Winter is often a season which people dread due to the fear of catching colds and flu’s, spending time indoors, experiencing shorter days and colder nights.
It can however be one of the best seasons for healing.
As a Holistic Health Educator and Nature Based Therapist I encourage people to embrace winter on all levels; including the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual.
Here is my advice on beating the winter blues with Nature Based Therapy and making the most of this healing time.
Mentally
It is important to accept that winter has come, and it is a natural part of our cycle in nature. If we don’t accept the colder months and continuously want for spring then we become discontent with our lives on a daily basis which leads to poor mental health.
Emotionally
When we are in good mental health then we can regulate our emotions better. Winter allows us to stay indoors and rest. It is also a time that we can reflect on the last season (Autumn- a time of letting go) and start to journal our thoughts through writing. It is also a perfect opportunity to bring colour therapy into our lives as the colder darker months can be grey and bleak. Colouring books and art or finding beautiful blues and greens to brighten up your clothing can be beneficial to regulating emotions.
Physically
Winter is a great time to nourish our bodies with healthy food. My favourite winter foods include soups and slow cookers. A perfect opportunity to include organic root vegetables, grass-fed organic meats and herbs into your diet. They are both easy to make, warm up the body and heal. Drinking fluids is important as our bodies can get dehydrated through heating so make sure you are having at least 1.5 litres per day and include herbal teas. If you do catch a cold and become unwell, rest and allow the body to heal by letting the symptoms surface and be released from your body.
Spiritually
Winter is a great time for spiritual growth. When we rest, and go inwards we find ourselves in a space that allows us to see our truth and accept what is. It is also a good time to put on our raincoats and gumboots and head outdoors to the lovely beaches and rainforests that we are so blessed to have in the Otway’s. There is nothing more invigorating than that feeling of icy cold wind on your cheeks or hearing the splashing of water below your feet to remind you that you are alive! Beating the winter blues with Nature Based Therapy has never been so much fun!
There are many things we can do in beating the winter blues with Nature Based Therapy whether it is through nutrition, journaling, creative arts or seeing nature as a metaphor for understanding our lives a little bit better and its connection to nature.
