The Soothing Gifts of Winter Mindfulness - Serenity in Suffering

The seasons of the year are not so unlike the cycles of life. Spring, summer, autumn and winter each portray for us seasons of life we traverse. Spring often evokes a feeling of new beginnings, summer regales the fullness of doing, autumn entreats feelings of “being”, savoring the bounty of good labors. While winter with its stillness, beckons us to rest and reflection. Embracing this time of rest and reflection, blesses me with the soothing gifts of winter mindfulness.

The older I grow, the more intense my appreciation deepens for the Creator’s wisdom in seasonal design. Each season speaks its own lesson, and no matter how many winters, springs, summers or autumns we experience, there remains yet more to learn. The seasons never exhaust their treasures, and for those with an open heart, those treasures forever abide new. Recently, I ruefully reflected on the tendency for seasons to run together in my mind, relegated to the minimally important. Primarily attributed to my busyness and neglect of mindfully engaging my days.

The seasons are what a symphony ought to be: four perfect movements in harmony with each other.

Arthur Rubinstein

Welcome to Mindfulness Monday! Where we learn some easy ways to be more present “in the moment” at our jobs, in our homes, with our families and friends. Learning to recognize God and what He has for us in each divine moment He offers. We acknowledge the belief that God is with us always. We confess His presence is available to us, lifting our spirit and helping us with power and grace. Learning to “be still”, so we can hear His voice and view ourselves, others and our surroundings through His eyes.

winter mindfulness creativity

For instance, in my post, “The Treasures of the Snow”, I mention the nobility and beauty of winter, the stillness fostering renewal. Winter offers times of deep discovery, rest, reflection and the preservation of physical energy. Think of it as your body, mind and spirit “reset” button. Furnishing times of introspection and outward review, winter leads us to appraise our past accomplishments, our present posture and our desires for the future months.

Winter’s calm pace provides charming opportunities for self-awareness, opening the door for creative evaluation of projects, problem solving and preparation for new beginnings come spring. Unfortunately, many people choose to power through the proffered quietude, foregoing the soothing gifts of winter mindfulness. By contrast, embracing the natural mindfulness qualities of winter awakens the creativity long hindered by industry, distraction and clamor of everyday bustle.

Winter knows to hush, still, listen, so the soul can speak.

Angie Weiland Crosby

soothing gifts of mindfulness

Despite day to day variations in our experiences of winter, the following soothing gifts of winter mindfulness impart possibilities for self care, creativity, spiritual reflection, personal introspection, stillness, release and renewal. A hopeless introvert, this resonates with me, but even entrenched extroverts benefit from exploring mindfulness in winter.

The Preacher reminds us in the timeless wisdom of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, “there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” He goes on to enumerate the “times under the sun” that speak so profoundly to life and seasons, all created by our Creator God for a purpose in our lives. Contemplate with me the soothing gifts of winter mindfulness I delight in sharing with you.

Embracing Darkness and Light

Winter like no other season draws us into this paradox of life. The winter solstice plunges us into a period where darkness overcomes light in the essence that darkness abides longer than the light. Consider the temporary nature of the darkness, how with the passing of days, light begins to return slowly as both light and darkness move to equanimity at the spring equinox.

  • What spiritual parallels can you draw from this?
  • Embrace the multi-dimensionality of the symbolism of death and rebirth depicted in the seasons of nature and seasons of your life.

Self Reflection Through Journaling with Mindfulness

Set aside a special time, protected for YOU. Prepare a cozy spot in front of the fire, in a favorite chair or curled up in a blanket on the sofa. Enjoy a time of mindful breathing and relaxation. My “Calming Techniques Guide” below is perfect on this occasion. Use the journal prompts below or simply write out your thoughts, exploring emotions. Simply “reflect” without pressure or expectation. Savor the stillness, calm and warmth you feel.

  • One thing I love about winter is…
  • In what area have I struggled the most recently?
  • What I need most right now is…
  • The feeling I am most aware of is…
  • Today I am most grateful for…
  • My favorite winter memory is…

Mindfulness Creativity

Get away from “screens”, allow your mind rest from mindless scrolling, surfing and over stimulation. Choose a time period you feel comfortable with, whether it’s an hour, an afternoon or an entire day. use the time instead for creative hand work, planning or brainstorming new ideas or projects. Permitting the brain some much needed down time, stimulates right sided creative activity, which brings rest to the body and encouragement to the spirit.

  • Create! Do you have handwork you love doing? I enjoy cross stitch, crocheting and quilting. Truly engage your work with all five senses, notice colors, textures, even scents.
  • Art work. Something about moving paint across a canvas with a brush relaxes me, while also breathing life into weariness. Break all the rules and finger paint! Draw or sketch, or have fun “adult” coloring!
  • Take the time to brainstorm for a new project or one you’ve put on the shelf. Let your mind run with the possibilities, don’t be afraid to write anything down, give yourself permission to dream. You may be surprised at what’s locked inside.
  • Sit with a problem. Consider an ongoing area of frustration in your life. Relationship issues, organization issues, or an area of neglect. Any area you feel is a roadblock or continues to frustrate you. Journal out what the problem is, what you have tried to fix it and why you think it remains unresolved. Then sit with it as is, without judging. After a few moments, journal what it looks like to simply accept the situation exactly as it is; fully accepting without any changes. Sit with the acceptance of the issue. Two things will happen: one, you will realize all of your frustration rested in your resistance to the situation which is now resolved by acceptance. Or second, as a result of acceptance, your mind is now freely able to creatively problem solve the issue.

Soothing Gratitude Mindfulness

You doubtlessly know the many benefits of practicing gratitude on a regular basis. But how many of us practice gratitude mindfully? We quickly jot down gifts on a gratitude list, but do we linger over them? For this practice, the goal is not to list as many things as you can for which you are grateful; the purpose is to relish, linger and extract all of the intended joy from each item.

  • Choose one, or no more than three items for which you are grateful. List them and then linger and reflect the reason for your gratitude. List every nuance, every instance, every facet of the item that elicits gratitude.
  • Do the same exercise above, only choose one, or no more than three winter related items for which you are grateful.

Winter Exploration with Mindfulness

Plan an outside excursion. Set aside time in the morning, afternoon or evening for taking in all winter offers with all five senses. We often miss the soothing gifts of winter mindfulness outdoors because we antipathize with the cold temperatures.

  • Take a walk in a park or wooded area. Using all of your senses, notice the sights, scents, sounds of winter. When was the last time you made a snowball? Feel the texture of the snow in your hands, examine the snow on plants, the ground or shrubs. Enjoy the study of nearby icicles, notice the prisms of light through them and their unique structure.
  • Take a walk after dark. Using your senses compare the sights, scents and sounds of the evening in the snow. What’s different about a winter moon?
  • While spending time outside on a winter day, notice the feel of the cold air on your face, the feel of the cold air in your lungs as you breathe deep. Remember when, as a child you laughed over seeing your breath? Revisit that feeling.
  • After your outing make your favorite hot beverage, sit by the fire or curl up in your favorite chair or sofa. Savor the drink; smell it, what words come to mind? Taste it, describe it in three words or less.
  • Journal at least three new things you noticed about winter outdoors as a result of using mindfulness on your outing.

soothing gifts of winter mindfulness

Mindfulness during the season of winter is fundamentally no different than in any other season. The practice of mindfulness unpretentiously brings our attention to the present moment, situation or event. Regrettably, we resist bringing our attention to things we dislike or have little interest in. For me, winter was that season I resisted or “wished away”. Like so many other things, mindfulness unveiled the beauty, peace and ease of winter I forfeited by my petulant resistance.

God’s ways are certainly not our ways, and I make no claim of full understanding and purpose in His design of the seasons of nature. However, I do believe the seasons picture for us the cycles of life; they present us with wisdom and valuable lessons if we but allow them space. Approaching winter with mindfulness opens our eyes to the beauty and benefits of a slower pace, rest, reflection, ease and even the reality of harsh temperatures. As with the relational, emotional and spiritual winters of our lives, we learn to embrace the pause, the imposed rest and the harsh realities. All with the knowledge of a loving Creator’s plan and promise that new beginnings are but a season away.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

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