Snowflakes
by Erlene Grise-Owens, EdD, LCSW, MSW, MRE, lead co-editor of The A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals
Brrr. Blah. These have been my primary associations with winter. I’ve viewed chilly, gray Louisville winters as something to endure or escape. I’m determined to change that. Solstice approaching and COVID-19 surging calls for hunkering-down hibernation. Instead of resisting, I’m getting ready to embrace winter. Join me?
Nature is an excellent teacher. So, I’ve emulated squirrels foraging for acorns to store for winter. Collecting kernels of wisdom, here’s what I’ve gleaned in Getting Ready for Winter Self-Care. What would you add?
Get Cozy
In my foraging, I’m studying Nordic countries, the coldest and happiest places on Earth. A previous post on winter self-care mentioned the Danish cultural phenomenon of hygge, which essentially means “cozy.” I’m getting more intentional about hygge this winter.
Meik Wiking’s The Little Book of Hygge is my guide. Wiking notes that candles are the most common hygge ingredient. Denmark sets candle-burning records. I have candles—as decoration or set- aside gifts. This winter, I’m lighting candles regularly—a small, specific reminder to integrate cozy self-care.
Get Organized
Winter is ideal for organizing projects. As Gretchen Rubin observes, “Nothing is more exhausting than the task that’s never started.” This winter, my partner and I are tackling our list. Here are our organizing tips: Start! Do something easy, to get motivated. Partialize! Rather than listing “clean office,” divide into incremental tasks or specify time parameters. Don’t! The best way to reduce “to-do” is “to don’t.” For example, instead of taking hours to organize stuff, reduce/donate/recycle/toss it.
Especially with COVID restrictions, winter is an excellent season for the often-neglected self-care of home-making. In My Life on the Road, Gloria Steinem revealed how she’d chosen travel/work to the exclusion of home. Acknowledging the fallacy of this imbalance, she observed, “Home is a symbol of self. Caring for a home is caring for oneself.”
Get Outside
Although tempting, I can’t stay inside all winter. Another Nordic guide is Katja Pantzar’s The Finnish Way—Finding Courage, Wellness, and Happiness through the Power of Sisu. This Finnish phenomenon translates as grit. Amongst other gritty dimensions, sisu emphasizes “nature therapy.” Finns say, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing.”
Winter is my friend Stephanie’s favorite season. I listened attentively as Stephanie extolled winter’s combination of crispness and contemplativeness. She described the stark beauty of bare branches that—metaphor alert—provide space to see what’s been camouflaged. Stephanie declared, “Winter sharpens our senses. We see more sky. Winter stars! Vivid smells! Crisp breaths!”
I’m an avid walker, but not-so-much in winter. Now, I’m newly resolved to put on my “big girl” winter underwear, grit up, and get outside. Already, I’m noticing particular winter offerings—intricate architecture of bare branches, open vistas, crisp air.
Exchanging our traditional evergreen holiday tree for a Winter Solstice Birch reinforces this revelation. The comparative bareness evokes appreciation for winter’s distinctive beauty.
Get Healthy
As a previous post on seasonal self-care discussed, Dallas Hartwig contends that Western culture is stuck in perpetual summer mode—much to our detriment. Hartwig advises recalibrating health commitments, seasonally.
In winter recalibration, I’m accepting winter’s invitation to sleep more. I’m cooking more stews and soups, whilst integrating fish and fruits. I’m (re)committing to proactive, integrated movement—walking, yoga, and weights. I’m adding a daily Vitamin D supplement and hot tea to my hydrating regimen.
Get Deep
Finally, I’m getting deeper into studying winter and complementary associations. For instance, for many years, I’ve been perturbed about the negative associations with “darkness.” In this dark season, I’m delving into the complex complementarity of dark/light. Reading is a favorite form of self-care, and my winter book list includes myriad titles exploring “dark” topics.
Katherine May’s Wintering—The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times is a serendipitous find for this dark delving. May writes that wintering is a season of life—not necessarily of the calendar. She explores dark winters, saying, “Winter is not the death of the life cycle, but its crucible. Once we stop wishing it were summer, winter can be a glorious season in which the world takes on a sparse beauty.... It’s a time for reflection, recuperation, for slow replenishment, for putting your home in order.”
Get ready. Winter’s here.
Peace, Love, & Self-Care,
Erlene
Dr. Erlene Grise-Owens, EdD, LCSW, MSW, MRE, is a Partner in The Wellness Group, ETC. This LLC provides evaluation, training, and consultation for organizational wellness and practitioner well-being. Dr. Grise-Owens is lead editor of The A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals. As a former faculty member and graduate program director, she and a small (but mighty!) group of colleagues implemented an initiative to promote self-care as part of the social work education curriculum. Previously, she served in clinical and administrative roles. She has experience with navigating toxicity and dysfunction, up-close and personal! Likewise, as an educator, she saw students enter the field and quickly burn out. As a dedicated social worker, she believes the well-being of practitioners is a matter of social justice and human rights. Thus, she is on a mission to promote self-care and wellness!