Whatever It Takes
It is snowing today here in the north country. January. Short days and cold weather. And we are in the midst of a viral blizzard with the Omicron surge. So there is even less going out and gathering with friends that help us us get through these winter months. Yesterday I was in a conversation about the exhaustion and weariness we are all feeling as we start our third year of a pandemic. It has been a long slog, and now we are stuck indoors alone, or cooped up with our family once again, pondering risk assessments for any activity we engage in. That got me thinking about self-care and giving myself permission to do whatever it takes to get through.
It is ok to recognize that the brain capacity is gone, and knock off work early and go for a walk.
It is good to ask what would nourish my soul and body right now. Maybe that is a nap. Maybe it is a curling up on the sofa with a cup of tea and a good book. Maybe it is pasta and a glass of wine for dinner that goes deep into my weekly WW points.
Working on a puzzle or getting lost in a movie is a terrific way to spend a snowy day. I don’t always have to do something super productive or active.
No alarm. Sleeping until you wake up. And a slow morning with a good cup of coffee. Days off were made for this.
Yoga pants. Whoever invented those, thank you!
Fresh air is always refreshing, and yes, it is a pain to put on all those layers, but I tell myself remember how good you feel once you are out there. Just go for 5 minutes. You can always come back in if it is too cold. But amazingly, I almost always make it for at least 30, and rewarding myself with hot chocolate, yes, that is a fine thing to do as well.
I am such a responsibility girl. Always thinking I “should” be doing more, working harder, giving 110% effort, focused. But you know what, right now, in this season, I just can’t. I do not have the energy or capacity. And that I have decided is ok. I need to give myself a break, and that feels like self-love.
Thriving or flourishing are not words I would use to describe my life right now. Winter and COVID, well, this is not my season for thriving. Get back to me in the summer. The word I am holding on to is nourishing. I am paying attention to nourishing my life, so that even in these long, hard days, it is more than mere survival.
I was listening to a guided meditation, and it said imagine you are a cozy cottage, and there is a fire going, and you are sitting in a chair by the fire, and someone is at the stove cooking you a delicious meal, and you don’t have to do anything but sit by the fire and be tended to. How does that feel? That feels like love.
Whatever it takes my friends, to create that sense of love and care for ourselves in these hard, cold days so that we can make it through with a bit of joy and delight.
Whatever it takes. Time to get our hygge on.
This Life 