Winter Lifesavers

I’m still hibernating and plan to do so for the foreseeable future! These dark nights and dark mornings are all part of living in the UK during winter time but I do find this season more difficult.

Give me a sliver of sunlight – just a little bit and I’m as happy as you could be. It doesn’t even have to be warm – just light! I am grateful that I work from home, my desk in in our conservatory which lets in a lot of natural light and I also have a lightbox on my desk – one of the ones for SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) that you are supposed to have on for about half an hour a day…. I have it on all day! It can’t be too light for me!

Part of me thinks that I should have been born in LA – year round sunshine I can handle! But I know that I would miss so many things about Britain, it really is a great country with lots of culture, history and business. There is also the fact that I think we need balance in our lives. After dark, comes light. After night, comes day. It is a natural cycle to have high periods and low periods, we just have to be open to riding the wave and embracing whatever comes into our path – good or bad.

As I’m a firm believer in choosing your attitude, I have been embracing these wintry nights rather than allowing them to bring me down, and the best way I have found to do that is to listen to what I need. Sounds simple doesn’t it? Often harder to actually do! Especially when you have a hundred other commitments, things you think you ‘should’ be doing and other people who need things from you. But listening to what I need has given me some comfort and happiness over the last few weeks.

As it’s so cold outside I’ve been layering up to stay cosy on the school run. This Woolovers Fair Isle cardigan is stylish and warm and made of lambswool. It has been brilliant at keeping out the chill, especially as I teamed it with this Woolovers cashmere & cotton stripe scarf for extra luxe.

Another thing I have needed lately is a lot of early nights! I’ve been taking myself off to bed early (sometimes 7.30pm, sometimes 8pm) and reading a book in bed! This has been so restorative, as I’ve naturally been dropping off to sleep by about 10pm so I’m getting a good quality, long rest, and also the reading is really enjoyable. I am totally disinterested in what we have on the TV at the moment. I couldn’t care less about celebrity houses and who is arguing with whom. I’m not bothered about what the soap characters are up to and I’ve never watched baking shows or jungle shenanigans! I’d much rather lose myself in a good novel or learn about myself with a spiritual book. My Kindle has therefore been a winter lifesaver in January…

Another lifesaver – literally, is home cooked food. The Christmas period involved a lot of indulgence and eating out, but now we are in a new year I have been back to basics and making sure I cook again. Rather than stick to the few ‘tried and tested’ regular meals that I prepare, I’ve been making an effort to mix things up and try new recipes! This month I’ve enjoyed a slimming Nacho Style Feast which is really filling and warming, and also I made a slow cooked sweet chilli chicken which made a nice change.

All this cosiness is helping me to get through these winter months, rest up and gather strength for the busier spring and summer months as I know my diary is looking really active this year!

How do you get through the winter? Share your strategies with me below.

This post contains press samples from Woolovers