{"id":3616,"date":"2013-01-10T16:54:26","date_gmt":"2013-01-10T21:54:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theglobalconversation.com\/blog\/?p=3616"},"modified":"2013-01-10T16:54:26","modified_gmt":"2013-01-10T21:54:26","slug":"beating-the-winter-blues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theglobalconversation.com\/blog\/?p=3616","title":{"rendered":"Beating the Winter Blues"},"content":{"rendered":"

My question deals with something that may sound trivial to others but is a serious challenge for me.\u00a0 I\u2019m wondering what the spiritual approach to dealing with the harshness of winter would be?\u00a0 Although I have never officially been diagnosed with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), I\u2019d lay money down that I have it.\u00a0 I am happy, content and thriving throughout most of the year until these harsh winter months hit, especially after the holidays.\u00a0 All I seem to want to do is stay home, sleep, and disengage from life.\u00a0 It truly is a struggle, until spring comes and I\u2019m back to my old self.\u00a0 I\u2019m no longer okay with feeling awful for 3 months of the year for no good reason.\u00a0 There\u2019s got to be another way, right?<\/em><\/p>\n

~ Mark, North Dakota<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Hi Mark,<\/p>\n

There is always <\/em>another way, because we are creative beings and have the ability to decide how we want to experience any given thing in life.\u00a0 And when co-created events show up that are seemingly out of our control – like harsh, cold, long winters (I\u2019m from MN so I can soooooo relate to this) – we get the opportunity to decide how we are going to experience them as well as who we are in relationship to it.<\/p>\n

So now, Mark, it is your turn to decide who you are in relationship to this thing called \u201cthe harshness of winter\u201d, and create your experience of it.\u00a0 Don\u2019t worry, I\u2019m not just going to leave you with that, I\u2019m going to help you out with \u201cthe how\u201d part as well.<\/p>\n

The very first step is to manage all of these thoughts and emotions you have because it\u2019s winter, and the very best way I know of to do this is to engage in a daily practice, one that includes meditation (of any kind, whatever works for you) and gratitude (writing down at least 10 things each day that you are truly grateful for).\u00a0 Those two practices alone go such a long way in quieting the mind chatter and lowering external influences, because it shifts your focus on what is good and gets you centered and connected \u2013 always a great starting point when approaching anything in life.\u00a0 Plus, they raise your vibration and put you in a place of desire (creative)\u00a0vs. a place of lack (resistant)\u00a0for the next step, which is\u2026<\/p>\n

Decide and express who you are in relationship to winter harshness and how you\u2019d like to experience it.\u00a0 Let go of any beliefs about how you\u2019ve experienced it in the past, or how you think it has to be, put your focus on the way you\u2019d like it to be for you, and then express that.\u00a0 For example, if you decide that you\u2019re actually okay with hibernating for winter, then get some good books and\/or movies, buy one of those \u201csnuggie\u201d blankets to curl up in, light a candle or start a fire in the fireplace, and enjoy the comforts of home.\u00a0 Quit making yourself wrong for it.\u00a0 On the other hand, if you decide you\u2019d like to still be able to get out and about and be active during the winter, then make it a point to schedule some social dates with friends, sign up for a class, or plan a winter weekend getaway.\u00a0 Engage in winter activities like sledding, skating, or building a snowman, enlist a friend to join you and use each other as accountability partners.\u00a0 Make it a point to connect.<\/p>\n

I used to despise the months of January and February here in Minnesota, they were so cold and so long and I never wanted to do anything.\u00a0 My experience nowadays is vastly different.\u00a0 I decided that I am naturally one who does slow down in the winter and hibernate a bit, \u00a0I spend a lot of time in my cozy house (and yes I have a snuggie blanket) with my family and watch a lot of movies.\u00a0 And I love it.\u00a0 You see, I no longer make myself wrong for wanting to do those things, I embrace it.\u00a0 Incidentally I also decided that I wanted to be someone who enjoys winter, and while the latter is part of what I now enjoy about it, I also make it a point to schedule outings with my family and friends, and play in the snow with my 3 year old (something I previously also despised).\u00a0 And what makes this a sustainable choice and expression of who I am vs. a fleeting one?\u00a0 Those daily practices I spoke of as step one.<\/p>\n

Although you may never have a direct say in the weather conditions of winter, Mark, you most certainly have a direct say in how you experience it from now on. \u00a0And I don\u2019t tell you this in theory, I tell you this from my direct experience.\u00a0 I even look forward to winter now, something my former self of a few years ago would have laughed in your face if she heard you say it.<\/p>\n

P.S. I\u2019ve also heard those sun lamps are great for those dealing with SAD, you may want to consider getting one, or making a commitment to spend time outside every day it happens to be sunny.<\/p>\n

Nova<\/p>\n

(Nova Wightman is a CWG Life Coach, as well as the owner and operator of Go Within Life Coaching, <\/em>www.gowithincoaching.com<\/em><\/a>, specializing in helping individuals blend their spirituality with their humanity in a way that makes life more enjoyable, easy, and fulfilling.\u00a0 She can be reached at Nova@theglobalconversation.com. )<\/em><\/p>\n

(If you would like a question considered for publication, please submit your request to: Advice@TheGlobalConversation.com, where our team is waiting to hear from you.)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My question deals with something that may sound trivial to others but is a serious challenge for me.\u00a0 I\u2019m wondering what the spiritual approach to dealing with the harshness of winter would be?\u00a0 Although I have never officially been diagnosed with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), I\u2019d lay money down that I have it.\u00a0 I am […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[171],"tags":[655,838,837,839,343,835,836],"class_list":["post-3616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-advice","tag-choice","tag-creating-your-experience","tag-disengaging","tag-expression","tag-perspective","tag-sad","tag-winter"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theglobalconversation.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theglobalconversation.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theglobalconversation.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theglobalconversation.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theglobalconversation.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3616"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.theglobalconversation.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3616\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3617,"href":"https:\/\/www.theglobalconversation.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3616\/revisions\/3617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theglobalconversation.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theglobalconversation.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theglobalconversation.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}