MIND. Practical Ways to Slow Down.
If you’re like me, you may feel the tug-of-war in December of the desire to slow down and rest, and the pull to engage in all things Holiday cheer. Here are a few ideas of how I try to balance out my season. Yes, I may lose some productivity, but I feel I also regain balance in energy that helps to propel me the whole year through. After all, life is about balance, and if we do not allow ourselves to slow down around the darkest time of the year, when will we? These exercises require a shift in mindset, as there is some degree of disobeying the cultural norm of not being hyper-productive. I argue, that’s good for our health.
Ideas To Include Slowness Around Winter Solstice
Alarms: Set your alarm clock 30 minutes later than usual. While my internal alarm clock wakes me between 5-6 AM in June, in December my natural alarm clock is more like 7 AM. Does your schedule allow for the flexibility to follow the season?
Morning Routine: Engage in one slowed down activity in the morning before opening up the computer, phone or going to work. This could look like a few minutes of gentle stretching/movement, a meditation, journaling. [see article: The Secret of Sacred Morning Time]
Post-shower exercise: I’m usually ending my shower to go rush off to do the next thing. A surprisingly challenging exercise is to take a full five minutes to moisturize following a shower. For me, I feel the impatience rise up. I try to quell that impatience to slowly care for myself for a five-minute mini massage to slow the heck down.
Holiday Parties: Politely decline that holiday gathering you really would rather not go to this year. Replace it with an activity you’d like to do for yourself at home.
Lighting: ditch the overhead lights and utilize lamps, candles and lower lighting to match the outside rhythm of light. Bonus: candlelit bath at the end of the day. [see article on lightings impacts on health: Lessons From a Sea Turtle]
Exercise: if you regular engage in high intensity exercise, consider incorporating one or two sessions of something more restorative. [see article on HIIT vs. Restorative Yoga]
