Winter Retreat Day 4: Hibernation Rituals
Cosy socks on!
Hello and welcome to day four of our Winter Solstice retreat.
Today we’re taking a moment out of our day to focus on rest and relaxation. If you’ve wanted to embrace the slow living movement, now is your moment!
Also, a note that tomorrow morning there will be a livestream of the Winter Solstice sunrise at Stonehenge happening on the English Heritage YouTube channel. Here’s the link to bookmark if you would like to watch it. I’ll be tuning in!
But back to hibernation. In this cold, dark month it pays to follow the advice of the Danes who are well used to finding happiness in the winter thanks to their now-famous concept of Hygge.
The word Hygge is thought to derive from the Old Norse word meaning "protected from the outside world" which seems very appropriate for this month. So whatever helps you to do that is to be encouraged.
Below are four ways to embrace the short days and dark nights.
1. Light candles against the dark
Switch off ‘the big light’ in the evenings and light a candle or two instead. Candles can cast a cosy layer of warmth across this time of year and are much more restful to the eyes than harsh electric light. When used to illuminate the early winter evenings or dark, quiet mornings they can make this time of year feel magical. They are also a direct link back to our ancestors who used fire to mark the shortest day as a symbolic way of kindling the sun back into life.
2. Feed your inner life
Winter is the time for reading, dreaming, writing, sketching; whatever it is that refreshes your soul and feeds your inner life. Now is the moment to rediscover any creative pursuits that you may have abandoned over the summer. Let yourself remember what makes you happy, and doodle, sketch or dream up plans that you can put into action when the warmer weather returns.
3. Stock up your reading pile
Talking of books, take a look at Wednesday’s post on the best Wintery books and stock up your reading pile for the Winter. I find the dark nights of winter really lend themselves to folklore and fairy tales, mystical books, or those that transport your to somewhere otherworldly. The comments on that post are packed with excellent suggestions (thank you everyone!)
4. Stay indoors if you want to
I’m not advising you shut yourself away for the entire Winter season, that would be isolating and not very healthy. But give yourself a bit of breathing room at this time of year when it comes to invites and activities. Not packing the calendar with social events can help you to avoid burnout at a time of year when our energy levels are lower. Write ‘hibernation’ on your calendar a couple of nights a week in December and January if this helps, and ring-fence that time to rest and unwind indoors.
Ok, that’s all for now. I hope you’re feeling well rested, and I’ll see you tomorrow for the final day of our retreat where we gather to celebrate the Winter Solstice.
Until then!
Vicky xx
Missed a day? You can catch up with all our Retreat activities on the Seasonal Retreat tab on my homepage. Enjoy.
I enjoy reading The Long Winter in the Little House on the Prairie series, & how they survived it.
Yes. We so often forget to save ourselves space. Thanks for that reminder!