Hi Sexy!
Here in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s that time again when the days turn short and grey, and the nights grow long and cold.
Winter makes connecting to nature a real challenge, which can put a strain on our mental and physical health. During the warm months, many of us rely on the great outdoors for exercise, clearing our minds, and low-impact socialization. The limitations of winter, combined with our capitalist culture’s imperatives to spend-spend-spend can leave us feeling lonely, cooped up, and depressed.
To add to all that, camming and other sex work tends to be insular – long shifts spent inside interacting only with fans and clients, which can contribute to a downward spiral of isolation and inertia. The best strategies to combat the winter blues are actively feeding our senses, enjoying the season’s special gifts of calm and dormancy, as well as honoring traditions that create meaning for us.
If this time of year gets you down, my first suggestion is to suit up and get out whenever the weather will allow.
Even when it’s bitterly cold outside, fresh air and sunshine is the best medicine for our bodies and minds. Experts say as few as fifteen to twenty minutes exposure to natural winter light a day can help combat seasonal depression, along with other health benefits, including aiding the body in producing Vitamin D and melatonin. Outdoor walks offer the added extra bonus of the chance to chat with our neighbors—maybe even getting to pet a dog or two.
Although winter is a fallow period in most climates, life perseveres. You might spend some time appreciating evergreens, bare branches against the winter sky, and the little buds of life that let you know plants are still alive but sleeping.
Birdwatching is another wonderful way to attune to nature.
Studying migration patterns is a great way to stay alert to any seasonal winged visitors in your area, as well as putting out bird feeders to sustain them on their journey.
Also, cold, clear, cloudless nights offer some of the best stargazing of the entire year, not to mention some of the most spectacular meteor showers. If you have binoculars or even a telescope, unleash your inner astronomer by tracking the moon and stars. Sunrises occur later in the morning and sunsets earlier in the afternoon, making them easier to enjoy.
Of course, sometimes it’s impossible to get outside—the weather simply won’t cooperate, so we need strategies for exploring nature indoors. You might start with cultivating an indoor herb garden or house plants. You can also try swapping out scripted entertainment for nature sounds, videos, and webcams.
Whenever I find myself needing to combat boredom and inertia, I find tickling the senses that screens can’t touch to be the best medicine. You might try taking deep sniffs of all the spices in your spice cabinet, along with your coffee and teas. As you do, it’s fun to imagine the journey these plants went on, plucked from their warm climes to find their way to your kitchen. Other olfactory suggestions are burning incense or smudge, or sampling those long-forgotten bottles of perfume and cologne tucked in the back of your closet.
Of course, the winter months are also a great time to explore seasonal recipes by preparing foods that connect us to the cycle of the seasons. Cooking hearty stews and soups, as well as holiday baking are cheerful and sensual activities.
Additionally, we don’t need to invent routines to survive winter on our own.
Cultures both ancient and modern from around the world celebrate rituals this time of year. They emphasize the importance of warm water and bathing, the lighting of candles and bonfires, preparing special foods, memorializing those we have lost, and other ways of connecting to the season. Exploring these practices is a great way to make meaning in our lives and to commune with those who have come before us.
And finally, we here in the West observe our winter holidays early in the season – Thanksgiving through New Year’s. This leaves several long cold weather months without much to break up the monotony. Feel free to extend your winter self-care program as long as you need to, until the days grow brighter, and spring comes around again.
Winter arrives every year, bringing its unique challenges. Rather than shutting down and disconnecting, the cold months are a perfect time to perform personal rituals that stimulate, warm, and sustain us.
Until next time, be sweet to yourself.
—LolaD.
Lola Davina is a longtime veteran of the sex industry and author of “Thriving in Sex Work: Sex Work and Money,” her follow-up to the formative “Thriving in Sex Work: Heartfelt Advice for Staying Sane in the Sex Industry,” available wherever books are sold. You can find audio versions located at Awesound here.
Contact Lola at Lola.Davina@ynotcam.com and visit her on Twitter at @Lola_Davina.
