Reasons to stay hopeful this February

a little letter of encouragement for the final stretch of winter

Hello, I’m Jodie. A Yoga teacher & creator. I write about my quest to live a slower pace of life with themes of rest, living slower and seasonal living. Subscribe to support my work & to read more. Or, get cosy and join our Slower Space community to access all content and the journaling club!

Anyone else very much over winter?

As much as I like to find joy in every day and live seasonally, February for me is almost always the most testing month - and like clockwork, the desire for brighter days has crept in.

I’m romanticising and leaning into the rest of this month in small ways (more on that a little further down), but I think it’s good to admit that there is some resistance to this part of the season, I do have moments of longing for warmth and brighter skies at this stage… and that’s ok!

It’s this for me that makes the sense of hope that comes with spring so potent. That noticing of the bird song getting earlier again and the feeling of the warm morning sun on your skin… Without the harshness of winter, I don’t know whether I’d fully appreciate that in the same way. The sense of relief, hope and new life.

It serves a quiet purpose in putting things into perspective. A reminder that life is full of ebbs and flows, but change is constant.

By the end of February the sun will rise just before 7am and set at 5:40pm. The bird song will be that little louder and earlier, the daffodils will be in full bloom and the lambs will start gracing the fields again.

February is the final stretch. When I acknowledge this and rest in it, it reminds me that I get to choose how I spend these final few weeks, and ways I can tune into it and make them feel lighter and brighter…

Romanticising the remaining weeks of winter…

• Sowing seeds - something that brings me SO much joy is growing and gardening, and I always forget that the prep work for that can very much start in the later half of this month. I’ve put a plan of our garden together which felt energising in itself and the next step is to get the sweet peas ordered and planted.

• Buying into Valentines day - in your own way. If I’m honest, I was always a little on my high horse when it came to Valentines and completely ruled out doing anything because of how overly commercialised it is. However, I’ve realised in recent years that it does act as a nice marker in the month to celebrate loved ones. That doesn’t have to be in an extravagant way, but using the day to reflect and appreciate the love you have in your life seems like a good thing to me!

• Fun dinner night… I should really think of a snappier title for this, but basically, making an effort to make dinners that feel indulgent, new and exciting. We’ve been experimenting with new recipes and cooking more and its been a joy!

• Taking full advantage of bath season! Spa music and an epsom salt bath is a combination that’s bringing me so much peace right now, so, my mission for these remaining weeks of winter is to schedule in more and really soak up the time to rest and relax.

• Sow the seeds, in a different way… Lastly, make a spring vision board, this is mine, and it makes my heart so happy! I’ve always loved Pinterest, it’s less overstimulating than other social platforms for a start and its become my little hub for inspiration, dreams and hopes for the future.

I’d love to know if you can resonate and how you’re using the final few weeks of winter? I’ll meet you in the comments…

Until next time,

Jodie x

If you found this post useful or enjoyed it I would be so grateful if you shared it or restacked it. It helps more people find the Slower Space community… Thank you x