How are you nourishing yourself this year?

I’m welcoming a slow start to the new year, and it feels lovely. This hasn’t always been the case with how I approach the start of the year.

For many years I would be filled with fire and inspiration to get things going, to dive into the ways I intended to shift and shape my life for the better after assimilating the lessons learned from the prior year.

But after a few weeks, I’d fizzle out and then shame myself for my lack of determination. What if it wasn’t a lack of determination but actually a misalignment with the energy of the season that threw me off course?

Slowing down, aligning more with the wisdom of this season (nature is still in her deep sleep restoration phase during winter), and listening are ways I have nourished myself these past few years of my conscious new year shift.

And I’ll tell you what, some of the most incredible ideas, insights, and willpower have come from allowing myself to lean into the feeling of hibernation, quietude, and internal focus. And then, by spring, I’ve got the determination and focus to put those into action.

It doesn’t mean I hide under a blanket every day in winter (although that sounds nice on this rainy and cold day as I write this!) I’m still nourishing my body with daily exercise and movement. But it does mean that I give myself permission to slow down and go against the stream of the noise I’m hearing from outside and instead spend a bit more time within.

It can be a challenge if you struggle this time of year. There’s less light and less warmth, the bustle of the holiday season has quieted down, and many words to describe winter are not so comforting: stark, bleak, and harsh.

This is one of the reasons that NOURISH is our theme for January. It’s an invitation to see how you might care for yourself on a deeper level, a remedy for the “harsh and bleak.” So what comes to mind as you contemplate this month’s theme of NOURISH and your new year? How can you nourish your body, mind, and spirit this season?

Are there areas you find challenging to nourish your body, mind, and spirit? How might you gently encourage yourself to lean into this exploration and practice of nourishing yourself?