Holistic Approaches and Perspectives to seasonal changes
Holistic Approaches and Perspectives to S.A.D. and seasonal changes
Do you find yourself affected by the seasons and seasonal changes? I’ve wondered how we might work with and attune more to them? and how we might learn from them. To me it seems there’s both a validity and an invitation to work with these changes and the effects they may have…
Natural Rythms and Responses
It seems natural that we as human being would attune to and change along with the seasons and seasonal changes. Yet in society generally it seems that the honouring of natural rhythms is something rarely even considered! That's how it appears. Yet it seems people will often naturally attune or respond anyway!
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a condition that may be experienced specifically in the autumn/winter months, and seems to be an example of this. It is characterized by things like depression, difficulty waking, withdrawal from society, increased food intake etc.
To me this condition is quite possibly a NATURAL response to the darker and colder days of autumn and winter. Essentially it features an attuning to the cycles of Mother Earth. And in some ways I question why more people don’t experience it.
In my view it is a combination of things. Firstly it appears to have some characteristics similar to hibernation; and attuning to seasonal rhythms in this kind of way, has a perfectly valid and appropriate place in Nature. If we look to Nature for inspiration we can see how she retreats inwards to an extent in the autumn and winter. It is a time for renewal, contemplation and nurturing. It seems to me that there is certainly a place for this in our lives as well.
I feel that this mild hibernation impulse is apparent in people at these times, and when confronted with the mundane yet harsh approach and expectations of the matrix could likely be a big causative factor in the SAD condition. People instinctively know that trying to conform to society’s demands is not a natural way of being. Biologically they are feeling to rest and slow down in tune with the seasons, yet it seems society expects the matrix way of living and working to be sustained regardless of the seasons or changing times. So it feels like conditons like SAD are a rejection of the insensitive matrix approach, and also the expression of a natural attuning to Mother Earth. In some ways it could be seem as an authentic response to the 'craziness' of society!
Alternative Approaches - Working with the conditions
If we feel we’re meant to live and work in society at this time, and at the same time are sensitive to energy and the seasonal changes, it feels like it might be worth contemplating ways of finding a balance that works for us. Perhaps working hours could be reduced for example? There are also alternative and therapeutic approaches.
In my studies of nutritional approaches and alternative remedies there are some remedies that have been suggested and are traditionally used during these times. St John’s Wort is a herb that is fairly well known and seems effective for many people in these situations. As with all remedies though different things seem to ‘resonate’ with different people, so if you’re looking at support in these areas it may be worth consulting a professional herbalist or similar. Vitamin D is a commonly used supplement - a substance we can produce from exposure to sunlight, it is also found in fish and fish oils, eggs and mushrooms. Also it is possible to find vegan/vegetarian supplements of it.
Another interesting herb is Rhodiola Rosea. It grows in cold parts of the world such as the arctic and Russia, but also in the UK and parts of Europe. Its reportedly a good herb to use in cases of depression and stress.
Nutritional approaches would generally emphasise the importance of water (keeping hydrated), balanced diet, and also using oils such as Flax, Fish oils or Hemp oil.
Natural Approaches
I think its worth considering remedies and practices for maintaining equilibrium and finding balance. I feel the more natural the better would probably be a good guideline, so from experience I’d recommend plenty of fresh air, exercise, and during the winter months get outdoors whenever the sun shines(!) Also a balanced diet and enough sleep. I find movement, dance and bodywork can be excellent. I also find factors such as (relatively relaxed?) social interaction can be of great benefit.
And I think listening to what YOU feel is one of the most important practices, finding what works for you. At a relative level we’re all unique.
These things really do make a difference. Another way of bringing in light is through meditation! I find Chris’s liquid gold meditation seems particularly effective in attuning to the light and releasing endorphins.
Cause and Effect
As in the general approach of alternative practices and therapies it seems important to me to attempt to address the cause, rather than just the symptoms. So are there ways we could find a more balanced and harmonious way of living? What is the invitation for society and us individually? Are there alternatives approaches we could explore? For example could we find more flexible work, or live ‘closer’ to the Earth? Do shops need to be open such long hours? Do people need to stay late at the office? If we look at it from a wider perspective, rather than in regards work loads and consumer demand, what possibilities are there?
And at an individual level? Perhaps working less hours, or delegating more? or finding a new job that feels more ‘aligned’? Perhaps even eating more seasonally may help. Again it feels a question of individuals finding the answers for themselves. The mirror’s there, what is being reflected to us?
Are you inspired by the Openhand work? Find out how we can help catalyse your spiritual evolution... Openhand Courses
energy and thoughts
Contemplating my past experiences of depression I found it interesting to consider how it seems to be linked to energy and to thoughts.
