Embrace the Slowness of Winter

In TCM, or traditional Chinese medicine, winter is a time of slowness and when (yin) the energy of the universe and our own energy (qi) moves inward and slows down. In our natural world, we see growth slow down and some animals hibernate. We all know the wonderful feeling of enveloping ourselves in a cozy blanket, sipping a hot drink, and enjoying the stillness of the winter season. Even when it snows there is a quiet and stillness that happens. However, we live in a busy world that doesn’t slow down in the winter and sometimes speeds up. There are a few ways that you can capture that slowness and savor it for a few moments to get you through the busy times.

Mindfulness

Winter can be a time of discovery about yourself. A time to refill your energy – creative and physical. A time to stop and appreciate where you have come from and where you would like to be. Shutting down distractions (yes, that means your phone too), stop participating in activities that drain you and being present is a good start to mindfulness. A few ways to practice mindfulness:

• Be creative – take up a craft, start coloring, journal – anything that will make you focus on the moment and help you unleash the artist within.
• Put your phone on airplane mode and just enjoy the moment.
• Breathe – simply focus on what gives you life.
• Eat mindfully – truly taste that hot chocolate!

TCM Approach to Food in the Winter

You may not be surprised that the foods that are so reminiscent of winter, are also the foods that traditional Chinese medicine recommends for your health. Warming foods, seasonal winter vegetables and fruits, and foods that cook low and slow are the most harmonizing foods during the cold months.

You should nourish your soul and your Kidneys to balance your body with the season:

• Seasonal – winter squash, potatoes, root vegetables, cabbage, mushrooms, winter greens, pears, and apples
• Warming – stews, soups, broths, and stocks especially with animal bones – lamb and chicken
• Kidney warming – black beans, leafy greens, walnuts, chestnuts, and black sesame seeds
• Other winter foods – brown rice, barley, millet, oats, aduki beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, sunflower seeds, halibut, salmon, beef, and lamb
• Herbs and spices – garlic, pepper, ginger, thyme, and rosemary.

Chinese Medicinal Herbal Formulas for Winter:

• Boost your immune system with Jade Windscreen Formula
• Fight symptoms of cold and flu with Gan Mao Ling
• Tonify Kidney Qi and Yang with Rehmannia 8
• Calm your mind and get more sleep with Calm Spirit.

Other ways to stay healthy during the winter according to TCM:

• Eliminate stress – feelings of frustration, anger and stress can cause an imbalance in your immune system leaving you open to illness
• Sleep in and retire early – this will conserve your Yang Qi – which helps to warm you
• Wash up – washing your hands and keeping clean during the winter isn’t just a Western approach – this can greatly reduce your chances of catching a cold or flu.

The Kidneys in Winter

The Kidneys represent the body’s basic and fundamental energy – and by strengthening this energy you can help to stay healthy and prevent illness during the wintertime. The Kidneys are a yin organ and they are associated with a cold environment. Winter is a crucial time to tonify your Kidneys to avoid losing too much Jing (Kidney energy that when lost can hasten to age).

You can strengthen and renew the Kidneys in a few ways:

• Rest – this is most important – like animals hibernating in the winter – people also need to slow down and embrace the quiet of winter to renew the energy in their body, especially their Kidneys.
• Spend time looking inward and reflect on yourself and the year past. You can do this with meditation or journaling.
• Practice intentional practices such as Tai Chi or Yoga.
• Cook foods longer at lower temperatures.

Grounding in Nature

Grounding, also known as earthing, is one of the best ways a human can connect themselves to earth and invite nature into your well-being. It may sound odd, but something as simple as walking barefoot on some grass or sand can be an incredibly healing practice. Ecotherapy which is grounding as healing can improve mental health, boost self-esteem, reduce social isolation, reduce anxiety, and improve physical health. ⁽¹⁾

Of course, in the winter months going barefoot isn’t usually an option, but there are a few ways you can incorporate earthing into your day:

• Get some houseplants and spend some time touching them, talking to them and caring for them.
• Open the curtains – let the sunshine in and better yet, take a walk out in the sun.
• Play in the snow – go sledding, skiing, or just have a snowball fight with your kids.
• Light candles – the element of fire is a big part of nature – meditate while watching the flame and connect to it.
• Soak in the tub – water is part of nature as well, take a long bath and focus on how the water feels around you.
• Eat earthy foods – such as turnips, pumpkin, beets and potatoes – cook them slowly.
• Take a vacation – to a warmer climate where you can go barefoot.

Hygge

If you haven’t heard of this Danish concept of hygge (pronounced hoo-ga), you will soon. You may have heard that people in Denmark are among the happiest in the world and experiencing hygge during the winter months is part of the reason why. “Hygge is such an important part of being Danish that it is considered “a defining feature of our cultural identity and an integral part of the national DNA,” according to Meik Wiking, the CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen.”⁽²⁾

Hygge comes from the Norwegian word for “well-being” and describes the part of Danish culture of warm and cozy lifestyle since the 1800s. So how do you embrace the concept of hygge in the winter months? Here are some ideas:

• Stay indoors all day and relax.
• Curl up with a good book.
• Put down your phone.
• Invite friends over for a Netflix binge – don’t forget the hot chocolate!
• Keep things simple and do things that bring you joy and comfort in the winter months.
• Create a hygge atmosphere in your home – bake a sweet treat, drink some mulled wine, and light some candles.
• Knit a huge blanket or sweater (store-bought is fine) and snuggle up with it.

In other words, hygge is about living in a cozy moment while the winter rages on. It is the ultimate self-care and way to reserve your energies while resting your soul.

The winter can be a rough time for many; depression, loneliness, and social isolation are more common during the winter months. The busyness of the holiday season and end of the year workloads can certainly make life move pretty fast. However, everything around you is actually slowing down – the animals and nature. We can forget that we need to take a cue from the earth and slow down during this time too. That way we can re-focus our energies with a well-rested body, mind, and spirit when the winter is over.

References
1 University of Essex – Ecominds: Effects on Mental Wellbeing – May 2013
2 Wiking, Meik. The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living. HarperCollins Publishers: New York, NY. 2017. Print.