Five ways to hit the ‘Reset’ button and flourish through the winter months
In a world that thrives on perpetual motion and productivity, we’ve forgotten that our humaness requires the ability for fast and slow.
Here are five perfect slower moves for winter.
As winter settles in and we enter hibernation mode, it's time to embrace the chilly season’s reminder to slow down and take full advantage of the cooler month’s restoring effects. A time for introspection, different self-care rituals, and reflection, now is the time to harmonise with nature's gentle cadence, fostering a sense of balance and nourishing our overall wellbeing.
And just as nature withdraws into hibernation, we too can embrace the beauty of stillness and seek solace in the comforting rhythms of rest and rejuvenation, as we prepare ourselves for the vibrant renewal of spring that lies ahead.
WHY IS SLOWING DOWN A RADICAL ACT?
In a world that thrives on constant motion and perpetual productivity, the importance of changing our rhythm and winding down during this colder season cannot be overstated. And while some of us enjoy being a grizzly bear (or short beaked echidna) all year round, there’s no hiding from the fact that we are all affected by the change of seasons and intimately connected to the ever-changing dance of nature.
Whether we realise it or not, the cadence of the seasons urge us to adapt, evolve, and embrace the cyclical nature of life itself. But in our modern world, we have fallen into a place where DOING has eclipsed BEING. It’s a place where we’re constantly in high Beta, pumped full of adrenaline and anxiety that should be reserved for a threat response, but is now biologically becoming like the sugar hit we crave.
Burnout is reaching epidemic levels and uncertainty has become the norm, and yet we scratch our heads and wonder: why am I not feeling 100% more often?
(This is a signal that you might be running on auto-pilot)
The not so good news is that it’s going to take more than a temporary bandage to kick overwhelm and overwork to the curb. The good news is, we’re here to help you be someone who does something about that.
Introducing: a foundher. five on powerful ways to reset your body and spirit this winter.
SELF-AUTHORING A MORE SUSTAINABLE PACE
We believe that being able to set a unique, sustainable pace for ourselves is the new foundational high-performance skill. It requires us to be courageous and open enough to gather new insights and build recharging habits into our every day, as we gradually unlearn and relearn how to create a life we don’t need to escape from.
So, as we all start to round the half-way mark of the year and find ourselves smack bang in the middle of winter, what if you decided — right here, right now — that you were going to take this almighty opportunity to get in sync with nature and use this time to rest and re-energise? What would the best version of your next 90 days look like? And how would it impact your ability to BE your best, not just DO your best? It’s time to hit the ‘reset’ button.
1. SLEEP YOUR WAY TO SUSTAINABILITY
It’s no secret that winter and cold weather comes with its own sleep challenges for lots of people – including a disrupted sleep schedule, feelings of lethargy, and plenty of tossing and turning.
During winter, the shorter days and longer nights trigger our circadian rhythm, the internal clock that regulates our sleep-wake cycle, to adjust accordingly. The reduced exposure to natural light prompts the brain to produce more melatonin, a hormone that promotes sleep. This can lead to longer and deeper sleep, as well as a propensity to feel sleepier earlier in the evening. Additionally, the cooler temperatures in winter create an optimal sleep environment, as our bodies tend to sleep more soundly in cooler conditions. But it’s also about quality, not just quantity.
Cambridge Sleep Sciences Centre
We partner with SleepHub from Cambridge Sleep Sciences to reset our brainwaves for deeper sleep by using their cutting-edge device. The SleepEngine™ technology comprises psychoacoustic sounds with sinusoidal waveforms designed to optimise our sleep during winter, and enable us to better align our sleep patterns with the natural rhythms of the season, so we can wake up refreshed and ready to embrace the day.
2. FIND A NEW ROUTINE ANCHOR
How often do you wake up in winter, feeling cold and dark and frustrated about getting up? One way to work through this is to refresh and design what's needed for the season — a.k.a a new routine for the season we’re in; not doing the same thing you do when it’s light, bright and sunny outside. This is an invitation to be conscious and present to what’s needed in this moment; re-calibrating your routine to be something that makes sense for winter.
What does that look like for you? Perhaps it’s laying out some fluffy slippers next to your bed to slip on, programming the coffee machine to warm up before you venture out, or booking an early morning hot yoga class to get the blood pumping. Creating an equal parts accessible, rewarding and rejuvenating anchor to kickstart your morning routine, and finishing the day with something equally lush and heart-warming (or actual warming!) is a great way to hit the ‘reset’ button every day of winter.
3. SHAKE IT UP AND SHAKE IT OFF
When we’re under severe stress, going and doing workouts or moving our weary bodies doesn’t always feel possible. We get it. But it can be tempting to let the ‘all or nothing’ pendulum swing of the mind get the better of us, and then winter’s gone by and we’re as stiff and sore as we’ve ever been.
The question to ask yourself is: what’s your winter variety of movement? Maybe it’s doubling down on the cardio to boost energy and heat you up, or a slow flow just to move stagnant energy around. And chances are if you play an outdoor sport, that feels like a terrible idea right now, and you change things up for a dance class indoors.
The other benefit of regularly ‘shaking it off’ is that research shows that regular physical activity is also associated with fewer cases of flu and pneumonia, and there are several positive, temporary changes in your immune system when you commit to moving your body.
4. GIVE YOUR ENVIRONMENT A GLOW UP
A lot like the weather, our emotions can start to feel a little more grey in the winter. This is a great opportunity to pay close attention to the impact of small cues in your built environment. With less daylight, winter provides a great opportunity to create a gentle glow in the home; a way of enhancing your space, making it both welcoming and calming.
Hang up softly lit fairy lights, start a warming fire, or light a natural wax and eco-luxury iKOU candle to bring light and warmth into your home. Apart from their glorious smell and their gentle, mesmerising light, the act of lighting a candle actually lets your brain know that it’s safe to shift from beta to alpha and begin to slow down. Plus, iKOU (ik-oo) is a Japanese verb, meaning to rest, to relax and to restore, so you can’t help but, when you light one of these beauties.
5. VIVA LA VEDIC
In Vedic philosophy, winter is seen as a time of introspection, inner growth, and connecting with our true selves. It encourages us to delve deeper into self-reflection, meditation, and contemplation to cultivate inner stillness and awareness.
During winter, a Vedic reflection practice may involve incorporating elements such as pranayama and breathwork to help calm the mind, balance energy, and promote mental clarity. These practices enhance our connection with the present moment and facilitate deeper introspection. We may also like to dial up our journaling and self-inquiry, both powerful tools for self-discovery and growth, designed to help us identify patterns, uncover limiting beliefs, and gain a deeper understanding of ourselves.
The ability to dial up your reflection time, and maybe extend the length of your gratitude practice or journaling during winter can serve to help our body’s process the stress and combat cognitive overload.
REMINDER: THANKFULLY YOU ARE NOT A ROBOT
It can be easy, in the throws of life, to run on fumes and keep everything switched to auto-pilot. So, just in case you needed reminding today: you are not a robot. You are a human being, and a damn fine one that we want to see perform at their best for longer.
From moving the morning meeting an hour later to embracing a gentler daily movement routine, there are many ways to tweak your rituals to suit the season and enhance BEing at your best for the season you are in.
We believe that our humaness is out greatest untapped potential. In order to do our best, BEING and feeling our best self more often is the path forward.
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