It seems that though we may feel like we have no energy to do anything when depressed, in fact that energy hasn’t been lost but diverted or directed into another place. It feels like the naturally flowing energy may flow into a distortion or emotional pattern for example and temporarily get stuck or slowed down there. The energy might then get de-pressed in this area, and it seems this often happens in the realm of thoughts (or emotions that become thought based). Then the energy spirals around in these thoughts, like the image that Chris uses, of water in an edy current.
Its as if temporarily the natural pull or flow of the soul gets either diverted or held up in that experience. Maybe it might have encountered a pattern that hasn’t been dealt with yet or an old conditioned response, or perhaps a lack of clarity or direction. So it may get temporarily distracted from it original path.
It seems to me a way to move through this is to go right into it and release it. (sounds easy?!) We can work with the feelings or distortion if its being presented, and/or we can re-align with the sense of purpose and flow that was there before and thus free up the energy again.
It seems that if in these instances the energy is held up in (lower mind) thoughts, then we can work at the level of lower mind and the solar plexus chakra to get this energy moving. The solar plexus seems to relate to both lower mind thoughts, and also things like willpower, resolve, expression etc.
In practical terms it might mean, instead of staying in bed using willpower to get up (although sometimes we might authentically need the rest, so we have to feel it!) and tidy the house, put on some loud music and dance to it.
Or it might mean engaging purposefully in going outside, getting some exercise, or connecting with friends. It might feel the energy wants to be expressed creatively through movement or painting or music. Understandably it may take some extra 'effort' to engage in this, and get things moving, but it seems easier if we evoke a sense of purpose or expression.
Sometimes the depression of energy may have been because of what it would mean to us to ‘allow’ the energy to flow. There might be an invitation to break an old pattern, change or leave a job or relationship for example, and that might feel pretty challenging. I feel the above approach to initially activate the energy could be beneficial, and then it seems like the invitation would be to utilize that energy to engage more with what’s being invited. And again it feels like it’d be a question of feeling it in the moment.
Essentially it feels like attuning to the authenticity of the moment. So feeling what’s being experienced and then moving the energy and engaging again with the flow.
Perhaps if the feelings are karmic related then it may not be so focused in the mind, but I still feel a similar approach could be effective.
This is my view on it. I'd be interested to hear if others resonate.
Definitely :)
So interesting, it's just so relevant for me at the moment...
Well, in past, far far away, when I used to be depressed, which was more or less my constant state, I used to lock myself in the room, and lie myself in bed to 'death', sinking deeper and deeper. It was especially 'bad' in winters. I even was sort of 'labeled' as personality disorder with seasonal depression, anxiety and adaptation disorder, and a couple of more big scary words there in a pile
So, in Novembers I was already preparing for the coming torment, hoping each time that this winter I'll be fine! But, nop...
So...with time, by trying things 'experimentally', I found, for myself, that it IS important to catch the trend of slipping down on time, and to balance it. I feel that doing anything helps, only not sitting sinking in the swamp and getting all consumed by it. So stuff comes up? Great! Let's stir the mud!
In the beginning I tried to find a way to help myself and not let it drag me with it into the dark hole. Because this is usually the tendency, like: I'm depressed, I don't want anything, I just want to lie here forever and ever...
and then it begins, the loop.
So I found *writing a diary reeeeaaaly helpful, *going out for a walk (fast or slow and calm, just how I feel), *drinking some warm herbal tea, maybe something uplifting and invigorating, like rosemarine and ginseng tea, some antidepressant herbs like saffron, valerian, or just something soothing for the nervous system - chammomile, melissa, lavender, fennel... *bath with some lavender, jasmine, rose or rosemarin essentail oil (just a few drops), *sniffing some eucalyptus for some cheerfulness and clarity, *yoga works great for me with heart-openers and back-bends, *dancing - sure! always fun, or just *listening to some joyous, 'kind' or soothing music.
Sometimes doing something 'useful' made me feel much more uplifted - like cleaning or doing some tasks.
Now I'm kind of letting it happen, that rather than trying to control and get rid of it. So it is there, and I just see where it takes me. Now, for example I find myself dealing with stuff from past, which would probably be supressed if I would take care of the depression itself. So I'm seeing how I can work with it, maybe it's actually 'a friend'
if I don't identify too much.
So I go into that, sometimes get consumed by it, yes, but many times I'm not, and then I release all kinds of sweepings under the patches there, I thought are not there anymore.
But if I see it's flooding me, then I balance it with all that things that 'make my heart sing' at specific moment, but don't dissolve it completely and keep working with it.
And you are right, many times I feel 'depressed', or more precise to say 'supressed and strangled' if I don't follow what I want (feel) to do, and forcing myself into something 'choking'. It really reminds depression, this tightness in the heart area, this 'lump of tears' in the throat, it is there, but still slightly different, and easy to check by bringing options and seeing how I feel about each one of them, I now can see when it's a signal or a 'stable' state.
