There’s something quietly powerful about things coming to an end.
Not the dramatic, door-slamming kind of endings, but the quiet, gentle ones. The kind that you feel a soft letting go of your breath. A feeling that you’re ready to loosen your grip on what may be weighing you down, even if you haven't quite named it yet.
The Chinese Year of the Snake, the year we are encouraged to shed what no longer serves us, is coming to a close in the next couple of weeks. It offers the perfect moment to pause and reflect on what you are ready to shed. Please do not mistake this as pressure to “be better”, but out of a desire to feel better.
Midwinter is the perfect season for this. Nature is still Wintering, and we should be too. The days are shorter. Home has become our sanctuary and rather than rushing through life, we’re invited to simplify, soften, and rest up a little.
It is also the perfect time to reflect on how you are feeling. Perhaps a little mentally cluttered, emotionally stretched, or like your home has become a place you manage rather than rest in? Well maybe view this post as your permission slip to make the subtle changes needed.
But firstly, let’s talk about what the Year of the Snake can symbolise
What the Year of the Snake Symbolises (In a Grounded Way)
It may surprise you to know that in Chinese culture, the Snake is often associated with wisdom, intuition, transformation, and quiet strength.
And, we of course know that it famously shed's it's skin to grow.
But Snakes don’t become something new. They just simply grow, and release what no longer fits.
So, as this year of the snake draws to a close, we can use the symbolism to perhaps shed what no longer fits us. For example;
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What beliefs are you carrying that don’t feel like yours anymore?
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What habits have quietly become draining?
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What is taking up space in your mind or home that no longer supports the life you want to live?
This isn’t about perfection. Not at all. It’s about making room for calm, seasonal living.
10 Things to Shed Before the New Season Begins
The points listed below are just my suggestions, not a "must do tick list". I invite you to take what resonates. Leave what doesn’t. Do not add more pressure to yourself xx
1) Other People’s Opinions of You
The older I get, the more I realise how much energy we waste trying to be understood by everyone.
You don’t need to shrink yourself to be palatable. You don’t need to over-explain your choices. And you don’t need to earn rest. You are the writer of your story.
2) The Habit of Rushing Through Your Life
Even when nothing is urgent, many of us live like everything is. We are always in so much of a rush. Let Mother Nature guide you. Midwinter reminds us: slow down. The Natural world is resting. You can too.
Little tip:
Choose one ordinary, daily moment to do slowly. Whether that is doing you skincare routine, lighting a candle while you read, having a hot bath. Let that ordinary moment become a small anchor of calm in your day.
3) Clutter That No Longer Serves You
Clutter isn’t just “stuff”. It’s visual noise. It’s unfinished decisions. It’s the feeling of always having something to sort out. We all know the saying "tidy house, tidy mind". Well, it is famous for a reason!
Try this;
I call these "kettle jobs" because I do them while I wait for the kettle to boil to make my cup of tea. Start with one small surface: the kitchen side, your bedside table, or maybe your coffee table. Clear it completely. Only put back what helps you create the way you want the space to feel.
4) Keeping Things “Just in Case”
This is a big one, and one that I am so guilty of. I always think "that could come in handy" or get over sentimental about things.
But “just in case” items build up to a lot of stuff, often becoming the clutter in cupboards, drawers, and corners. If you don't use it or love it, let it go.
5) The Inner Voice That’s Never Satisfied
Our brains can be the hardest task master. They can often deliver those thoughts that tell us we should be doing more. Achieving more. Improving more.
But I promise you, that voice doesn’t create growth, it creates exhaustion and sometimes, resentment. Don't let thoughts of what you "should" be doing confuse the things you "choose" to do.
6) Doom Scrolling
We are all. guilty of this one, I am sure. It’s easy to reach for your phone when the evenings are long and the weather is grey and let's face it, there is not alot on the TV. But constant input makes it harder to hear yourself think, can create comparison and make us think we need to do/be/have more. In our house, we have always had a "no phones at the dinner table" rule and it still stands now, even though my boys are in their 20's.
My tip;
Break that doom scroll rut. Try no phone for the first 15 minutes after waking, or the last 30 minutes before bed. Your nervous system will thank you.
7) A Home That’s Only Functional (Not Nourishing)
Of course your home needs to work for your family and lifestyle. But it also needs to feel like your pocket of calm.
Now, that does not mean it's about having the perfect aesthetic. It’s more about creating spaces that feel soft, slower, and that you love to live in.
Small changes;
Try switching on a lamp instead of the big light of a night. Or, clear the first room that you go in when you wake, the night before. Waking up to chaos can make your brain feel chaotic. Even lighting a candle every night as you wind down. All those tiny rituals can matter more than we give them credit for.
8) Saying Yes to everything (Even to “Nice” Things)
Sometimes the stress isn’t coming from things that go wrong, or problems we encounter. It can also come from too many commitments stacked too closely together.
Midwinter is not the season for overstretching. Give yourself permission to be have glorious, chilled out nights in too.
9) The Pressure to Be “On” All the Time
I blame mobile phones for this. We have a tendency to feel that we have to be available 24 hours a day, especially if you run a small business. Answer our messages instantly, Be cheerful at all times. Be productive every day. Be the one who keeps everything running smoothly in a home.
But you are allowed to have switch off time to. As I have said previously, you do not have to "earn" rest.....
10) Corners of your Home That Drain You
You know the ones. The chair with clothes stacked on it. The pile of paperwork you need to sort. The drawer that won’t close. That chipped plate you keep meaning to get rid of. The cupboard you avoid opening as it will cause an avalanche.
These things can create background "noise" without even realising it.
Try...
Choose one unfinished corner and set a timer for 10 minutes. Now tackle that area for the duration of the timer. The aim does not have to be to complete everything, more to just make a start. Progress is progress
Midwinter is a Season of Softness (Not Reinvention)
If you take nothing else from this post, take this:
Midwinter doesn’t ask you to become someone new. It is why I am not a fan of the "New Year, New Me' mantra. It is out of tune with seasonal living.
Midwinter encourages you to simply return to yourself.
To create warmth, not hustle.
To simplify, not overhaul.
To rest, reset, and be gentler.
A Gentle Thought to Carry Forward
As the Year of the Snake ends, you don’t need to rush into the next chapter.
Just shed one layer.
One expectation. One habit. One corner of clutter. One voice that isn’t kind.
Because calm isn’t something we find. It's something we create, one small change at a time.
And midwinter?
Midwinter is the perfect place to begin.