Tina Stinson 00:00:00 I can't think of a better time other than February to do a winter reflection. Now, I know the winter is not just February, and I also know that there's some people that might be listening that don't experience winter. The way I experience winter, which is it looks like an ice age where I live right now, but I think it's the perfect time. Winter is the perfect time. If you're connected to nature and you see what nature does, it slows down. Like where I live, a lot of things just die. They go dormant. So it's the perfect time to go inward. And, you know, living in alignment with nature puts you in alignment with the flow of everything. And so the more connected to nature I am, the more things feel like they're in flow. And so winter, especially February, when we're on the brink of spring, really like March, starts feeling springy to me, even though we still have snow in March, we'll start seeing little flowers poking up through the snow soon enough and it'll be very exciting to me.
Tina Stinson 00:01:02 But doing my winter reflection now, it helps me like to go inward and to like, think about what I want to do this year. What do I want to plan? What do I want to create? What do I want to experience? It's the perfect time to do it right before spring. And then when spring comes, just like nature, it's a time to really step into that, to create and start taking action. And so doing a reflection now just puts you on the right course to really step into the flow of spring when it gets here. So that's what today's podcast is about. Let's get into it. You are listening to the Soul Aligned Self-care podcast. I'm your host, Tina Stinson, and I had a stroke at the age of 39 from stress and burnout that shook my world. Now I'm laying it all out. The deep level self-care practices and mindset shifts that I needed that kept me healthy, balanced and thriving. Join me in this intimate space as we explore healing, resilience, and the soul's journey to alignment.
Tina Stinson 00:02:09 This is where real conversations about deep level self-care happen. Let's get into it. Hey guys, welcome back to the Soul Aligned Self-care podcast. Today I am talking about doing a winter reflection and reconnecting with your values, your wants, your needs, and then just kind of preparing for like thriving in this next year. Now, I know a lot of people do something sort of like this at the beginning of the year. You know, you have your New Year's resolutions and you set goals and all that stuff. but as I said in the intro, I feel like the more I get aligned with nature and myself. The more I feel like I can, I could do a lot of the planning in the winter, but I'm really not feeling the action like. And I feel like spring is really when you can just like, hop on that wave of action. So doing a winter reflection now and really getting down to just, you know, planning and dreaming big and, you know, just trying to decide the direction that you want to go in for the year.
Tina Stinson 00:03:25 It's the perfect time to do it. and I know that everybody lives in different places in the world, and you might not be experiencing the same weather, but even if you're, you know, down south somewhere, you're still going to, you know, experience some type of winter, like something changes and the weather. You might not have the four seasons, but it definitely changes. I've definitely lived in Florida. I've lived in North Carolina, I've lived in Pennsylvania, and I've lived in New York, and there's definitely all kinds of different signals that you're moving into, like a different season. And so I feel like we can feel this in our bodies. And I think it's very important to pay attention and follow and get in sync with the flow of what you're feeling and not fight against it. Because, as I said also in the intro, you know, when you do a reflection now and planning now, right before spring, as soon as spring comes around, there's like this energy in the air.
Tina Stinson 00:04:24 We all feel it. Like they call it spring fever, right? There's just like this enormous amount of energy. And why not hop on the momentum of that energy right in time to just just skyrocket into whatever you want to create for yourself in the next year? So like, February for me is, like, I don't want to go outside where I live, like, we have at least a foot of snow, Maybe more. And in between that foot of snow, there's, like a layer of ice. So when you walk on it, you feel if I walk even just a few yards, I start, I'm out of breath. It's this work. It's like you have cement blocks on your feet. And so it's hard to even walk outside right now. And then the driveway, which we have, which is a very long driveway, is pretty much solid ice. So you would have to wear spikes on your feet to walk on it. And then I still don't feel good about walking on it, so I walk in the snow.
Tina Stinson 00:05:23 so really I don't want to go outside. So it's the perfect time for me to be just, like, cozy inside, lighting the fire. You know, being in, like, that introspective state instead of, like, chasing, chasing like those big goals and those those resolutions right at the beginning of the year, you know, I'm, I'm looking to just do all the planning and the dreaming and, and really like reflecting on what I, what do I want experience not just like jumping into it when my body doesn't feel ready and there's really there's no energy coming my way that says, let's do this. You know, you know, it's a season now for rest, reflection, reconnecting with what really, truly matters to you. And as I said, like, I feel like it's nature's way of reminding us to slow down, go inward and prepare for growth and abundance. And, you know, the abundance that's created in spring and summer. That's what's going to come. And just like a flower, a flower, like a lot of flowers die out in the winter, you know, they don't stay bloomed full force all year round.
