Midwives, Nurses and Birth Professionals usually work such demanding hours. It can take a huge toll on your immunity. These 3 wellness tips for midwives will serve you well during winter, and all year round.
1) Rest & Sleep
As we get into the cooler months, the world around us becomes more Yin – cool, contracted, still, slow, dark and feminine.
It’s time to allow yourself to slow down, rest and sleep more. Allow yourself to work less, have a balance of more gentle exercise such as yoga, Tai Qi and walking to balance out any aerobic, cross-fit, running or aerobic exercise you may be doing.
Your body needs more sleep and rest as it gets colder. Pushing yourself through and letting yourself get run down leaves you more susceptible to catching colds and flus and also triggering your body into underlying illnesses.
Sometimes, it’s just about letting go of the guilt around always being productive. Trust that by resting you are doing the best thing for yourself.
So grab a hot cuppa tea (my favourites are the warming herbs like ginger, cinnamon, chai spices, rooibos, liquorice) and sit with a book on the couch, under a snuggly rug.
2) Eat Warming Foods
In Chinese medicine it is said that the Spleen (our major digestive organ) likes warmth and hates cold. For many of us, it is intuitive that in winter we gravitate to more warming foods because it feels right.
However, when our bodies are out of balance they can crave cold foods and following these cravings does us no favours. Ice-cream, foods straight out of the fridge and freezer, and all raw foods are considered to be cold.
When our gut becomes damaged by eating too many cold foods, it doesn’t work as well. When our gut doesn’t work as well, our immunity suffers, our energy levels suffer and our whole system is not as capable of keeping us healthy. Enjoy slow-cooked meaty stews, soups and sip on bone broth as much as possible.
3) Rapid Response to Signs of Cold and Flu
The best way to deal with colds and flus is to avoid them! This means recognising when you are feeling run down and out of whack and taking some measures to take care of yourself.
Rest and diet are first ports of call. Next, if you still feel run down, take some time to get an acupuncture treatment and get some herbs to strengthen your system.
But if you have missed this opportunity and start to feel a cold coming on, then have a rapid response plan in place! I have some trusty herbs in my first-aid cabinet at home to reach out to as soon as I feel a sore throat, achy muscles etc and start thinking “oh – oh!” Usually, if I whack them down every few hours or so, the cold never comes on. Wonder herbs!
Best wishes staying well through winter!
Do you have other wellness tips for midwives for surviving the winter? Let us know in the comments below.
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