Affirmations for the Winter Heart
“I am not wrong. Wrong is not my name.” - June Jordan
“Sanctuary is the place we can go when our lives are under threat, where we can consider love in the midst of oppression.” - Zenju Earthlyn Manuel
“Pull us away from productivity. Stir us into stillness. Nudge us toward nap time. Caress us into your care. Reminds us to rest … and repeat.” -Phiwa Langeni
“We are resourceful in our DNA, in our futures, in our ancestries.” - Anonymous
“These are the times to grow our souls.” - Grace Lee Boggs
“Grief is subversive, undermining the quiet agreement to behave and be in control of our emotions. It is an act of protest that declares our refusal to live numb and small. There is something feral about grief, something essentially outside the ordained and sanctioned behaviors of our culture. Because of that, grief is necessary to the vitality of the soul. Contrary to our fears, grief is suffused with life-force . . . . It is not a state of deadness or emotional flatness. Grief is alive, wild, untamed and cannot be domesticated. It resists the demands to remain passive and still. We move in jangled, unsettled, and riotous ways when grief takes hold of us. It is truly an emotion that rises from the soul.” - Francis Weller
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This is the time of season where many clients talk about the impact of the weather on their mood. More often than not, the colder air and the limited daylight means more isolation and less socializing.
For “homework,” I often recommend my clients take inventory of the content that they consume in their daily lives during this time. Content can include social media, music playlists, movies, and/ or conversations that they participate in.
Do we have mood-boosting content coming in through your newsfeed? Or, is it mood-busting? Are we reading information to stay informed? Or, are we doomscrolling? Perhaps, it’s a mix of it all.
Be tender with yourself.
We’re human.
The intention of an inventory is to become more aware of our content diet. What type of information and data are we exposing our sensory body to? What’s the duration of our exposure? How do we feel after having consumed this content?
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Here are some signs to look out for during this wintry season:
Withdrawing from others but wishing you felt more connected
Lethargy
Unusual bouts of irritability
Loss of pleasure of activities you used to enjoy
Increasingly relying on substances to cope
Using substances more often than usual
Feelings of defeat, hopelessness, and despair
Harsh inner critic
Losing sleep
If you’re concerned about your mental wellness, there are resources available.
The University of Michigan has a resource where individuals can learn more about their behavioral and mental health here. These are not tools for self-diagnosis. They are tools to help you explore your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and help you decide whether you need additional support from a professional mental health worker.
I am also a big fan of finding non-clinical support to complement therapeutic care. Below are a few digital resources that I often pass along:
