Winter is the worst time of year for me. I really struggle with my ability to stay focused, productive and my anxiety increases. I get very irritable with constantly seeing white snow, cold weather and layering on clothing. It is difficult for me to get past this attachment of hating winter.
It doesn't help that winter is some of the busiest times of the year for my family. After the holidays, my kids and husband's activities go into hyper-drive. Each day there is some sporting event, that either I have to drive to - in horrible weather conditions, or my husband is coaching and is not home to help shovel/snow blow our super long driveway or help with the myriad of chores around the house.
I constantly feel exhausted and unmotivated to be social, get off the couch or even do the things that I enjoy, like cooking, reading and being in nature. I end up scrolling on Facebook, binge watching brainless television or day dreaming about what I really would rather be doing in the warmer summer months.
According to my dosha, which is Pitta it shows that I prefer the seasons of spring and fall. I need warm grounding practices. I should eat fiber filled foods within stews and soups. The sun energizes me and I should wake in the morning, with the sun, to energize my day. I should infuse teas with herbs aid in digestion such as: cinnamon, ginger, cloves and cardamom. I need to avoid overstimulation and take time for daily reflection and stillness.
This year I am trying some new things to try to help with my lack of Winter Motivation.
I've really started to focus more on my heath and nutrition. Previously in the winter, I would really "pack on the pounds" with left over Christmas treats, constant carbs and going out to eat. I started a wellness journey in October, working with a nutritionist to figure out what was causing me digestive problems and excessive weight gain. I've been journaling what I eat for each meal. Not counting calories or carbs, but just what I'm eating and how my body is feeling afterward. With that journaling, it showed that gluten, processed, fried and heavy starches like white potatoes and rice increase my bloating, inflammation and constipation. So I started cutting items like chips, pasta, bread, bagels, items with high added sugars and fast food out of my diet. Also, to help boost weight loss, I started taking a semaglutide once a week. Using the weekly shot has reduced my blood glucose levels and allowed me to really realize when I was full as well as when I was reaching for food due to stress eating instead of nourishment. Some people may think that using a semaglutide is "cheating" but it allowed me to focus on what my body is really feeling and not on points, macros or calories. With help from my nutritionist, I am weaning off of the semaglutide, but I now know how to listen to my body, determine what foods are causing inflammation and discomfort and how to use food as fuel, not to feed by emotions. So far since October, I have lost 30 pounds and have developed routines to support the life changes. I'm meal prepping my lunches, eating protein filled breakfast and not stress eating/snacking after work.
Another suggestion from my nutritionist was to move more. I think this is an obvious statement that many health professionals tell us. I already get 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day working at an elementary school, but it needed to be more than that. As a perimenopausal women in my early 40's it is recommended that the best exercises be weight bearing - low impact (walking), weight/strength training (weight machines/free weights) and stretching/breathing/flexibility exercises (yoga). So that is exactly what I did!! My daughter has volleyball practice on Monday & Wednesday's thirty minutes away from our house, so instead of driving back and forth from home to her practice, I work out at Planet Fitness. It has been the best time!! I put on a podcast, walk on the treadmill, then do the weight machine circuit, read a book on the stationary bike, then do tine minutes on the chair massage. Also, I've been trying out new yoga studio's and classes to see which style and teacher fits my own psychical style. So far I've really liked Yin and Vin-Yin yoga where I can get deep stretches and regulate my breathing to release stress in my muscles and in my mind.
There are days that are really bad, where I zone out and stare out the window, just wishing that all the snow will just melt, that the floors of my house could just be clean and not caked with road salt and dirt, that I could just take a walk outside without the air hurting my face.
Today, I've have little to no motivation, I don't want to be around people and pretend to be happy and positive. I just want to curl in a ball on my couch under my blanket and watch some stupid Housewives of something show, but that isn't an option. When I feel like that, is when I write!! It helps to write down how I'm feeling, how there are positive things that I am doing in my life to pull me out of this and that soon the weather will change, there will be green grass popping out under the snow, there will be warmer weather and sunshine ahead. I have to get through the cold nothingness to appreciate the spring/summer liveliness.
Seasons, situations and life changes. There are times that will drag me down into despair and times that will elate me. I have to remember to take care of myself during both times to breath and balance the positive with the negative, the truth and untruth and know the snow will melt eventually.
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