Out in the Cold

Along with New Year, the beginning of winter is the time of year where running shoes, gym memberships and yoga-mat sales soar. A panic sets in; we fear the notion of inactivity and developing what is euphemistically called ‘a winter coat’.

Deals are made with the self and with others – some reasonable, others less so. The focus on the endpoint, not the process itself, becomes paramount, and can dramatically affect our motivation and wellbeing in a negative manner.

Winter was the time of year where traditionally our hunter-gatherer ancestors, replete with fat from the fish and fowl that they gorged themselves on in times of warm plenty, would hunker down to ride out the long, dark nights. This was the time when the rhythm of their life would slow and they would look forward to the time of sunshine and abundance.

It is almost as if the seasonal routine of their life was the opposite