Approaching the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, we find ourselves amidst the longest, darkest, and coldest nights. Likewise, the human experience encounters its winters – stages in life marked by desolation, loss, and lack of purpose. Yet, within these seemingly barren chapters of life, a profound opportunity for introspection arises.
Much like the dormant earth cultivating the potential for rebirth beneath its frozen surface, our personal winters serve as a crucible for critical self-reflection, sowing the seeds of renewal and elevation of consciousness.
Loss, disappointment, and regret come from cause and effect. Something was avoided, or not done during the previous seasons. Going into the blame game by attributing your situation entirely to external circumstances is the procrastination trap.
The blame game inevitably leads to a vicious cycle of wallowing in self-pity that makes everyone around you want to run. Seizing the opportunity in a “flat on the ground” situation is accepting responsibility, redefining purpose, and fine-tuning wisdom and knowledge.
The winter of life makes you resilient in accepting the impermanence of any given state. Life is a never-ending cycle of birth and rebirth, night and day, recuperation and active engagement. Winter is a time to reconnect to the root ancestral energy embedded within. There are several ways of how to build resilience during the winter season:
The law of nature demands rest and recuperation
The body needs at least seven to eight hours of sleep for a healthy immune system. A power nap of 10 to 15 minutes during the low-energy afternoon period of the day will work wonders to boost your mental and physical performance.
Exercise: All pelvic floor exercises that strengthen the bladder and kidney. The bladder has the longest meridian in the body on either side of the spinal cord. The kidney meridian starts at the base of the foot. Typical yoga poses are the cat, boat, and big toe poses. All basic Taiji movements are excellent
Nutrition: Drink lots of good water. Start your day by boiling half a lemon for five minutes just after rising from bed to boost hydration. The lemon peel contains numerous nutrients and enzymes, including Vitamin C. A salty taste is typical for the water element and crucial for kidney balance. But table salt should be avoided as much as possible as it weakens the body. Use natural sea and Himalayan salts with a high mineral content. Typical water-element foods are asparagus, beets, black rice, kelp, wakame, blackberries, blueberries, black grapes, watermelon, scallops, oysters, and mussels.
Breathing
One of the simplest and most natural ways of reducing your stress level is by simply thinking about how you’re breathing.
Inhaling and exhaling naturally through the nose is what you should be doing. As you inhale, the nose warms and moisturizes the air. Your nose releases nitric oxide, which widens the blood vessels, allowing for better transportation of oxygen to vital organs. Your breathing will be deeper and slower, increasing the volume of your lungs and diaphragm.
Elevating your stress resilience becomes a powerful force shaping not only your response mechanisms but also your ability to navigate the winters of life.
How you cultivate self-love intricately weaves into the fabric of all your relationships and how you relate to events in the external world. It’s crucial to distinguish genuine self-nurturing behavior from the misconceived notion of narcissism, which darkens the purity of self-love. The unraveling of harmony often begins with a detachment from the authentic self when you are pulled into the abyss of external distractions.
With a modest investment of effort, you can position yourself far better to weather turbulent times, enabling you to make better decisions with a tranquil mindset. This shift not only empowers you to weather the storm but also to emerge from it all the wiser.
Reino Gevers – Author – Mentor – Speaker
P.S. I’m excited to announce the release of my latest book, “The Turning of the Circle: Embracing Nature’s Wisdom for Purposeful Living.” If you enjoy it, you might also be interested in my previous works, “Deep Walking for Body, Mind and Soul” and “Walking on Edge: A Pilgrimage to Santiago.” You can find all of these titles at reputable bookstores near you.
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