• Immune Suppression and Winter Loneliness

    We had the first proper frost here yesterday. The grass was crunchy underfoot (and wheelchair wheels), the air was bitingly cold. My yoga trousers did not provide enough protection and Linus dashed back into the house to grab my fleece lined leggings (yes, they exist, yes, they are awesome). There are lots of wonderful things about winter but it can be very isolating. In winter it’s easier to get lonely, especially if you have a chronic illness or need to stay at home for any reason (caring for small children/an adult, working from home, living in an isolated area, etc.). I’ve just had a viral infection, and last winter I had chest…

  • Wellness in Dark Weather: Grace’s Winter Love List

    I love our earth, I love the cycles and seasons. But for a while now, I’ve been nervous about the coming winter. Last winter I had two pretty severe lung infections and since then I’ve been nervous about winter, infections, feeling like I can’t breathe and having that awful chest pain. The amount of anxiety is disproportionate to the risk of infection, but every time I thought about winter and endless drizzly grey skies I felt tension. So we decided to re-frame things, and all summer Linus has been helping me put together a Winter Love List. A list of specifically enjoyable activities for cold or wet weather. Some of…