Our friends at Retreat Yourself, have some much needed advice for all our mamas in the way of rest. Yes, we are looking at YOU! The one with the never ending-to-do list, the I’m too busy to rest, and the one that can’t shut their eyes when they fall into bed at night.
Winter is nature’s way of telling us to slow down and recuperate; to carve more time for rejuvenation and spend less time on the move. It’s a welcome change every year, because after months of nonstop on-the-go days, we all deserve to rest.
Can you feel a change in the air? Not just in temperature, but in our cravings, moods, and routines.
The sun is setting earlier in the evening, creating the perfect atmosphere for cozy movie nights on the couch. We’re waking up to cool, crisp mornings, as we reach for our warmest jumper and long woolly socks. We savour hours of hibernation at home, brewing a warm cup of tea or hot choccy, feeling thankful we aren’t out in the cold. Hot baths last a little longer, bed feels so much cosier, and we sink comfortably into the season of rest.
Winter is nature’s way of telling us to slow down and recuperate; to carve more time for rejuvenation and spend less time on the move. It’s a welcome change every year, because after months of nonstop on-the-go days, we all deserve to rest.
You deserve to rest.
There may still be lots on your calendar through the colder months, but embracing winter is about capturing all those little moments to breathe, rest, relax. It’s about finding little ways to treat yourself and heat up the soul; to savour the warmth when you come in from the cold.
It’s about finding time — and making time — to just be. To breathe. To exist for a moment, without the fast pace of life calling you back through your front door.
Five minutes of meditation here, an hour of rest there, a snuggled-up Sunday morning with breakfast in bed… it all adds up to a warm, cozy season of rest.
Especially when you allow yourself to embrace it.
You may feel pressure to be productive, but try not to let it overcome you. Do what you need to do each day, get it all done, as you do best — but find those spare minutes to relax, pause, unwind, without letting any guilt creep in. Remind yourself this is the season of rest, and you’re doing what you’re supposed to do. The animals are hibernating; why shouldn’t you?
When you find time for it, get as cozy as a bear sleeping in its dark den. Light a candle, grab a blanket, dish up a warm meal and sit back. Breathe. Warm up. From your toes to your nose. Body, soul, mind. Lean into everything that makes you feel so good.
You deserve to rest. And what better time than when it’s freezing outside?
Reposted with permission by Retreat Yourself at www.retreatyourself.com
Photo by Alexandra Gorn on Unsplash