Tina Stinson 00:06:33 Most flowers at least. I'm sure there's some flowers that do this. so think of yourself in that same kind of life cycle every year. I think we all need time to, like, slow down and go inward. And if we don't take that time eventually, sometimes we're forced to take that time where we sometimes will get sick or have some health problems. So I always felt like a very, very deep connection with the natural cycle cycles of the year, especially in nature. But I haven't always, like, really embraced it until now. I feel like a lot. I spent a lot of my life being too busy, like, oh, I'm too busy, I'm too busy, I'm too busy. And I really, I kind of regret that. I think it's a shame, because I feel like you actually get more done when you're in the state of flow that you create when you work with these life cycles. So I feel like winter is a time for rest and reflection. Spring is a time for growth and creation.
Tina Stinson 00:07:35 Summer. You know you'll have more growth plus a whole lot of fun and play and relaxation. fall is like the time you harvest. It's like the time for celebrating your successes and enjoying the fruits of your labor. So I feel like moving along with this cycle and really trying to connect to it intentionally really, actually would help me get more done than if I'm always like, go, go, go, go all year round. Because when you're not aligning with the flow of life, you're fighting against it. So it's kind of like you're going like instead of riding the easy river on your raft, you're walking or trying to swim up the river certain times of the year, which is hard and takes more time, burns you out, right? So tuning into the cycle, has been a game changer for me. It helps me feel grounded, intentional, ready to thrive. And I'm not fighting against myself like in January when I feel like I'm supposed to be setting goals and achieving and, you know, having a good first quarter and doing all that bullshit.
Tina Stinson 00:08:42 I instead I'm like, no, this is a time to go inward. And when I honor that, I just. It feels so good. So right now, in the heart of winter, I'm just taking the time to reflect on my life. I actually sat down and did this exercise a little bit last night. I still have a little bit more I want to work through and journal through. Of course. Guys, this is a journaling exercise. You know me, it's always about journaling. but as I said, something magical about doing reflection right now, it's it's still it's quiet. Well, it's quiet where I am. I know it's not quiet everywhere. The days are shorter. The world feels like just. You could feel. You can feel it slow down, you know. And it's the ideal time to pause and to ask yourself some questions. And so I'm going to give you some questions throughout this podcast that you can work with. Definitely some journaling exercises. So asking yourself this is very important.
Tina Stinson 00:09:42 What do I want to achieve or experience this year. So there are some people that go through life that never ask themselves this question. They just kind of go along wherever life, you know, wherever life seems to push them or take them or other people seem to drag them. They just kind of just go along with it. They never really ask themselves what they want. So I think it's really important to do this, at least once a year, if not more. And then you could say, are my current actions, the current things that I do every day aligned with my values or goals? So are the things I'm doing right now aligned with what I want, like where I want to go. And you'd be surprised, you know, when you write it out, sometimes you're like, I'm not doing anything I want to do. Like there was a time in my life where I did this exercise. This was a long time ago where I was not doing one thing I wanted to do.
Tina Stinson 00:10:32 This is when I was the people pleaser. I've talked about this before on the podcast. I spent so much time trying to make other people's comfortable, other people comfortable and happy that I was not doing anything I wanted, and I did it for so long that I didn't even know what I wanted, and it took me a while to tune into that. So this is an important question. Okay. Are your current actions aligned with your values and goals? And then the last question I would ask would be what needs to shift so I can move in the direction that I truly desire. And this doesn't have to be like, even if you are were in this situation or you are right now in the situation that I was in years and years ago, where I was like, I don't even know what I want. And it's so overwhelming because you just feel like you have to change everything. I want you to know that you don't have to change everything. This is about taking little tiny baby steps, you know, in the direction you want to go.
