It’s OK to be lazy in Winter

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about how the seasons affect our health, wellbeing, energy levels and lifestyles.

Most years I find the winter months a real struggle.  The short, dark days, grey skies and never ending rain tend to leave me feeling exhausted.  It gets harder and harder to keep up with my work and social life and I often find I need loads of sleep.  It’s tiring and frustrating all round.  I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling this way!

This winter I’ve tried a different approach.

Instead of trying to keep up with business as usual I’ve viewed winter as time to slow down, take it easy and hibernate a bit.

Here are a few things which have helped:

Sleeping more: I love sleeping at the best of times but this winter I’ve allowed myself to sleep for longer when I’ve felt the need. There’s no point in beating yourself up over an extra 30 minutes of snoozing.  Listen to your body and give it rest if that’s what you need.

Enjoying my home:  I spent quite a lot of time decluttering and tidying our flat.  We tried to make everything feel cosy with fairy lights, candles, house plants, burning essential oils and playing with the cats (simple pleasures!).

I enjoyed spending my evenings at home, with a tasty meal and glass of wine.  I feel a lot less sociable during winter and embracing that has been really nice.

Taking time to reflect:  If you’re going to be at home all the time you might as well do something useful!  I’ve used some of that time to make plans for 2017 and to organise myself.  My google calendar is like a work of art now and I’m excited about working through my to do list over the coming months.

Vitamin D:  I started taking a vitamin D supplement last summer and I really think it has helped my energy levels during the winter.  I’ve tried to get some sunlight every day too, although to be honest I could have done better on that front.  I also view this as a good excuse to go somewhere sunny every February.

Thankfully it seems that Spring is well on its way.  I’m itching to have our first barbecue of the year and start going on nice long Sunday walks again.

How do you cope with Winter? Do you love it or hate it, or does it make no difference to you?