Embrace Seasonal Living
Perfectionism and capitalism have taught us that when we wake up in the morning, we should feel exactly the same every day.
In fact, the expectation is to produce a little bit more each and every single day. Forever. Until the day we die. When it’s laid out like that, it’s so much easier to see the ridiculousness of that sentiment.
Instead of being a machine that always feels the same and continues to produce more each day, we are human’s being. We are of nature, which means we live cyclically, just like Mother Nature does.
Here’s how you can tune into cyclical living:
- 🌳 Turn to nature: When we forget we’re nature and not a machine, there’s a simple solution. And it’s right outside your window. Tune into nature. My favorite ritual is to regularly visit my favorite tree. I watch how the tree changes and grows over the seasons. In winter, it’s bare, but during the early summer it flourishes.
- 🔁 Accept that we are cyclical: During the winter, the soil rests and replenishes. If it didn’t, it wouldn’t be able to grow a crop the next spring. Just as the earth rests, so must we. Our rest is equally important as our production.
- 😌 Do something kind, gentle, and cozy for yourself: One of my favorite ways to support myself is to ask this question: how can I make this 10% easier? When we need rest, but can’t necessarily take the day off, we can support ourselves by finding ways to make the task easier, gentler, or more cozy.
- 🍳 Is it a microwave or stovetop kind of day: My favorite snack is popcorn. The best popcorn is made on the stovetop. But sometimes, you need a snack and don’t have the time to pop it on the stove, melt the butter, and do the dishes. Those days are microwave popcorn days. Both end in popcorn. How we get there isn’t always as important as the end result.
- 🐶 Talk to yourself like you would your pet: We celebrate our pets for everything. Being cute, rolling over, sleeping in the middle of the day, finishing their food, having a round, adorable belly. Why can’t we also talk to ourselves that way? We can.