Tina Stinson 00:11:26 And just like, keep doing that over and over again. This is about just being aware of what you want, aware of where you want to go, and then being intentional about your actions moving towards that. It doesn't have to be all at once. So for me, this is definitely not a one time exercise. It's. It's like at least an annual ritual I do. I like doing this. Also like in, like December between the holidays and the new year. it just seems like the perfect time to reflect. And then I'll do it again now. sometimes I do it, like, mid-year, just to see if I'm still feeling aligned with what I'm doing. So it's really about being aware and checking in with yourself. So it could just be an annual ritual for you. but it's most importantly, it's a way that I ensure that I know that I'm growing and evolving and expanding and living a life that feels meaningful and fulfilling. And there's so many times in our lives that we're going to feel stuck, and we're going to be in a place that we don't want to be.
Tina Stinson 00:12:31 This has happened to me so many times, as a matter of fact, right now. I'm feeling like a little stuck. And so I've been making a lot of different. One of the things that I always tell my clients is like, when you feel stuck. Just start making changes because every little change you make is going to shift you. Like even just taking a different route to work when you go to work in the morning or trying a new workout or, you know, taking a new class can kind of, kind of like empower you to start thinking, to think differently and to get unstuck. And so, this exercise right now for me is actually really enjoyable and really fun because I do feel like I'm, I'm like at a point in my life where I want another change, I want something different. And to me, that's kind of exciting, I think, because I love new experiences, I love learning new things, and I'm excited. So here are a few ways, to dive into doing this winter reflection.
Tina Stinson 00:13:34 And just so you know, at the end of this podcast, I'm going to share a way that you can kind of connect with me and do this with me. I'm going to do a call, so I'll leave a link that if you want to join me on a winter reflection call and meditation. I would love to have you. And it's totally free. So, but here are two ways that you could do it. If you don't want to be on the call, you could do it yourself. Or you could do it with friends. You could do a family, whatever you want to do. But the first way, number one, okay, is kind of like take a bird's eye view of your life. So look at your life. Look at all the different areas. You know, it could be like health, career, relationships, personal growth, social life, so many different things. Education, whatever it is that is, you know, important to you. And just take a look at it and then ask those yourself, the questions.
Tina Stinson 00:14:28 Oh, my God, I can't talk today. Ask yourself the questions. Does this area feel aligned with where I want to be? Okay. and if not, what changes can I make to shift things in the right direction? And then the second way you could look at this is you could focus on one of the areas that you know you're struggling in, right. So maybe it could be health, you know, because sometimes looking at all the areas can be overwhelming, especially if you feel like you need to change every area of your life. Instead, pick the one that's having the the most, the most effect on everything. So if you change this one thing, it would have kind of a ripple effect on your whole entire life. so a lot for a lot of people that would be health, because when we don't have our health, nothing else matters. And if you've ever been in a situation or have had any kind of a health crisis, you know this, that you know when your health when you're not feeling good or you're sick, nothing else matters.
Tina Stinson 00:15:26 Your career doesn't matter. Your social life doesn't matter like nothing matters. You just want to feel better, right? And so that's that's an example of an area of your life that would really have a ripple effect on all other areas in some way, shape or form. So pick that one area. It could be money, it could be career, it could be your romantic life. It could be your, you know, your friendships, or it could be a family relationship. Just pick one thing and then ask yourself, where am I right now? Where am I right now in this one thing? And what do I want to experience instead? Because we're not experiencing what we want, right? So what do you want to experience? Like brainstorm? And if you really don't know, brainstorm, you know, ask yourself the question, if I knew what I wanted, what would it be? You know, that's a way of kind of like tricking your, like, subconscious a little bit. So, what do I want to experience instead? And then lastly, what small shifts can I make to move toward that vision? And the key here I want to emphasize is always small shifts that we don't have to make these big, huge, like, scary changes.
Tina Stinson 00:16:36 You know, sometimes it's fun to make big, scary changes. Sometimes it's like really a lot of fun to step out of your comfort zone. I think doing that is very important because we don't get growth without discomfort. So I feel like we do have to kind of do that, but we don't have to like, shock ourselves. We don't have to like make these big, huge changes and get overwhelmed. Sometimes making those small changes, having a little success really gives us the confidence to create the momentum that we need to move forward. So little changes are so powerful. And the last thing I want to remind you with those two different ways, you could do it. So you could look at, you know, take a bird's eye view, or you could just focus on one thing. But the what's really important is to make it fun and inspiring. Even if you're stuck and you're miserable right now, it's not about beating yourself up or setting unrealistic goals and expectations or comparison. Comparison is the killer of all dreams and motivation.
