At the start of this month on the socials I recommended supporting your mental health this January by recognising that not everyone’s personal New Year starts on January 1st. So, if you didn’t feel like it was time for making changes then no need to beat yourself up about not having any New Year’s resolutions. My New Year feels closer to March, others identify with Imbolc, St Brigid’s Day on February 1st and my friend Hannah’s New Year begins in September. Each to their own right?
Yes, it’s true your minds and bodies might have felt somewhat sluggish after overindulging during the festivities but is there really the need for extreme action while we are still in the deepest depths of Winter?
According to Daoist philosophy which underpins Chinese Medical Theory, Winter is the most Yin time of year. What does this mean? Well, in stark contrast to the warm, expansive, and active nature of Summer, Winter is a cold, quiet and contemplative season. We are encouraged to conserve our energy for the coming Spring by going to bed early and rising later. Warming, nourishing slow cooked soups and stews are comforting and considered easier for digestion. Our attention turns inward, helping us to reflect on the previous year.
So why on earth would we choose, during this time to about turn from Christmas couch-potato to super-gruelling exercise sessions that overexert us? Are we expending all the energy we were conserving for Spring, so by April we are exhausted and lacking the motivation to put into action our best laid plans as the Wood energy shoots up with the new green growth?
Why on earth would we start depriving our bodies of the nourishment and warmth it desires, instead cutting out complete food groups and eating chilled salad leaves straight from the cooler? Pass the steaming bowl of soup please.
Moderation isn’t particularly sexy but maybe it should be. Extremes are dramatic and make for better stories. Fasting, endurance, pushing through, suffering, punishing yourself but getting there in the end, pats on the back, all the likes, well done mate what a legend. Yep, we’ve all been there. Society favours the extreme, doesn’t it? What kind of nick are you left in though once the applause has gone? How are you showing up for the rest of your life? Maybe a wee bit wrung out? Nae wonder. It’s still the middle of Winter. Look at nature, what are the animals doing…they are hibernating, not going guns blazing building nests and eating all the nuts.
The middle way for self-improvement in Winter looks more like this: showing yourself some self-love and kindness by simply moving your body every day or making better food choices but in a gentle way. Taking time for yourself to rest, I mean really rest. That means resting your mind as well as your body. Finding stillness in a way that resonates with you – deep thought, meditation, yoga, walking in nature, music, art.
As we move from Winter towards Spring take note of when you feel yourself feeling more like getting out and about, connecting with others and putting plans into action. Could this be a better time of year for you to make some changes to improve your health and wellbeing? Equally if January the 1st feels right for you, then you go for it. It’s all about finding what works best for you. Just like your one-to-one acupuncture treatments there’s no one size fits all.