Winter Self-Care: Finding Warmth, Light, and Softness in the Dark Season

🌿 *This post is written in both English and Chinese.

The English version appears first, followed by the original Chinese version below.*

My work always becomes especially busy towards the end of the year.

Students come in feeling overwhelmed by final assignments and exams.

And around Christmas, old memories and old wounds tend to surface again.

Family, the past, and feelings we don’t always look at quietly rise during this season.

On top of that, winter in the UK is rainy, damp, and dark.

In my first few years here, I often felt heavy during winter, almost as if I had slipped into a place I couldn’t easily climb out of.

Because work became busy, I fell behind with the garden.

It wasn’t until today that I finally moved the lime, pomelo, lemon verbena, and Salvia into the greenhouse, wrapped them in fleece, and settled them in for the winter.

Watching them being cared for reminded me of something a psychiatrist used to say when I was doing a placement in a hospital in Taiwan.

He would often say softly to his patients:

“Imagine yourself as a plant living in a greenhouse.”

In winter, you need more light, more warmth, and a bit more moisture in the air.

At the time, I simply listened without thinking much of it.

It wasn’t until I came to the UK and went through a few winters that felt like hitting rock bottom that I began to try it myself.

In winter, I turn on more lights and make the room a little warmer.

Later I realised that I prefer a blend of warm and white light.

It feels bright, but still has a gentle, soft texture to it.

Over the years, I’ve come to see that these small acts of care are a bit like a mindfulness practice.

Winter can pull us back into old memories.

The atmosphere of the holiday season, which seems to wrap itself around everyone, can easily brush against old wounds.

It can hurt, and it can feel lonely.

But when I bring my attention back to my body

and notice the light, the temperature, the moisture in the air,

and ask myself what I need to feel a little more at ease,

the emotions feel less likely to suddenly rise and overwhelm me.

Sometimes I still feel sad, or a kind of loneliness I can’t quite name.

But I know these feelings slowly soften when I take care of myself with gentleness.

This understanding loosens the deep sense of helplessness that once grew out of painful memories.

If you are reading this, I hope it reminds you to treat yourself more gently during this time of year.

Like taking care of a plant in a greenhouse,

give yourself a little brightness, a little warmth, and a little softness.

I hope you have a calm and gentle winter.

And I hope you find a place where both your body and your heart can slow down.

＊ ＊ ＊

我的工作總是在年底變得特別忙碌。

學生們被期末壓力壓得幾乎喘不過氣，陸續來尋求支持。

聖誕節前後，又是一段容易觸碰到回憶和傷口的時間。

家庭、往事、以前藏在心裡的感覺，都會在這個季節慢慢浮上來。

再加上英國的冬天陰雨、濕冷、日照短。

我剛來英國的前幾年，也常常在冬天感到沉沉的，像是掉入谷底，一時上不來。

因為忙碌，花園的事也跟著耽誤了。

直到今天，我才把萊姆、柚子、檸檬馬鞭草、Salvia 一盆盆搬進溫室，裹上羊毛絨，讓它們安安穩穩地過冬。

看著它們被照顧好，我突然想起以前在台灣醫院見習時的一位精神科醫師。

他總是很溫柔地對病人說：

「想像你自己是一株在溫室裡的植物。」

冬天的時候，要給自己多一點光、多一點溫暖，也讓空氣濕潤一些。

那時我只是聽著，沒有多想。

一直到來了英國，經歷幾個像是掉入谷底的冬天後，我才真正開始照做。

每到冬天，我會把燈開亮一些，把房間布置得暖一點。

後來發現，比起只有白光，我更喜歡黃光和白光混在一起的亮度。

明亮的同時，卻仍保有一種溫柔的質地。

這幾年我也慢慢體會到，這樣的自我照顧有一點像正念練習。

冬天容易讓人被回憶帶走。

節日那種像是想要籠罩所有人的氣氛，

常常不經意地碰到一些傷口，疼痛的同時，也會覺得無助。

但如果我把注意力放回身體上，

去感覺光線、溫度、濕度，

想一想我現在需要什麼，

怎麼讓自己舒服一些，

那些情緒就比較不會一下子湧上來，把我整個淹沒。

有時候，我還是會傷心，也會感到莫名的寂寞。

但是我知道，這些情緒在我溫柔地照顧自己之後，會慢慢平緩下來。

這份理解，讓那些在悲傷回憶中累積起來的深深無力感，能夠慢慢鬆動。

希望你在讀到這篇文章以後，能提醒自己在這段時間更溫柔地對待自己。

像照顧溫室裡的植物那樣，

給自己一點明亮、一點暖意、一點柔軟。

願你度過一個寧和的冬天。

願你找到一個身心都能慢下來的地方。