Tina Stinson 00:17:37 So stop comparing yourself to any other individuals because there is no comparison. There is no exact alike situations, right? Everybody's dealing with something different. Everybody's coming from a different place. So there's no point in comparison because it's it doesn't it just doesn't exist. It's not accurate. Right? So let go of all those things. It's about dreaming big. It's about getting excited and it's about the possibilities. So don't think about your circumstances and where you are right now. Think about the possibilities. Focus on that. Think of it as planting seeds. Right. So we'll go back to nature again. So it's about starting to begin to plant the seeds like we're getting the soil ready. We're creating health. We're going to create like the perfect situation for growth. You know. So like plants need good soil. They need sunlight and they need water. We kind of need a lot of the same. We need sunlight, water and nutrition. Right? Same thing as a plant. So think of this time as a time that you're planting seeds that are going to bloom in the spring, and you're going to be picking flowers all summer and into the fall.
Tina Stinson 00:18:48 So the journaling exercise. Now, I would encourage you to just listen through this podcast all the way through, and then maybe come back to the journaling questions. Or you could just pause it and write the journaling questions down. But definitely do it. And if you really want to, like I said, join me in that call. Then definitely there'll be instructions in the show, notes on how you can join me for Winter reflection call, which is probably going to be in the last week of February. I'm going to do it. Okay, so here are the questions. So grab a notebook and spend some time with these prompts. Or either that or join me in the call. So where am I feeling uninspired in my life. So what's. What's not working? Like, look at the different areas. Don't be hard on yourself too. If everything's really just not working right now, there's so many people in that same situation. You're definitely not alone. I've been there myself. And so don't be afraid to just be completely honest with yourself, because you're not going to get to where you want to go by sugarcoating the situation you're in right now.
Tina Stinson 00:19:52 So just be completely honest with yourself. And, think of this as a turning point where you're going to move into the change that you need in your life. And then number two, what do I want to experience in these areas that I'm not experiencing right now? So this is really important. It's kind of like setting the GPS. So when you're going to take a long ride or you're going on a trip, you, you know, you begin with your starting point where you are the address where you're starting. And then you, you put punch in the address where you want to go. So and you're really not going to get to where you want to go. if you don't, you know. Know those two things. So that's why question number one is what am I feeling. Uninspired in my life right now. That's where that's your starting point. What do I. And number two question is what do I want to experience in these areas that I'm not experiencing now. So like where do you want to go.
Tina Stinson 00:20:44 So you're punching in the coordinates right. That's what this is about. Number three what shifts do I need to make. So now this this is like all the turns that you're going to make on the way on your trip, right? So you don't necessarily have to know all of them. And we never do. Like if you look at any success that you've had in your life and you look back at the way you got there, I would be willing to bet big money on the fact that you would have never guessed that you would have taken that path, because we always end up taking paths and turns that we don't expect. We end up hitting roadblocks that we have to go around. Sometimes we have to make shifts, right? So we take a path that is really unknown. So when I ask you what shifts do you need to make? This is just about brainstorming as many things that come up that you think might bring you closer. But it's not about creating an exact list that you have to follow in an exact way.
Tina Stinson 00:21:41 Because when we focus too strongly like that, we close ourselves off from other opportunities coming in. That that might be really worthwhile exploring. And if we're just not awake to those because we're so laser focused on how we think it's supposed to go, we can miss out on some really fun, great experiences in our life. So this is about not being so exact to the steps that you're going to take. It's more about like shifting into your the mindset and the actions that you need to take in order to step into this new version of your life. What do you think you need to do? What kind of what kind of mindset do you have to have? do you have to improve your health? Maybe you need to get some better sleep in order to do these things. Like, what do you need to do? What can you start doing now that's going to help push you in that direction and keep yourself open to new things that might pop up. And then when you run into one of those roadblocks, don't think of it as failure.
Tina Stinson 00:22:40 Think of as think of it as like a lesson or something that you needed to learn. Or maybe it's just a shift you need to make. Okay. And and then the last question is, how can I start incorporating these shifts into my daily life? Start with small baby steps and just start. Just start doing it. You know, test one thing out and then see if it works. If it doesn't, make a shift and test another thing out. Like that's what life is about. the more failures you have, the more success that you'll have. The more failures, failures you create, the more momentum you'll create. Right. So, don't think of failure as a bad thing. Think of failure as action if you're feeling stuck. Failure is action because you're moving forward, you're learning and you're shifting. And this this is creating. It's going to start to create that momentum. You need to get to where you want to go. It's almost like failure is like the gas in the car okay.
