How listening to your body’s inner wisdom can help you to feel more energised.
As the days get shorter and the nights get longer, you may find yourself feeling even more tired than normal. The good news is that it’s natural.
After all, some animals hibernate during the winter months and although this isn’t possible for us, even if snuggling under the duvet is much more appealing on a dark and chilly morning, nature is sending us signals through our hormonal system that we should be slowing down and taking more time to rest.
Yet this seems to go against our prevailing culture of always being on the go and continually striving, which can be exhausting in itself when you find it hard to push the stop button.
You may be feeling like you are in a constant battle with your body which wants to instinctively slow down now the nights have drawn in, but your mind, influenced society’s expectations wants to keep going. This can affect your energy levels further.
In this blog you are going to find out what you can do to embrace the colder and darker months so that you can maximise your energy levels whilst listening to your body’s inner wisdom.
This is for you if you suspect that less can sometimes be more.
Trusting your inner wisdom
Sometimes you instinctively know what you should do. It’s like your body is telling you what it wants. Perhaps what you should be eating (rather than what you want) or it’s giving you the message that you could do with some quite time rather than a newly released box set.
I am a great believer in listening to what my body is telling me, after learning the lesson that constantly being on the go, not resting when I needed to, was a recipe for burning out. I learned my lesson the hard way, and I now want to help others to avoid falling into the same trap.
What traditional medicine may be able to teach you
Traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine systems recognise that winter is the time to nourish yourself during the cold months of the year. Their teachings and principles recognise the need to slow down and accept the changing of the seasons, acknowledging that you may need to act differently when the days are darker and cold to the light and warmer days of the summer.
I know it can sometimes be difficult to accept, but working with the seasons can make a real difference to your wellbeing and energy levels.
How to feel more alive, energetic and joyous when it’s cold and dark outside
You may be thinking that’s all fine and dandy, but I live in the real world; I have a job to do and a life to live and I need to get on in life, but I need the energy to do it too.
I hear you and I know that it can seem like an impossible challenge, but I believe it is all about balance and you’ll know what that feels like for you.
To give you some ideas, here are my 5 top tips for naturally managing your energy levels during the winter months.
Photo by freestocks on Unsplash
Fire up the slow cooker
Ayurveda and TCM teach us that Winter is the time for eating warming foods such as stews, curries and soups which can both warm you up and nourish you from within.
It’s time for root vegetables, beets and winter squashes and good quality protein.
2.Put the kettle on
There’s nothing like a warming cup of herbal tea to warm you up on a cold winter’s day. Fresh ginger tea is a lovely option – it may help your digestion and support your circulation. It could be a real help if you need to get your circulation going to warm up those cold hands and feet.
Tea with warming winter spices like cinnamon and cloves can warm you up and remind you of winter festivities.
Photo by Julia Topp on Unsplash
3. It’s all about gentle movement.
When it’s cold outside it can be so tempting to stay in a nice warm house, but sitting still, perhaps under a blanket (I’m can be guilty here) can leave you feeling lethargic and even more tired.
It’s a great time for some gentle movement, perhaps some gentle yoga poses or some qi gong. If you are a little braver and have a dog to walk (great motivation to get outside) some gentle walking is ideal.
Walking gets the circulation moving, warms you up and the movement helps to stimulates the body’s natural processes like de-toxification.
4. Get some light in your life
The days can seem so short during winter time and it can leave you feeling down and demotivated, which in turn can lead to you feeling even more tired.
Bringing some light into your life may be able to help. Science has shown that exposure to natural light can directly affect your mood, alertness and cognition levels. It can also influence your sleep too, which is good news when your fatigue may be affected by a lack of sleep.
I always find that getting outside helps with stress levels and helps me to put things into perspective too, so I think it’s worth making the effort!
5. Embrace the darker nights with meditation and yoga nidra
I always think the dark is inviting you to go inward and explore your thoughts and feelings. You may have less distractions and yes, I have used housework and watching TV or reading a magazine as a distraction from exploring my feelings in the past, but the darker evenings can offer us the time and space to practice meditation and perhaps explore our spiritual development.
I find yoga nidra calling to me when it’s cold and dark outside. Yoga nidra is a form of meditation practiced lying down, that encourages you to deeply relax and perhaps reflect on you and your life.
It gives you permission (if you feel you need it) to lie down, cover yourself with a snuggly blanket or duvet and just relax and experience where your mind wants to take you as you and you may even find yourself dozing off.
You can find out more about yoga nidra and why I think it is such a wonderful practice in my blog – 5 ways yoga nidra could boost your energy, focus and wellbeing.
If you are wondering ‘does it really work’ there’s lots of research showing it’s many benefits.
Making the most of winter
Winter may not be your thing, especially if you feel the cold like I do, but I hope this blog has given you some ideas for making the most out of the dark nights, allowing yourself to relax and renew and finding some new ways to warm up when you are feeling the winter chill.
Embracing the seasons and working with them can bring a sense of joy, recognising that it is all part of the circle of life and this season has its benefits as well as its downsides. By focusing on the positives, welcoming winter’s plus points (think Christmas, new year celebrations, crisp winter walks, warm spiced drinks, to name just a few) you may find yourself feeling more at peace and energised even when its gloomy outside.
Has this given you a different perspective on winter?
Your top 5 take aways
Traditional medicine tells us that winter is a time for slowing down and nourishing both our minds and our bodies. It’s extending an invitation to relax.
Winter is the time to reduce salads and cold foods and warm yourself up with stews, soups and casseroles.
Getting natural light at this time of year can affect your mood, alertness and cognition levels, so venturing outside each day could help to improve your energy levels and wellbeing.
Gentle exercise can help the body to feel warmer and more energised, so getting outside for a walk or practicing gentle yoga, could be the stimulation you need.
The dark can encourage us to be still, relax and and go within, so winter can be an ideal time to practice meditation and yoga nidra and perhaps explore more of your spiritual self.
Have you been inspired but feel you need some support?
As someone who has adopted these holistic practices alongside a nourishing diet, herbal medicine and flower essences to help me to recover my energy levels, I am in a unique position to understand what you may be feeling. I am committed to supporting you to feel more energised by providing you with a safe space where you will not feel like you are being judged but will be treated with care and empathy.
I help people on a one to one basis, so if you’d like to discuss how working together could help you to kick start your journey back from persistent tiredness, do get in touch.
I offer a free 30 minute discovery call for us to chat about the help you are looking for and how I may be able to help you to feel like yourself again.
The content of this blog is provided for educational and information purposes only and does not constitute personal advice. It is recommended that prior to making any diet, supplement or other lifestyle changes (including exercise regimes), you first discuss these with your doctor or health care practitioner.
If you are experiencing persistent tiredness or chronic fatigue like symptoms, you should discuss these with your GP as soon as possible as these could be symptoms of another illness.