Thanks for bringing the topic
maybe there are more suggestions around
Plenty of meditation
Thanks for the post Ben - a thorough contemplation of what can happen to us during winter and how to overcome the negative effects.
Yes indeed, I've found plenty of exercise, fresh air, sleep and healthy diet are essential to prevent us going into a downward tail spin of heaviness.
Winter time of year can feel heavy the more sensitive we become. Especially since many are processing the year's transitions and releasing energy into the field.
So even if we do work full days in the 'matrix', it is still vitally important we work to align with the flow and honour it in at least some ways.
Plenty of meditation also helps!
Chris
More things
I've remembered...
Usually people want to eat a lot of warm, oily food in the winter, grains and sweets, but it actually makes it worse. I eat many fresh vegetables, fruits and nuts, it really makes a big difference for me.
Also the color-therapy - I bring more happy colors around, with what I wear, or the linens, orange, tourquise, green, pink, all those...
A hot bottle on my chest, sure!
Candles are great always.
And many hugs and 'cheer ups' from myself
And thanks for reminder, Chris, meditation indeed.
Now I have some funny thought - in our world the ultimate remedy is tea+lemon. We were even laughing with friends about it - "Got cold? Tired? Nervous? Migrain? Asthma? Depression? Aids? Just have some tea and lemon!!!"
So now it's like "Got cold? Nervous? Tired?... Just do some more meditation!"
Heavy or light foods?
Yes it's a great point Yulia - I mean the heavy versus light foods.
In the winter there seems to a be a temptation to eat heavier and denser foods - grain for example. Also we often hear that hot food can 'warm us up' - soups for example.
Although it might feel good inside (and I guess there is some benefit to that), if it makes us feel heavy, that can be very counterproductive.
I've increased the amount of raw food I'm eating this winter and feel all the better for it!
Chris
individual tastes
I find the food contemplation interesting. It seems to me its different for each person. I tend towards slightly more cooked, warm and more grounding foods in the winter. Root vegetables and various greens seem to grow naturally at this time of year, and I feel its worth considering what grows seasonally. I still eat a fair amount of raw food too.
I think its what works for the individual. At times more grounding heavy food seems to b appropriate. Also if you feel drawn to raw food, you can warm it up, or eat foods with 'warmer' properties (e.g. carrots are warmer than cucumber).
Raw food and things
Yes, there is something for everyone.
Interestingly a few years ago I was a 100% vegan raw fooder for 5 months over the winter and spring. Eating completely raw food meant that I actually distinctly felt no impulse whatsoever towards heated foods. I didn't long for them at all. YET, including even the smallest amount of cooked food in my diet meant that I just 'HAD' to have cooked/heated foods. I hungered for more. Interesting how we adapt and how the body responds.
Grounding raw foods include the fatty things such as nuts, seeds, avocadoes etc.
I don't necessarily feel that being a 100% is suited to our climate in England though. So, absolutely, what would we eat naturally within our environment (say's Trinity, who is certainly a tropical being, who would quite happily forage around in the tropics if that were on her path!).
raw invigoration
I wonder how much the warm food in winter thing is conditioning? We are after all warm blooded. The body regulates its own temperature from stored calories. If anything, the converse should be true - eating hot foods in the summer should cool the body and cold foods in the winter should warm it.
I used to eat more soups and curries in the winter until I caught myself - yes it was grounding but felt very heavy and vibration lowering too. So now I'm finding the lighter, raw foods are having a wonderful effect. Yes I had to overcome some conditioning first, but the effect has been invigorating.
Chris
Conditioning
Good point Chris.
We are actually the only mammal on the planet that heat's its food up. Wintery sheep don't put their grass on the stove!
Being outside seems the important one for me.
The amount of time I spend outside has enormously increased for me since I chose to leave my business. In winters back then, I would set off from home in the dark and come home in the dark, and spend all day in doors in artificial light. I used to really dislike winter, rushing from the car straight indoors, into the central heating and longing to be abroad.
After two years of doing lots of work on the land in all weathers, I now love being outside whatever the weather, because as long as I'm dressed for it, I can enjoy myself. I never knew winter was so beautiful before, because all I saw were car headlights and dark streets. Now I can see how bare trees are just as beautiful as leafy tees, just in a different way; see how often there are blue skies, feel the freshness of the wind on my face. What I've noticed is that I don't feel the winter blues I used to feel, and I'm sure this is largely to do with the fact that I'm now getting enough natural daylight directly onto face and into my eyes. (I realise now, I hardly used to get any in the winter!!) Daylight is so important to our natural rhythms and wellbeing.
