025- Embrace the Pause- Harnessing the Power of the Winter Solstice

Embrace the power of the winter solstice to recharge, reflect, and prepare for a vibrant new year. Learn how to harness the energy of this season to boost your well-being and achieve your goals.

Key Takeaways:

1. Embrace the Pause: Use the winter solstice as an opportunity to slow down, rest, and recharge.
2. Reflect and Renew: Take time to reflect on the past year and set intentions for the future.
3. Prioritize Self-Care: Practice self-care activities like meditation, yoga, and spending time in nature to nourish your mind and body.

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Transcript

Embracing Winter's Pause for Renewal

Speaker 1 2:28

Well, here we are, heading in towards the end of December and already the end of 2024. It's honestly crazy how quickly this year has flown by. Yet this year has come with so many challenges, hardships, yet joys and accomplishments, and the whole point of today's episode really is talking about the winter solstice and the longest day of the year, which is this year, saturday, december 21st. On the longest day of the year, the sun travels the shortest path through the sky, resulting in the day of the year with the least amount of sunlight and therefore the longest night. So up in Northeastern United States, my area is looking at a total of nine hours and six minutes of daylight, which seems longer than what I thought it was. But you know, when you wake up in the morning and you're like kind of rushing to get the kids out the door to the bus or getting yourself ready for work, to log in on time, or get out the door on time and making lunches and making breakfasts and making sure all the things are in the backpacks that have to go outside with them so we're not running around back, you get a phone call from school. Hey, mom, I forgot my iPad. Can you bring it to me? Yes, it grab my iPad, can you bring it to me? Yes, it's happened multiple times this winter so far and we're not even halfway through it. But before you roll your eyes and think, melissa, it's freezing, it's dark and it's depressing, stick with me because, depending on the day, my thoughts are right there too. But honestly, it usually starts to creep in around September when the kids go back to school and ultimately, when we change the clocks back. That shift in daylight hours it really throws you for a loop and it being dark, or almost dark by the time I end my workday, it really feels like it takes a toll on both the body and the mind, and winter gets a really bad rap, I think, for all of these things. But let's do a little mindset shift and think about how it's got some serious magic that we can tap into, especially in this wild midlife phase. So let's think about it. Nature really, ultimately, is hitting a pause button. It's using winter as its pause.

Speaker 1 4:57

The trees they start to drop their leaves and then they go dormant and they're storing up that energy. I can literally look outside at all the trees in my yard. I love all the trees in my yard. They're very mature trees. That's one of the reasons why we moved in here. But all the trees in the yard they start to draw their energy inwards. I have these beautiful Japanese maple trees that turn from that like dark burgundy leaf to a bright, fiery red orange, ultimately, before it drops the leaves. It's almost like it's last hurrah before winter comes. And then I also have chickens, and chickens molt and they lose their feathers and this starts really in the fall, and you can tell that they're putting their energy in other places because their egg production starts to slow down and eventually stop playing.

Winter Solstice Energy Tune-Up

Speaker 1 5:50

Yep, I used to get annoyed at the chickens, and I still do sometime, but I laugh it off and we'll call them freeloaders from time to time because since they're eating for free most of the winter. But when I change my mindset and look at the bright side in this dark time of year, they need rest and they let their bodies rest. They're not lazy, they're smart. So why do we as humans think we need to hustle harder at this time of year, or any time of the year for that matter? Newsflash, we're a part of nature too, so you shouldn't need permission to slow down. But if you're looking for one here, it is Winter is your permission to slow down, reflect and reset. So consider it one of those reset buttons. Ask yourself some reflective questions during this time. What worked for me this past year? What did I enjoy? What did I not enjoy? What didn't work? What can you let go of to make room for something new, moving forward? For starters, let go of the guilt that you feel when you feel like you need to slow down.

Speaker 1 7:02

We put up our Christmas tree in my house that weekend for Thanksgiving, which is usually the norm, and then we also had our annual cookie baking day at my sister's that Sunday. Usually there's a longer period of time in between those two events, but it was still enjoyable and it didn't feel rushed and it was a great time to connect with our immediate family. Always lots of laughter, reminiscing about Christmases in the past. Really quick backstory. So growing up, my mom had this Avon Christmas tape. I can picture it in my head. It was a cassette tape with a green insert with the songs on it and it had Hollyberries on the front of it. At the time, growing up, we would like the video camera so we would take videos of ourselves singing these Christmas songs from the Avon tape and the words we used to use to replace some of the Christmas songs, because either we didn't know the words of the song or we were making it funny. But anyways, that's that part of reminiscing for Christmas.

Speaker 1 8:05

But anyways, I usually use Black Friday to shop deals for Christmas cards that I create online on one of the online platforms, but this year, I honestly wasn't really feeling it and, rather than forcing myself to create, order and eventually address and stamp like over 50 cards to mail, I decided that this is an area that I need to slow down on, and it feels good. So if you are one that normally gets a card from me, please don't take it personally. No one is getting a card this year, and it's okay. But here's the deal Midlife is already throwing curveballs, so why not take a cue from the trees and the chickens and use winter as a chance to recharge your batteries? Instead of running yourself into the ground, draw that energy inward.

Speaker 1 8:59

This season should be about reconnecting with what truly matters. It's about listening to your body, getting cozy with your values and setting yourself up for a badass year in 2025. So think of it as laying the groundwork for your springtime bloom, where you're going to feel stronger as the days are getting longer and warmer, and ready to take on the world. And warmer and ready to take on the world, or at least survive that next kid's birthday party invite or in-person meeting at the office or, quite honestly, a trip to Costco, because that always requires a deep, deep psych yourself up for the crowd. So that is my story on winter solstice.

Speaker 1 9:46

Let's take this time of year to really draw that energy inwards, reflect on the year and how you want to see yourself moving forward into the upcoming year. As the days are getting longer, when do you want to spend that energy? Where do you want to spend that energy? Where do you want to set some boundaries? Where can you say no? Where can you say you know what? I normally do this and I don't feel like doing it anymore. And it's okay If you haven't already. You need to grab the free energy tune up Like what are you waiting for? Why wait until blank happens? What are you waiting for? Why wait until blank happens? Small, teeny, tiny tweaks can make a big difference. So, as we're drawing our energy inwards this winter, let's take a look at small areas that we can utilize to add an increased energy to your day. This tune-up focuses on five key areas and you get to decide. Decide where to put the focus, adding energy to your day. One small action, step at a time.