10 simple soul breaks to refresh your soul in winter
Winter is beautiful, but it can also sap the giggle out of your soul if gloomy days endlessly overshadow sunshine, your life is one long to-do list, you're in a rut, you're lonely, you're "peopled-out"......or other such gray happenings.Over the last two weeks the worst chest cold EVER invaded my life. It left me feeling totally "blah."Good news—I'm doing better because I purposely added some pleasure to sparkle up my day.I'm talking about refreshing my soul. Care to join me?
Refresh your soul with a soul break
Soul breaks are short moments of time craved out of your day to connect with the Creator in doing something very simple, but creative—especially in winter when life often feels frozen.Soul breaks are about beauty... and creativity... and the Holy Spirit.When you create something lovely it connects you to the Spirit who hovered over the waters at creation.In a soul break He hovers over your soul... enjoying the creative process with you.You feel fully present and fully alive to the moment. There's a calmness that settles over you, and peace rises to the surface.Your soul needs this creative nourishment regularly.It's part of reflecting the Creator.To keep your soul healthy, you'll want to schedule several soul breaks into your day—every day. Here's 10 suggestions:
10 Simple Winter Soul Breaks
1. Arrange a bowl of fruit
Do this slowly, enjoying the color, texture, and beauty of the different kinds of fruit as you arrange them in a pretty bowl.
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2. Make a pot of tea
Take a moment to smell your tea leaves and feel their texture as your tea water is boiling. Don't rush the process. Making tea is a form of art; let it involve all your senses. You can learn how to make a perfect cup of tea HERE.If you're not a tea drinker, make a special cup of hot cocoa.
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3. Create a space for your imagination to fly
Make a pot of tea and set out some cookies. Now, settle down to 20 minutes of pure pleasure exploring Pinterest pictures of the most beautiful places in the world. Create a Pinterest board that you can add to every time you take this soul break.
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4. Share the warmth
Get out your knitting, crocheting, sewing, painting, scrapbooking project, or food-gift-mix-ingredients and spend 20 minutes creating something to warm someone's heart.
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5. Worship with your imagination
Put on some worship music, sit back in your favorite chair, and then dance before the Lord in your imagination.This may sound odd if you've never done it before, but it's a wonderful way to refresh your soul. HERE'S an example.
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6. Untangel with Zentangle
Doodle. That's right, doodle. I like to Zentangle for 30 minutes every day or so. Others enjoy doodle color books. Yes, for adults. You can find them on Amazon HERE or HERE.
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7. Take a long, hot bubble bath
Do this creatively by adding scented candles by your bathtub, a goat milk bar of soap (or whatever soap floats your boat), a fresh warm towel, soft worship music, and a mug of hot cider or glass of wine. Then lock the door so you won't be interrupted for at least 20 minutes.
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8. Play
You heard me right—play. If you have a child or grandchild nearby, great! Go play with him or her. If not, play a game of catch with your dog, devise a game of tickle-the-cat-with-yarn with your kitty, or watch an old I Love Lucy episode and laugh yourself silly.
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9. Create a simple winter foliage arrangement
Gather different types of bare foliage branches from around your yard. Arrange them in a vase with a bit of ribbon for color.
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10. Design your spring garden
It may be freezing outside now, but spring isn't too far away. Get out your garden notebook and start jotting down your garden ideas for this spring. Need some inspiration? Check out Gardeners, Burpee Seeds, Spring Hill Nursery, and the Garden Plan Finder from Better Homes and Gardens.
That's my group of 10 creative soul breaks for winter!
I'm excited for you to refresh your soul! In fact, I know you can easily add to my list of 10.Share your favorite creative soul break in the comment section below. I'd love to hear about it.Now, go refresh your soul,Susan