The Season Of Rest and Relaxation
Humans, animals, and plants alike can sense winter approaching. The sun sets at 5 pm and nature slows down around us. Plants pause growing and slow their metabolism until the days become long and bright again. Many types of creatures hibernate in the winter months to slow metabolism and conserve energy so they can thrive in the warmer months.
According to the Chinese philosophical concept regarding the “opposite yet interconnected forces” Yin and Yang, summer is the season of Yang, while winter is the season of Yin. Yin refers to dark, slow, cold, and inward energy, while Yang refers to growth, heat, and outward energy. One cannot exist without the other. With an active summer comes a slow-moving winter. Throughout the warmer months, it seems at times that I have a never-ending supply of energy. I go out with my friends more. I swim in pools. I wake up early to tan in my backyard, then stay up late drinking homemade cocktails. Vitamin D makes me glow from the inside out. There is sunscreen and productivity in the air, and I tend to get more accomplished. Life feels fast-paced, but in the best way.
As my freckles fade, my energy fades as well. November is always an adjustment. When I look out my bedroom window, the trees are losing their leaves, the sky feels darker, and I feel much more sluggish. I try to fight the urge to crawl into my bed right after my classes end, but I have already been losing. Winter is hard for many people, including myself. Instead of resisting, we should embrace what this season is asking of us: to rest and retreat. As the classic ancient Chinese text Huang di Ne Jing states, “during the winter months all things in nature wither, hide, return home, and enter a resting period.”
Days are shortened, and our circadian rhythms are disrupted. With less sun exposure comes decreased serotonin plus a lot of added emotions. Seasonal Affective Disorder is a real and debilitating thing for those who struggle with it, and you aren’t a bad person for letting it control you sometimes. It is normal to have reduced energy, and perfectly fine to socialize less, stay indoors, and take more naps. It isn’t our fault that our bodies naturally become sleepier; the urge to be comfortable and warm at all times should be honored.
Even when these months may call for more alone time, please don't isolate yourself. Connecting with fulfilling people has the ability to breathe life back into you, and hyper-isolation only breeds loneliness. Try to fill your calendar with at least a few things to look forward to, while still honoring your need for extra rest days.
I have been preparing myself for the even darker months ahead by working on forming low-energy habits that make me feel happy and restored. I have been going to sleep early, and (attempting) to wake up with the sun to receive as much Vitamin D as possible. I have been reading books and taking my vitamins. I get my responsibilities handled earlier in the day, so when the sun sets I can fully slip into my laziness without the feeling of shame preying on me.
Take advantage of how introspective this time can be, and allow yourself to sit in the stillness, giving each individual thought space to be. Fully process the changes and challenges you faced this year to clear all slates and prepare for the new year. Thank your body for getting you through it all, and reflect on other gratitudes as well. Doing this can be as simple as stripping yourself of all distractions by taking a quiet, warm shower, or allowing your stream of consciousness to flow onto a piece of notebook paper.
When the dead of winter rolls around and you are being hard on yourself for feeling sluggish and withdrawn, remember it is natural, it is a phase, and it will pass. Turn on a warming Christmas film and remember that balance is necessary for all living things. Stop resisting your body begging for rest and relaxation, and surrender to the relief of a slow winter.
Sources:
https://www.marzenawojcik.com/new-blog/winter-time-the-most-yin-time
Strike Out,
Written by: Bria Vanwagoner
Edited by: Sarah Singleton
Graphic by: Hallie Meers
