Now that Winter is upon us and the seasons are slowing down, it's a perfect time to follow suit and slow down too, but how can we slow down when our lives and activities are still full flow!
For me, it comes with a lot of planning, conscious thought and understanding myself enough to know what works and what doesn’t. My main priority at this time of year is BALANCE & HARMONY, as it allows me to create the freedom and the time to do what I need to do without being tied down to anything unnecessary.
But to create balance in my life I have to have a strong understanding of my personal needs and wants. For instance, I know that I work better when I'm in ‘flow’ and when I feel calm but to achieve this, I have to be very conscious of my thoughts and my actions and make sure that I have some sort of planning to know exactly what's happening and when.
Winter is a time I love to hibernate. I love to slow down. I love to just curl up in front of the fire with a fluffy rug. However Winter is also a time that the kids are really busy with all their sporting activities, so how do I find balance or even begin to consider hibernation?
Firstly, I set my weekly plan and block out specific times when I am going to be doing workshops, meetings, exercise, mindfulness etc. Then I work out when and what the kids are doing so I can integrate their activities it into my schedule. This gives me a clear overview of what my days & week will look like. As the season starts this isn’t always easy, but I make it work because if I get run down and I'm not able to cope, then the whole household falls.
When I make the choice to slow down, I see what's working and what's not. I look into how to find that balance and also create white space in my diary. In the process, I learn where to say NO and where to compromise. During Winter the sun sets earlier & rises later so our days of sunlight are cut short which can have it’s limitations. When we get back into the warmer seasons and the energy uplifts, I then change my whole routine around again! But for now we are talking about Winter.
During this time of slowing down, I also change the foods I eat, which are more warming and nurturing to my body and soul. I tend to use more warming essential oils as well like cinnamon & turmeric plus oils that calm me like lavender & balance. At the start of the season as I change my routine to adjust using oils to help me become more focused & organised, otherwise things can get very overwhelming real quick!
Winter also brings more colds & flus as the weather changes in an instant. This is purely our bodies was of telling us to slow down and adjust because consciously we haven’t aligned with Autumn reminding us of what’s ahead! This is the perfect time to use essential oils to support our immune system, respiratory system as well as our emotions, including guilt for not being able to continue with all the day to day events that need to get done.
So how do you slow down when nothing else around you does?
You need to be really honest with yourself & get to know YOU! Take notice of the early signs as you learn to be in tune with yourself.
When you're in tune with yourself you notice what's working and what's not. Even if you're not consciously aware of it, your body will be telling you through aches, pains, illness and disease. You may get an overwhelming feeling of tiredness for no reason creating a feeling of just wanting to stop and do nothing but lay on a couch with a warm blanket.
“Listen to your body because it knows!”
Sadly, sometimes in amongst the busyness, we don't hear those signs and we don't recognize what our body is telling us until it's too late.
So for me, I’ve become really good at listening and learning what works for me, a skillset I’ve learned over time to learn & put into practise. I set my schedule pretty tight because I know if I don't look after myself now the ramifications are going to be shown 3 months down the track.
I know my actions and how I'm feeling is a direct outcome of how I was taking care (or not) of myself 3 months ago. I know that when I stopped doing the things I'm doing, things start to become out of balance. For example, at the beginning of the year I stopped taking my supplements & morning smoothie; I stopped my daily exercise & yoga practise because life got real busy & I place my priority not on myself but my outside world being my work.
At first there wasn’t any change and I was coping really well but after a month, then 2, I started to notice my energy levels depleting, I couldn't keep up with everything; I started losing focus & life became very overwhelming as I noticed the early signs of adrenal fatigue. I was wondering why I was feeling this way and how I can ‘fix’ it when I realised when it all started. I traced back to when I started feeling this way and realised I had stopped doing the very things that were keeping me feeling balanced and what was working for my health.
As my children are now in their teens there are so many activities every day after school. Sometimes it's from the moment I pick them up after school at 3pm that I’m not returning home till 8pm that night. Yes I’ve become an Uber driver! So in amongst that, I take my work with me because there's always things that need to get done & deadlines to meet. This is where my planning comes in real handy & I schedule the things I can do in this time period, like talk to clients on the phone, do some planning, fix website issues & listen to my favourite podcasts!
There's always something on & I can always feel like there is not enough time in the day or I am always doing for others, BUT this is just a mindset and life is how you look at it. For me all this is a blessing as I get the freedom to choose what I do when I do it. I LOVE watching my kids light up when they play their favourite sports, I wouldn’t miss it for the world and how fortunate are we to have the amazing opportunities for them to choose what they want to do! There are always going to be negative thoughts pop up but that just reminds me that I have the choice to switch back and focus on the gratitude I feel for living my life the way I want it.
Fuel your mind & body
Our body & mind are powerful machines that need to be fueled and for me doterra’s bio available Lifelong Vitality supplements keep me humming along nicely. This is a non-negotiable for me because I know I need to maintain my health on so many levels constantly. I also need to maintain my mental clarity so I use a lot of oils that are going to support me in keeping focused, like Rosemary and Lemon, plus elevation, one of my favorites for lifting my moods. Focus Blend has been my saviour, especially when I'm out and about needing to get work done with all the noises around me and I may need to focus as I’m fine tuning, like editing this blog article at a sports carnival!
I love On Guard as use it every single day throughout this Winter season. I diffuse it with Easy Air and Lavender especially at night. I want to make sure that I'm keeping my resistance strong as On Guard beautifully supports our immune system and gives us those antioxidants that our bodies crave throughout this season. Easy Air helps me keep my breathing in check; calm and clear, which is really important to me, especially when it comes to my concentration, which is why I love to go for a walk when I can’t think straight, just to clear my mind, calm my breath and allow those thoughts to flow!
Stress is the silent killer
I noticed when I get stressed everything falls including myself and I’m not productive at all. When I feel fear or negative there is no balance or harmony, not for myself or within my home. That is why my number one goal in to look after me; my mind, my body & my emotions & for me to have the balance and harmony I need to be super clear in my actions and thoughts and consciously aware of everything that happens in my life.
So if life isn’t how you want it to be, ask yourself the question: Who are you & who do you want to be, remember you are not defined by your past actions nor is your future self set in stone, you are only the person you are right now & you have the power within you to make the necessary changes in your life to be who you want to be tomorrow and in the future.
Time to get real
What do you want your life to look like?
What future do you want for your children?
What type of energy do you want for your home?
What could you do better right now?
What changes can you apply right now?
And what can you let go of that is no longer serving you?
ABOUT RENAI STUPART
Renai is a holistic lifestyle coach, mama of 2, business & self-empowerment facilitator & entrepreneur. She passionately advocates a healthy lifestyle with decades of experience within business and the wellness industry through strategies that make it easy, simple and quick for one to grow their full potential. This she continuously shares with everyone journeying along the path to soulful wellness!