I had a very surprising experience in December, I left the amazing bright, white, hard frosts covering the local landscape and the gardens where I work, and flew over to India arriving in 30+degrees heat. Previously, this would always have been my idea of "a perfect escape". This time (not needing an escape, but having some work to do) imagine my astonishment when I felt like I was missing the frosts. (Unthinkable a few years ago!) But more than that, I felt like my body had been wrenched out of its natural habitat to which it was fully acclimatised, and catapulted into a very unnatural (for me) environment. With it came a real realisation of how when I lived so unnaturally and cut off from the climate, I would hanker for winter warmth and sun, but now I am able to have enough daylight and really feel the beauty in every season and my connection to the land, my body is now part of that same cycle, and doesn't feel a lack of anything anymore. Another great plus, is that I no longer use as much heating fuel, as I am much more able to go with the more seasonal temperatures, rather than have the heating ramped up full all the time.
To pick up on a point someone else mentioned, another favourite for me, is that when the evenings are long and dark, I can really enjoy the beauty of candle lit rooms. Simply the best!!!
Great thread Ben, thanks for starting it. Lesley x
Re: Being outside seems the important one for me.
Engaging with nature, whatever the weather, whatever the season is so nurturing. Thank you for the beautiful reminder! For me, an open fire or candle can make the world of difference when the nights are cold and long too.
x
Aha!
Right! I too feel immediately uplifted when I'm out for a walk...
Hi guys great to see this
Hi guys
great to see this sharing evolving. Yes I find spending time outdoors and in activity can be very beneficial. It helps to warm the body too.
In regards raw foods in the winter, I can see how it could work, and see the potential benefits of it. Like Trinity I don’t feel to eat 100% raw in this climate, in winter, and in this society. It doesn’t resonate with me. I also find eating all raw has the potential to be a little ungrounding for me, and this isn't always productive! It also feels like it is potentially 'cooling'. Yet I can see it could potentially work well for some, and may partly depend on how quickly people burn fuel/calories etc, and their lifestyles.
I can understand that in some ways because raw food maintains more of its enzymes and nutrients the energy contained within it is more available, so could potentially be suited to a time of year when we need more energy to maintain equilibrium. Yet also resonate with eating warm food to provide etxra warmth, they seem to transfer some heat, and help maintain body warmth. The body burns fuel in order to maintain body heat, so in the winter it seems natural it would need more fuel. It seems to me that foods more calorie rich and 'denser' can provide longer lasting more grounded energy than lighter raw foods.
I'm aware that there may be some conditioning around that as well, but find it interesting that the denser, more grounding foods - roots, berries etc are more readily/seasonally available at this time. Some of these probably need to be cooked in order to be eaten. So it feels like there's some truth in that as well.
A potential paradox seems to be that raw food is higher vibration and may increase our vibration too, yet many live and work in a lower vibrational world. It seems to me, as we've discussed many times, that the lower vibrational 'matirx' doesn't serve people, yet at the same time we might be invited to live and work within it. This might mean eating more grounding, high energy/calorie, denser foods to be more grounded in that, yet this might be of lower vibration than raw foods. So perhaps we find the balance that works for us? or everyone transitions to eating high vibrational raw foods and then society changes?! maybe both
seasons
Hi Lesley
I resonate with your post. I've sometimes found aspects of winter challenging, but also can see the beauty in it, and feel its a valid and beautiful part of our experience, and the natural cycles.
I like to see it as a time of nurturing, rest, grounding, contemplation etc. Though it might not always play out that way(!), it feels like this is an underlying theme. When we look to Nature for examples - the animals might burrow deep underground or hibernate. Trees drop their leaves and root their energy deeper within and into the earth. etc.
So it seems a natural time to connect to the earth and ourselves, instincts and intuitions.
thanks
All good points
Yes these are all good points Ben. I especially resonate with your conclusion...
"A potential paradox seems to be that raw food is higher vibration and may increase our vibration too, yet many live and work in a lower vibrational world. It seems to me, as we've discussed many times, that the lower vibrational 'matirx' doesn't serve people, yet at the same time we might be invited to live and work within it. This might mean eating more grounding, high energy/calorie, denser foods to be more grounded in that, yet this might be of lower vibration than raw foods. So perhaps we find the balance that works for us? or everyone transitions to eating high vibrational raw foods and then society changes?! maybe both"
It's about maintaining a bridge into the matrix whilst at the same time, not forgetting working to draw the lower vibration into the higher. So it's being close enough to influence, yet not influenced by the lower vibration and then always working towards the higher - that's how it seems to me at least!
Chris
In summary...
I read here: black, white, black, white
It's all about balance after all, which is very individual and impermanent... both with food and vibrations...
A balance act.. Halllleeeey op! In winter, spring.. and every new day
we are all different
Yulia wrote: "It's all about balance after all, which is very individual and impermanent... both with food and vibrations...
Absolutely agree! We are all unique. We all require something different.