Every year at the close of our busiest stretch, I swear I’m hanging it up. The long, bright months of making, selling, shipping, and listening leave me achy—body and spirit. I hear so many stories: the pains, the questions about how to feel well, the hope that health might also bring happiness. I long for winter’s quiet, for a pause deep enough to feel like relief.
I know I’m not alone. People are hurting in so many ways—financially, mentally, emotionally—before we even get to the physical. Helping is in my bones; it’s the work I’ve studied for decades and what gives me purpose. But sometimes I carry too much of what we share. It settles in first as a soreness, then an ache. I reach for ginger and turmeric to cool the fire, brew mineral-rich tea to fill the gaps. Those help, but they’re still just the symptoms speaking loudest.
This year, I’m trying something different: giving myself the pause I recommend to others. I’m diving into stress management, dusting off my anatomy and physiology books, and admitting how much there is still to learn. The deeper I go, the clearer it is: we’re overwhelmed, and quick fixes don’t tend the roots.
What Actually Helps
Plenty of people will suggest a wellness routine, a diffuser blend, or yoga. If that’s your thing—go for it. (For me, yoga is like beets: categorically not my thing, but you do you, boo) I needed a different door back to myself.
Lately, it’s been knitting. The simple, steady work of looping fiber into shape calms my mind and softens the edges of the day. Like herbalism, it’s transformation—raw materials becoming something warm and useful in the hands of a maker. Wool and silk, linen and cotton run through my fingers and I think about their beginnings: the sheep’s pasture, the flax field, the cotton bolls bursting white. I think about the people, animals, and places that touch these fibers—the whole small fibershed that makes a skein possible.
In that slow rhythm, I remember who I am: a person who makes, who tends, who listens. And from that place, I can help again.
When the seasons shift and everything slows, what helps you find your way back to yourself?
Try This Gentle Reset
- Brew a your favorite herbal tea and sip slowly.
- Choose one simple, tactile task: knit a few rows, mend a seam, or prep herbs for a jar infusion.
- Step outside for five breaths—feel the air, notice the light, let your shoulders drop.
Small acts done with attention change the weather inside us. They’re not flashy, but they’re faithful.
Let’s Talk About Real Rest
I’m learning to listen, to move slower, and to create from a steadier place. If you’re walking this same winter road, I’d love to hear from you.
What practice—like knitting, yoga, or simply breathing—restores your sense of calm and purpose?
🌿 Join the Conversation
Take a quiet moment this week to tend to your own healing, whatever that looks like for you. Then, if you’d like, share your ritual with me on Substack—this post began as a Field Note and the community replies are beautiful.