As we find ourselves once again facing into winter, our natural instinct whispers to us to batten down the hatches, hibernate and await the warmth and growth of spring. It’s almost as if we don’t expect anything of note to happen in these dark days and nights, and that we just have to hold on until the sun comes out again! But while this year might seem even gloomier due to COVID-19, let’s remember that each year winter is challenging for many, yet, we make it through. So I’m going to use that perspective to offer a couple of tips in helping us not only endure but enjoy this winter time.

1 Choose the language you use

We might hear these familiar catchphrases being regularly used now: “The nights are really drawing in”, “It’s dark so early”, “It’s dark getting up and dark getting home from school/work/college” etc.

These sayings and the subsequent feelings they conjure up are par for the course at this time of the year, but language is so powerful and the words we choose can really have the greatest impact on how we feel and indeed how we affect how others feel too.

So what if instead, we choose to ascribe a few of our own sayings for this time of year, focusing instead on the more welcome parts, eg “Aren’t the nights so cosy in front of the fire?”, “Wouldn’t these dark mornings really help you appreciate those bright summer mornings?”, “Isn’t it lovely to get home after a long day’s work/study?” etc.

2 Find the positives in this changing situation

We may be working remotely or studying from home this winter, so this gives us an opportunity many of us wouldn’t ordinarily have at this time of the year; namely the chance to get out and get some fresh air at the brightest time of the day – midday! Even if it’s rainy or windy and even if it’s only for a short 10 minutes, do it – it’s still worth it! Get out of the house and out into nature.

Alternatively, your life on the farm may not have changed very much, but you may now be working around having grown up children (who would ordinarily be in college) still at home with you when you both had expected differently. This can be emotionally demanding on both sides, but the experience might be a little more enjoyable when we consider this precious, unexpected extra time has the potential to be something both parties can really look so fondly back upon when our children leave home permanently to create families of their own.

So it’s worth that little bit of the emotional workout to make the absolute most of this preciously unexpected and extended family time. Create a home experience worth remembering and recounting in future winters.

Finally, it will be the case for many that we now have less distractions and therefore a little more flexibility when it comes to choosing how long our working day lasts, e.g. we can now begin our working day at the same time we previously got into our cars to begin the commute, so we can have a break at the brightest part of the day or finish your day at the same time the children finish school. Even if you still have to wait until 9am to begin work, isn’t it lovely to not have to get in your car at 7.30am or even earlier to get to work?

For these reasons it might be worthwhile just acknowledging and being grateful for the greater sense of ease that now infiltrates your working environment.

Something to ponder

What if today we were just grateful for everything? Would that change anything about our circumstances? Possibly not, but it would make how we interact with our circumstances much more pleasant.

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