Tina Stinson 00:23:36 So you need that fuel to keep going. You need to be trying different things. Okay. So this week what you should do. You should definitely do this reflection or do it with me on the call. But this week, pick one small change from your list and start there. Maybe it's like carving out ten minutes to do like a meditation or breathwork. Maybe some yoga. maybe it might be just setting a boundary in a relationship or in your business or in your career, whatever you do for a living. it could be signing up for a new class that you've been curious about, something fun you want to learn, or even something you want to learn to expand your knowledge in your business or your career, right? Over time, these small chefs will add up to big, huge transformations. And one way to look at it is what have you got to lose? Like, the only other choice is to stand still, which sounds not too much fun to me, right? So why? Once again, I want to go back to like, why this matters.
Tina Stinson 00:24:41 Why should we do this? Reflection. As I said, you know, you could be the type of person and maybe you were in the past. I definitely was in the past. That just kind of like went along with where everybody pushed me, like. So you have all these different people almost making decisions for you in your life. like, so why this matters is if we don't take the time to reflect, realign, you know, try new things, nothing changes. And let's be honest, staying stuck in the same old patterns doesn't feel great. It might feel safe, but it might feel comfortable sometimes. But it doesn't feel great. We're wired as human beings to grow, expand, explore and create. It's part of what makes life so vibrant and meaningful. It's what they're talking about when they say it's all about the journey, not the destination. It's about the way we're living our life on the way to what we want. That's why it's so important to be open to new things, like not to like be stuck on it happening a certain way for you.
Tina Stinson 00:25:47 Be open to the way that it's going to show up for you. We miss a lot of opportunities when we're expecting something to show up in a certain way, and it shows up in a different way, and we don't even see it. By doing this work, this reflective work, you'll be ready to kind of ride the wave of spring that I talked about. So when it when spring arrives, you're going to be ready. Imagine just like harnessing that natural energy and momentum to create the life that you truly want to experience. It's like hopping into the flow of the universe. So why not let it carry you forward? Why not make things easier for you? So winter reflection isn't just like a one and done thing. Like I said, it's a practice that you should return to year after year or like me, a couple times a year to ensure that you're living your life with intention and purpose. It's a it's how we create adventure, happiness, peace, and a lot of ease in our lives.
Tina Stinson 00:26:44 So grab a cozy blanket, light a candle, and spend some time with these questions that I shared with you. And you know, trust me, your future self is going to be really, really, really happy you did this. And I would also encourage you to buy like either a special journal or notebook to do this in every year so that every year you can look back at the previous year and you could see how much you changed yourself and how much of that you created for yourself. It's so much fun to look back and read some of the goals you had and and feel how good it feels, and to celebrate how good it feels to succeed and move forward in the direction you want to. So when you do this, when spring arrives, you're going to be ready. You're going to be ready to, like, bloom into that beautiful flower. right along with all the other flowers in spring. So here's to the end of February, the season of reflection, realignment, growth. And I can't wait to hear what shifts that you're making in your life.
Tina Stinson 00:27:51 So definitely think about joining me for the winter reflection call. as I said, we're just going to do, meditation and then some journaling questions together and basically share. a lot of times when we share with other people and we have support sometimes in our our personal and professional lives, we don't have the support that we want. But, you know, getting together with some like minded other people and sharing and being supported and the things that you want to do as you move forward and grow can be so nurturing. So if you want to join me, I don't know if you guys just heard that my dog just burped. I'm being so serious. And she just burped. So she's a goldendoodle. So anybody who has a goldendoodle or a golden retriever knows that they do that all the time. They, like, come up and just like burp in your face. And so that's Millie giving her $0.02 about winter reflection. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but if you want to join me, the instructions to join will be in the show notes, so you can let me know if you want to join.
Tina Stinson 00:29:01 And this will be a free event, like it's something free that I'm going to do. I would love to have you. Okay guys, until next week, enjoy the rest of this week and the weekend. Love you. Bye.
