that humans are also capable of healing, learning & growing.
Lindsay specializes in guiding folks to...
Explore their own definition of success outside of traditional society
Their true selves or living in a really authentic way
Create deep, lasting change in their lives by providing support, validation and challenge
Lindsay as a person ↓
She moved to CO from the East Coast and found she truly loves hiking and other various outdoor activities
She tends to spend her time training for fun runs or charity races in different parts of country or pet-sitting for friends and co-workers
She enjoys good coffee, pizza & ice cream and likes to create playlists based on what her clients are listening to so feel free to send your song suggestions her way!
Ready to meet Lindsay and shake off the cold of winter? Connect with me for support at info@bravecounseling.com or 720-923-3033.