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Winter is a time when we naturally feel more
inclined to introspection and introversion. It’s quite
normal for people at this time of year to want more sleep,
feel less social and either eat more or find themselves
craving different sorts of food. Don’t worry about
this or try and fight it. Know that you’ll start to
feel livelier again as we approach Spring.
Work with this natural cycle to nurture oneself and go
within yourself. With less external distractions you can
focus your attention on your physical and emotional states.
Listen to what your body is telling you it wants, whether
it be to sleep in, having a leisurely bath, dress warmly
or eat warming foods. Give yourself permission to do it!
Fighting against these natural cycles causes stress to our
body and impacts the effectiveness of our immune systems,
leaving us more susceptible to disease.
Take note of any feelings that you would normally push
away and ignore. Don’t be afraid of these feelings
or emotions; rather take an approach of ‘interested
curiosity’. These feelings or emotions are trying
to tell you something and the more you push them away or
suppress them, the stronger they become until they explode
out inappropriately or eat away inside you until you get
sick. In many cases, just allowing yourself awareness that
you are feeling something is all that is needed to shift
the feeling/emotion. In some cases, you may need some help
from a practitioner to deal with what is coming up. Even
if it is unpleasant, it’s still much easier to deal
with it sooner rather than later.
Often the anticipation of looking at our feelings is much
worse than the actual experience of doing so. Experiment
by focusing your attention on a minor uncomfortable feeling,
sensation or emotion, so it will give you the confidence
and trust you need in order to approach any larger issues
you’ve been suppressing. The “Focusing”
exercise in the section below suggests an approach for this,
but it doesn’t have to be a structured approach.
You can also use an inward focus to think about and question
your belief systems. Once you start digging you’ll
discover that there is so much that we assume or take for
granted as being “so”, and yet there is no true
reason, other than our conditioning, that says it has to
be that way. Deconstructing your belief systems is one of
the healthiest things you can do and is a natural part of
personal growth.
Have fun with all of this! None of this is hard to do,
it's just a different way of looking at things and you'll
be surprised at what you learn.
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