"What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness. " ~John Steinbeck
December is a great time to shift our focus to gratitude, recognize what's going right and set new routines for the winter season. When you look at this picture, what do you see that can nurture you to be your best self?
For me, I noticed:
As is gets darker earlier, we will have more time to be mindful.
As the winter sunlight shines, we see details more clearly allowing us to focus on our energy.
As we begin to spend more time indoors, we can devote time to journaling.
I encourage you to pick up your journal and brainstorm ideas to create a sound foundation to celebrate what's going well and what may need a seasonal shift. Journal prompts:
Contemplate on your gratitude habits and identify a mental shift to notice small things daily.
Focus on routines to nurture being your best self.
Identify your self-care rituals.
Notice where your energy increases and areas in your life which drain your energy.
With your ideas written down, December is time to develop a winter nurturing routine and rituals!
Start small
Set a schedule
Set reminders, trigger your mind to do your ritual or routine you created
Stop comparing yourself to others, this is your own self-care
When you find yourself making choices to break your routine or ritual, which we all do when our other commitments get in our self-care way, give yourself permission to be human. Check-in with yourself and begin again.
"Self-care is actually a process in which you get to know yourself...And what that looks like is always changing in relation to who you are and where you are each and every new day. To keep showing up and checking in regularly is to know and care for thyself." ~ Adriene