WINTER BLUES? It doesn’t have to be that way.
By: Nuraiya Oroszi
Tags: Health, Seasonal Depression, Seasons, Winter, Self Improvement

© Márton István — From the Series ‘Once Upon A Time in Toronto, 2019’

There is no doubt that winter, especially in the Northern regions, is difficult for most of us to bear. Everything about winter is harsh: the streets are deserted, the animals are out of sight, the trees are bare, and the landscape looks hopeless and desolate.

Every season creates the perfect conditions for all life on Earth to thrive and winter is no exception. After a production cycle of nine months, winter is designed for everything in nature to engage the process of restoration. Winter is the season of extreme contraction and it is the non-productive season of the yearly cycle: a period of dormancy.

As human beings, we are inextricably connected with nature, whether we feel connected to nature or not. If you feel that you don’t want to go out and you don’t want to socialize in winter it is a good sign. Your internal Seasonal rhythm is informing you to stay indoors and to consciously undertake the most difficult and at the same time the most rewarding work you can do for yourself. Winter requires all human beings to turn inwards and give full attention to who we are, and what our purpose is. The cold weather provides us with the perfect conditions for this exercise.

The mental quality for winter is spontaneity and calmness; its relative virtue is Wisdom. The negative emotion is fear and anxiety. You have the opportunity during the course of this season to cultivate wisdom by switching your focus from the external world to reconnecting with yourself: mindfully, purposefully and with conviction.

PHASE ONE — RETROSPECTION

The best place to start winter work is by looking back at one’s past and reflecting on your thought’s, decisions and actions. This is called retrospection and will give you the relevant data that you are going to use during the next phase (introspection).

During retrospection, confine your self-assessment to the current year, i.e., March 21 to December 21. By doing this, you can stay focused in the here and now: the current season cycle. It also keeps the assessment relevant as you are analyzing the most current data, the latest version of who you have become, and makes it easier to remember facts accurately.

It is helpful to think of your individual self as a corporation and the trillion cells that you are made up of as your shareholders and stakeholders. All your cells are directly affected by the choices you make. You are responsible for the health of all your organs as well as the various internal systems, which are under their control. Position yourself as the heart, the most important organ, and always direct your life from that position.

The first thing you do to start the process of retrospection is to go over the previous Season cycle and ask yourself the following questions:

· Did you have a productive spring, summer? Did you do what you set out to do in spring and did you see your efforts blossom in summer? · Did you accomplish what you set out to achieve in this Season cycle? Were you true to your own words? · What more could you have done to make your autumn harvest a better harvest?

What you need to concern yourself with are the mental systems that drive you; the physical outcomes merely reflect the mental input. You need to notice if you are mindfully engaging positive mental qualities such as creativity and willpower in your endeavours, or if you are mindlessly being driven by negative emotions such as anger and grief. There is a huge difference between a labour of love and a labour of anger.

The beauty about this process is that it is self-directed in every way. There is no middleman and no external service provider. Additionally, no one needs to know how you have rated yourself. In fact, the less you share the better off you are. The process is in itself teaching you to rely on and trust yourself fully. You, like every other successful human being on earth, are endowed with all the necessary tools and gifts in order to live long and prosper on earth.

PHASE TWO — INTROSPECTION

Whether you are part of an organized religion, or follow an ancient tradition, or choose to follow your own way privately, all human beings inherently and intuitively know the difference between right and wrong. Even when we don’t know the reason why something is right or wrong, we can feel in every cell of our bodies when we are doing or about to do something that is not right.

Similarly, our internal systems are set to do everything the correct way in order to sustain a healthy life. We need to bring to mind that all our external actions reflect internally. For example, if you decide to do something that you know is wrong, simply because you lack the courage or even the energy to stand up for what is right, your internal organs will follow suit. Your internal organs will reflect the same lack of courage and also opt for the easy way out, the shortcut. This is how we self-sabotage. All it takes is one small step in the wrong direction to take you away from the path of right conduct.

In order to be successful, it is important to be free of any desire and fear whatsoever. Both desire and fear will sabotage and corrupt the entire process of introspection. In addition, you must be free of attachments to the outcome. Remember a very simple rule: good is always the outcome of a good action. Only when the process is complete will you fully realize the outcome.

Once you have cleared yourself of desiring anything external (winter is not the time to fulfill your desires) it is time to reflect on your purpose. Generally up to the age of forty, most human beings work on the worldly aspects of life: having our own family, providing for them, working on a sustainable career, and so on. After the age of forty we begin to concentrate on our higher purpose. What were you created to do? It can take many years to discover your higher purpose. Some people know what their higher purpose is from when they are little. For others it can take decades to come upon their higher purpose. Life is unique in every way: that is its beauty.

A good way to discover your higher purpose is to think of what you absolutely enjoy doing. What are your various talents? What is the activity that makes time stand still for you? All human beings are artists regardless of their craft. This is a private exercise, and it is best to keep it that way. When we keep our dreams and ambitions private, we have a much greater probability of success. Sharing our dreams and achievements and being excited about them dissipates the energy that is needed to take us in the direction of our dreams.

The biggest step you can take during this winter is to develop a strategic plan for your life, based on what you believe your purpose to be. If you have one already, reflect on its success. How are you going to achieve your higher purpose? What specifically are you going to do to set the wheels in motion in the direction of your purpose? Take your time with it and be willing to revise it, as many times as required, until you are completely satisfied with your plan.

Think of this exercise like planning a long road trip. You need to have a clear idea of the destination. What do you hope to achieve in the long run? What is the destination? Think big. This is your vision statement; write it and revise it until it resonates as Truth in your heart. Read your vision over and over and over again until you can see your vision. When you can see your vision, all you have to do is walk the long journey, one step at a time, towards fulfilling your vision.

When you have your plan, ask yourself:

· Is there anything or anyone standing between you and your vision statement? If so, what can you do about it? What action can you take? · Are your short and medium-term plans aligned to the fulfillment of your higher purpose? Do you need to tweak or revise them? · Did you accomplish what you set out to achieve in this Season cycle? Reflect on what precisely prevented you from achieving your objective.

If you know that you are on track, Congratulations and well done. If not, this is the time to remember your innermost dreams and to seriously reflect on who you are and who you were created to be. This is the only time you have to fix your mistakes before the cycle begins anew in Spring. In Spring, you must live with your decisions and embrace them full. Winter is the time to prepare for your growth and put away all your fears and to see yourself with clarity. The energy in the atmosphere lends itself to doing this introspective work; it is there to assist you.

Here is a list of activities to focus your time during the long winter months:

· Create a state of order in your home. Have a place for everything and put everything in its place. Creating external order causes internal order.

· Repair everything that is broken. The same process will occur internally.

· Let go of what does not serve you. Do not hoard. When you let go of everything that no longer serves you, you create space in your mind and that gives you clarity.

· Practise talking less and listening more: much wisdom can be gained from listening.

· Spontaneously put into action good ideas that come to mind. For example, “I should call my Mom”. Stop everything you are doing and call your Mom.

· Practise slowing down and being grateful for everything you have. Remember that slow is smooth, smooth is fast.