Linking up with Emily P. Freeman and the What We Learned Community to share lessons learned this winter.
Now I get it. It’s OK to slow down. It’s OK to pause. It’s OK to do what feels like nothing.
I intensely dislike winter-hate seems too strong a word to use in this setting but dislike isn’t strong enough. I specifically dislike winters in Alabama. The temperature is cold. The sky is gray, most of the time. And it is very very wet. This month, we have had the most rainfall in four or five years. Without the magic of snow, I might add. Winters in Alabama are depressing. And for me, the gray days often prompt the gray thoughts.
In November, I decided to try something different this winter. Instead of thinking that I suffer from seasonal affective disorder, I decided that the winter is the time of year where my body, mind, and spirit need a break. Essentially, I decided to become a bear.
Going into the winter with this mindset made me very nervous. Deciding to focus on rest seemed so counterintuitive. I believed that I would feel lazy and unproductive as I sat around, essentially, doing nothing.
However, the opposite has proven to be true. This winter, as I rested, I also have posted to the blog nine times, including a guest post from my sister. We featured Becky Glaze in the first Enjoy Life Interview of the year. We started the first EnjoyLife Project: Create Home thru KonMari. And I have completed the first category: Clothes. Blog post coming in March. I have started hosting What I’m Into on the first of every month and a good number of you are linking your posts to the site. I am so honored to have you. Our next post is tomorrow, March 1.
I hosted my first New Year’s visioning party in January. I have read 4 books this year of the 39 that I want to read in 2019. I have attended two Writing Retreats and have written 4000 words to a novel that I want to write. I also volunteered with The CornerStone Initiative for the annual C4 Conference.
On February 12th, Danielle LaPorte wrote a poem: Building Strength. In it she discusses the concept of building strength through rest and feeling deeply. Take a look at it here.
It has proven true for me this winter.
What about you? Do you find that rest makes you more productive?
P.S. One good thing about being in Alabama during the winter months is that we often have at least one burst of Springlike temps and sunshine. We had one this month, before all the rain, and are going through another right now. Folks are wearing sandals, I kid you not.
enjoy life…
P.P.S. I also played a lot of Sims 4, but if we are being honest, that was something that I intended to do going into this experiment.
shannan enjoys life! 
Having lived in Norway, where in the winter it get dark at 3pm…and light around 9am, I learned there that being outside in God’s creation is the best tonic for all things. Norwegians are outdoors, ALL THE TIME. Their saying is: “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.” I agree wholeheartedly with that. Being outside, no matter the weather, is a chance to become mindful of the intense beauty that is all around us. In fact, this is the case for many cultures outside of the US.
This is an excellent idea, Gia! And I can feel a difference when I have been outside. I need better cold weather clothing for sure. Thanks for commenting.
Rest definitely makes me more productive, Shannan …and it also keeps me from having to apologize to my family so often for overreacting to things when I’m too tired! I’m one of those weird people who actually loves winter, but I understand how you feel and I’m glad that focusing on rest has helped you get through the drab Alabama winter!
Thank you for bringing up the point about family, Lois. That’s one of the most important things of all isn’t it? Thanks for commenting.
I appreciated your thoughts on being a ‘bear’ through winter and building in rest. I, also, love the quote you have up “Self care is a divine responsibility.” Wise. Blessings!
Thank you. It’s been a hard lesson to learn. Thanks for commenting.
I love that you’re leaning into rest this winter. It sounds like it has worked out great! I’m trying not to grow too impatient with winter, but it’s really starting to drag 🙂 I know once I get to August and I’m dripping with sweat I’ll be longing for these cold, cozy days. That helps me keep things in perspective a little, but mostly I’m longing for spring…
Yes, I am longing for spring. The trees are starting to bloom and I am afraid that they are blooming too early. Thanks for commenting.
Yes! I find that I am more productive when I am rested. I am a good multi-tasker and I like to be busy, but I find I need to step back now and then to take a break from my own self-imposed hectic schedule.
I like how you said “self-imposed hectic schedule”. Sometimes it is hard to admit that we are actually doing it to ourselves. Thanks so much for commenting.
Definitely more productive when rested!
And another thing I’ve learned is that no matter how much I have to do, I work better if I do one thing at a time.
Well, probably everyone else already knows that, but for some reason I have to keep re-learning it.
Michele, I have to keep relearning to focus and rest and slow down. I don’t know why. Any ideas? Thanks for commenting.