Nourishing Your Winter Creativity
Hello, winter!
This time of year has always been an opportunity for me to slow down. Cozy clothes, sleeping more, journaling and reflecting…all of the good things. (And lots of warm, homecooked meals, especially my mom’s stuffed peppers recipe!) It makes sense—nature is resting, and our bodies and souls want to mirror this, too! It’s a season for quiet stillness rather than jumping into action, even though we might feel pressured to do so with the new year.
The key is to listen to your body, be gentle with yourself, and do what resonates during this wintering season. This might look like writing less, or writing more slowly. You may even want to hibernate entirely from the writing process for a little bit, and that’s perfectly fine, too. There’s no need to judge yourself for a pause—it doesn’t mean that you’re behind.
Here are three ways to nourish your winter writing so you can stay in your creative flow.
1. Be in stillness.
Give yourself some time to daydream and simply be! Winter is a time for reflection, setting intentions, and getting things organized. It’s a time to prepare, not to act.
I personally love doing a lot of journaling during the winter. I’ll often grab some tea, a blanket, and cozy up on the couch with my journal. It offers me the opportunity to give gratitude for the past year, and to also make plans and dream about the year to come. I might reflect on how my novel writing is going, plan out what kind of content I’ll create, where I’d like to travel…letting everything percolate beautifully! It’s all about planting seeds and envisioning the magnificent growth that will follow.
What new ideas for your writing want to come through during these quiet moments? What do you want to write this year, and how can you nurture your existing writing projects? Let all these seeds be planted deep into the fertile soil. Sprinkle a little love on them, and then let the magic unfold.
2. Prioritize rest.
Winter isn’t a time for action, it’s a time for moving slowly. Nature is still resting, and urges us to do the same!
Don’t feel guilty about sleeping or relaxing more. You deserve to get as much rest as you need. I find that I absolutely require more sleep during this season—I’ll go to bed earlier, and wake up later, too, usually averaging about nine hours per night.
More importantly, don’t feel guilty about spending less time writing. If you normally write five days a week, but you decide to only do two or three, that’s perfect. If you’re used to writing for several hours a day, but you only do a half hour, that’s beautiful too. There’s no need to quantify anything here—it’s all about how you feel. Your priority right now is YOU! What does your energy feel like? Listen to the inner voice that answers, and balance your writing schedule in response.
You are amazing and worthy even if you write nothing at all! (Trust me, you are not falling behind, you are recalibrating, and that’s far more important.)
3. Connect with nature.
Even though it might be very, very cold…spend time outdoors to take in the vibes of the season! Nature settles your nervous system and helps you get into creative flow. And when we sync with what’s going on with nature—mirroring it, I suppose you could say—it truly helps us to raise our vibes.
While you’re outside, breathe deeply and focus on the present moment…really enjoying everything around you. Use all of your senses. Does it feel chilly on your nose? Does everything look clear and crisp and bright? Does the snow crunch under your feet?
Take a walk, and make an intention to allow any positive, uplifting, or inspiring ideas to come visit. You might get a beautiful download for that chapter you’ve been struggling to finish, or how to properly write the plot twist, or that genius piece of the puzzle you were missing, and now your novel makes total sense. You may be surprised at how many creative ideas pop in to say hello!
Happy winter writing, my friends!
xoxo, Ana