Hi, Beauties ♥
Hey, everyone! It’s me, SiddeeQah, back again with another guest post.
Embracing the Winter Solstice!
Amidst the chaos of the holidays, we often forget the true star of the holiday season – the winter solstice. It’s a time to unwind, reflect, and focus on self-care. It’s the longest night of the year, marking the start of our collective journey towards summer sunshine. So, let’s bring balance to the season, instead of getting swept up in the frenzy of it all. Give your body and emotions the TLC they deserve with these self-care tips inspired by the energy of the winter solstice!
- Transform Rest with Release
The longer nights of winter is the Earth’s way of telling us to get more rest. But what does that really mean? Sleep patterns can’t change overnight and our stressors don’t go away at the snap of our fingers. We can change the way we rest by implementing a physical release practice before we do. Most of these are lazy-proof for those of us who have a hard time staying disciplined. Give one of these a try:
1. Somatic stretching in bed to release negative emotions and trauma that gets stored in the body, keeping us from mindful moments and better sleep.
2. A talk diary – the practice of speaking out loud to yourself or recording yourself. You can use this diary to make lists, laugh about your random thoughts, cry or vent about heavy situations, whatever you choose! Essentially you are dumping your brain and body of the stimulating thoughts that may keep you from proper rest and mental wellness.
3. Paper ripping. Whether you can fill a journal page or can only manage a few words, the paper ripping practice is a great way to experience a physical release. Write, draw, or scribble your challenges at that time on a piece of paper. Once you feel you are complete and accurate in your expression, rip the paper into tiny shred. Practice as needed and be sure to support the planet by recycling the scraps.
- The Gratitude Habit
Gratitude may be a very popular buzz word in the wellness and spiritual communities… and for good reason. The self-care approach to gratitude is intentionally taking time to say “thank you” to yourself for everything you’ve done this year. It isn’t just a reserved for the goals you reached or the hurdles you overcame, it’s also acknowledging the tiny choices you made for yourself even if you did not feel or do your best. It is showing appreciation to the people and experiences that influenced your year.
Here’s the How-To: Infuse gratitude into your actions daily for 21 days gently. Choose something every day to say “thank you”, whether it’s the comfort of your bed or the warm water from your shower. Get custom with the things you say, there is no right or wrong way to be thankful. You’ll find that your gratitude will grow stronger with time. We are in a season of gift-giving and should be mindful to not gift out of obligation and instead, gift with gratitude. Gratitude practices have shown to improve moods and mental well-being. How do you think you can benefit from a 21-day gratitude practice?
- Light a Candle for Yourself
…or a lamp or a small led light. Whatever you choose is meant to illuminate a moment for yourself. Similar to the gratitude habit, this is a 21-day practice you implement gently. Don’t be hard on yourself if you miss a day, however, attempt to light a candle for yourself daily. When this candle is lit, you are exclusively tending to yourself; this block of time is reserved for you alone to do an activity or nothing at all. If you find yourself saying, “I don’t have time to light a candle for myself today.”, it is a clear indicator that change is needed. Finding moments for yourself should be easy and not a concept you’re chasing day after day. This practice pulls directly from the winter solstice energy, creating a balance of self reflection and self celebration.
There we have it, Beauties! I ask us all to partake in at least one of these self-care tips…we deserve it.
Thank you for having me!
SiddeeQah
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