The Power of Illness
Hello Dear Ones!
How are you doing? There is so much illness going around. We are back to the land of illness, and sometimes the layered kind where we have more than one at a time. How have you been feeling during this season? How are your people?
I am home on the couch (a favorite place of mine). The sun is pouring in, my son is in my lap, and our sweet kitty is curled up in her spot next to us. School is cancelled from snow, and I am healing from sickness.
Yesterday I was flat out sick, with school cancelled. So, we stopped everything and rested. We spent hours in bed and on the couch reading. We flooded our bodies with fluids, homeopathy and a few choice supplements.
Toward the end of the day, I sat on the floor by the fire, book in hand, and realized with astonishment: This is right. I am resting. I am wintering.
For those of you who’ve been with me for some years, you know that I talk about wintering every year. Wintering is the idea of truly finding ways to quiet yourself, to rest, to sleep longer, turn lights out sooner, hibernate a bit.
So, as I think about the layers and layers of illness, I think that this might just be so wise. (and, wildly uncomfortable, inconvenient, etc… I know this is true as well). When we are sick, it is a strong call to cancel plans, take time away from life, rest and nourish more, ask for help and support.
In other words, it is a call to winter for a while. From inside illness, when we have the energy and mental clarity, we can often make new connections in our lives, think new thoughts, see things from a new angle. We get to practice “No” as a complete sentence. We get to flood our bodies with deep nourishment (fluids, food, rest, time off, connection with beloveds).
There are many schools of thought about why we become ill. German New Medicine says we are sick when we are experiencing “inner conflict”. Anthroposophy says we become sick when it is time to grow (the return to health is accompanied by a developmental leap). Homeopathy (and many other schools of thought) says we are sick when we become imbalanced inside. Most of us would say that illness and injury occur when we need time out, when we need a break from everyday life. I remember when my childhood voice teacher broke her dominant arm. A wise woman in my life said, “Well, she must have needed a way to take a break”. It’s all food for thought.
I always wonder (and often ask): How are you taking care of yourself? It’s so easy become run-down from our busy lives.
The things we need to prevent illness are also what we often need to heal illness: plenty of fluid, nutrition, sleep, time that is spacious and joyful, connection with those we love. It seems that when we haven’t tended ourselves in this way, illness requires us to dig in and feed ourselves with these things.
Winter does too, of course, and so here is the connection back to wintering. Take time now, whether well or ill, to feed yourself, to fill yourself with all that nourishes you. To hibernate (rest) for a while.
Here are the ideas again:
Unscheduled time
Connection with beloveds
Warmth
Extra sleep and rest
Plenty of fluids
Nutrient-rich whole foods
Movement that feels good to you
Anything else that fulfills and delights you
Okay, I am signing off to go back to my own healing, resting, and wintering. I wish each of you beautiful time in your own wintering process, and ultimately wonderful health!
In deep gratitude for everything in this sweet life,
Rebecca
* Disclaimer: This likely goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway: Everything I write is for educational purposes only. Nothing I write or share can be deemed diagnostic or medical advice. Nothing I write or share can replace your own healthcare providers or your own internal knowing and wisdom. Period. Please seek tailored medical care and advice via your skilled healthcare team whenever you need it.
