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It is snowing here in the United Kingdom.
As many people have been snowed in and advised to either find alternative plans, work and school from home or to take precaution when travelling, the snow has reminded me of 4 things relative to self care, healing and acknowledging the impact of seasonal changes.
Here is how nature, more specifically the snow, has reminded me how to continue the journey towards our true selves.
1. The snow is a temporary redress to a continuous season of healing.
While the beautiful aesthetics of the snow are lovely to look at as the blankets of white, powdery, wintery flakes cascade over everything in sight, this is representative of how we often glaze over the difficult, ‘boring’ parts of healing in daily life. The temporary glamour we see will disappear.
We must remember that while we have the beautiful redressed visuals of what our lives can look like through a white-washed lens, it serves as a 'beautiful distraction' that will eventually melt away,
where we are still left with the unhealed parts of us.
However, they are now doused in a heavier layer because we have to also recognise and acknowledge that the frosty aesthetic has played a role in romanticising the season of healing work that we've been avoiding to do.
The fairytale blanket that lays on top of the reality of our healing will be removed and whether it's the soft snowy parts or the solid icy terrains, what remains underneath still needs to be addressed all the same.
The guise is nice while it lasts because we don't always want the reminder of the work that we need to do. But the inevitable realisation sets in that the journey continues, regardless of how pretty, fluffy or comfortable we may want to imagine things to be.
2. Every individual snowflake is a reminder of how many different things contribute to our healing journey.
Many difficult things can contribute to widening existing emotional wounds. There's usually a plethora of catalysts that edge us towards healing from our painful situations and when we are in need of a tool or practice that doesn't seem to quite ‘work’ in that moment, it doesn't mean that we are broken, unable or unworthy of healing.
We require multiple avenues of support and tools for healing or perhaps something entirely new to what we've become accustomed in order to
penetrate the layers of woundedness for any acceptance and healing action to take place.
Each snowflake is a reminder that we are all different, experience situations differently and require different things to heal the very unique wounds we carry, no matter how similar or relatable the wounds are to others.
What I need to heal and practice self care will look and feel different to someone else, the outcomes of those practices and interventions will differ and the way that they are approached will vary.
The main thing to remember is that the self care requires personalisation to meet your needs. You can gain from both an individualised and collective process depending on what you need in that moment - we as humans cannot thrive and be mentally and emotionally wealthy in isolation.
3. Under preparedness for the winter time?
Given that we are a country that experiences poor and cold weather for most of the year, we are very under-prepared for times such as this (in my opinion).
The lack of preparedness reminds me of the inability to prepare for the waves of healing that often smacks us in the face without warning.
We may see it coming with all of the signs pointing to us needing to take action now! But we choose to ignore these signs until the time comes when we are blindsided to what is presented to us.
Building a toolbox of mechanisms, tips and strategies to apply at any given time, for any reason, in any season, is vital to a self care and healing journey.
As the saying goes, if you fail to prepare, you are preparing to fail!
Now, it is unrealistic to be prepared for every single situation that arises and we cannot predict what skills we may need. It is also not healthy to ruminate on the unexpected future - that is how anxiety is bred.
However, we can educate ourselves with a range of self development resources to help us if and when we are presented with 'emotionally strange' and 'difficult to manage' circumstances.
Being in a state of readiness means that you are able to draw from your toolbox at any time and be ready to act accordingly based on what you have experienced or may anticipate.
This is also a resilience-building practice because you are incorporating how you will manage to bounce-back into the healing strategy in advance of something happening rather than being reactive when something actually happens.
4. Take time, take it slow and make sure that you are treading carefully.
Planning the steps you are about to take is one of the common actions we all do when snow falls. While the road ahead may appear clear, the forethought for the footsteps ahead and appreciation of the ones left behind, highlights the progress made towards your destination. It reminds me that going slow and steady with intentionality is needed for safety, planning, mistakes and execution.
The snow encourages a pace of slowness, operating at a reduced capacity and speed than we are used to operating at. It requires us to take strategic steps and plan in advance for the best outcomes, which makes me question why the same precision is not utilised in other seasons?
I like to call this emerging period of my life the #slowseason because when I rush, I miss things. When I take my time, I am able to reflect, refine and re-adjust my approach with accuracy. The snow reminds me that I should grant myself permission to take life at a slower, gentle pace more often.
Slowness does not mean that we will not get to where we want to get to, it simply means that we are allowing ourselves the time to fully regenerate so that we will be more efficient, impactful and actually address the deep wounds, properly!
Using slowness as a self care practice can present the reasons for why we lean towards microwaved and fast-food healing. Uncomfortability towards change!
Ask yourself, why do you think we are impatient to the slow-cooked healing that is needed?
Think, if we are more strategically inclined to approach self care and healing in a slowed down manner, what continuous progress we can make?
Imagine the healing that can come from this?
Imagine the learning that can come from this?
Imagine the practices we can pass down or pay forward from this?
Imagine the possibilities.
If you are wanting to plan, track or get inspiration for your healing and self care habits, try out these resources:
1. Buy - The Power of 7 - Ultimate Self Care Guide [CLICK BELOW]
2. Free Download - 30 Days of Self Love Challenge [CLICK HERE]
3. Free to Listen - Self Care Rules 101 [CLICK HERE]
4. Free to Watch - How To Look After Yourself During The Seasonal Holidays [CLICK HERE]
With love and learning
Rhyana XOXOXOX