“A little hibernation is good for the mind.”
While we all feel the urge to kick start the new year with gusto and hit the ground running…it may be going against nature and our innate animal instinct.
Scientists have shown that when we hibernate in winter we increase our ability to overcome stress as we give the body and mind time to heal. Giving ourselves some time out and embracing a bit of hibernation in our lives over the dark winter months helps us rejuvenate (as difficult and alien as the concept may seem to people).
Struggling to grasp the “How to” of Hibernation? Here are some tips!
- Establish what it is: Learn to give in, curl up, get warm and shut out the outside world… do as the animals do in winter. Try to accept the weather is cold, damp and not conducive to a good mood. Learn to go with the flow and the shortage of light.
- Try to make hibernation a ritual even if it’s one evening a week when you fully commit to it and find the method that works for you. It may be a hot bath, candles, comforting wholesome food, a great book, clean fresh pjs or bed sheets but try to let yourself go without any technological distraction.
- Having new fitness and wellness goals for the year ahead is fantastic but ease yourself in gently. Finding a little time for hibernation and in turn self-care will re-energize you for all the New Year will bring.
