At the end of February and the beginning of March, we have been enduring winter and are itching for summer. This year the groundhog saw his shadow, so if you’re like us, you’re even more antsy for spring! The groundhog predicted the warmer weather! We’re ready! While we wait for baited breath for those warmer days, we know that the real reason we’re hoping for warm, sunny weather is because those winter months can feel tough! While we want to be in hibernation mode, it’s so easy to get swept up into productivity mode. And the tension between the cold, dark days of winter and the hustle and drive of being super productive are always at conflict. It’s that conflict that can sometimes make us feel down, when we’d rather not feel so blue.
Do you relate? It’s so easy to lean into that winter tension and feel like you’re not doing enough. It’s easy to feel like spring is decades away, not just mere months. It’s important to allow yourself to go through each up and down as it comes. When our founders Renee and Tiffany Tam set out to build the KIM+ONO brand, they didn’t want to just bring luxury silk robes to their community. They also wanted to bring a deep breath, a sense of calm, the ability to be gentle and easy with oneself. Wearing a floral kimono robe can’t always fix those tougher feelings, but it can be a little reminder to be kind to yourself when you’re feeling down.
So in today’s journal, we want to offer a few more options of how to feel more in the flow of life. The flow doesn’t mean everything will be easy, but it does mean you’ll be able to handle the waves as they come. Small acts like slipping into a silk kimono robe aren’t necessarily going to solve everything, but those little acts can be the gentle reminders that beauty is all around you and you won’t always feel blue. Here are a few ways to get back into the flow of life if you’re experiencing some ups and downs this winter.
This is simple, but it may not be easy. We are so used to trying to “correct” our emotions that we seldom investigate them. But the beautiful thing about our most challenging emotions is that when we investigate them, they tend to lose a little bit of their grip. Perhaps not totally, but just enough. If you’re feeling caught up in a blue cycle, trying to change that feeling won’t necessarily make you feel better. But perhaps slipping into your plus size kimono duster for a little extra softness, lighting a candle, and watching a rom com that always makes you cry (in a good way), could help you lean more into your emotions. Allowing them to be there is a great way to move through them.
You can process your emotions in any which way. From talk therapy to journaling to meditation, there are so many ways to dig in and process your feelings. Once you’ve allowed your feelings to just be, you may feel a little more strength to dive in and figure out why these big emotions are coming up for you. It can feel great to set a scene for yourself to go deeper. Block off some quiet time for yourself, drape your silk kimono robe around your shoulders, take out your journal and write what comes to mind for you. You can even just write a stream of consciousness and save it for later. Come back to it the next day and see what wise insights you had when you just allowed yourself to dig into your feelings.
At KIM+ONO, we believe that everyone should have access to therapy and therapeutic modalities. Your mental health is your health, and we want you to take good care. Perhaps you can talk with a therapist, a good friend or trusted confidante, or a co-worker you trust. Talking with someone can let out the pressure of negative feelings building up. After talking through what’s going on in your life, make sure to take good care of yourself. Draw a bath, listen to a comedy podcast, slip into your luxury silk robe. Whatever you can do to seal the practice of talking with gentleness, lightness, and calm, is a good thing for the soul.
It’s time-tested advice for a reason. Nature can bring so much restorative calm to us. We are nature after all, so connecting with it can bring a sense of peace and wholeness. Perhaps you slip into your silk kimono robe for a little extra luxury and take a casual stroll around the block. Or maybe you go for a hike in the mountains near your home. However you get out into nature, make sure you’re going somewhere beautiful, and somewhere that makes you feel like you belong. (Because you do!)
And finally, let go of what you can. And mainly, let go of all the things you can’t control. There are so many things in life that, try as we might, we just can’t bend them to our will. Life can be wild and winding, and the best thing we can do is to not fight against it. If you’re in the middle of a down period, know that you won’t always feel that way. Perhaps there are real life circumstances that make day to day life more difficult. That’s okay. Work on what you can, and leave the rest. Take good care of yourself. Sleep. Hydrate. Eat healthy foods. Give yourself a self care routine. Wear your floral kimono robe to wash your face every night. Talk with people who love you and who will encourage you. There are very few things we’re in control of, but creating an environment that gives us life, vitality, and inspiration is one thing we can do.
