Resolutions or Hibernation?

Previously I’ve seen January as a fresh start for new goals. A way to jump into the year with new motivation and energy. ‘Start as you mean to go on’ and all that. This year I’ve opted for a different mindset. Easing into the new year with gentle patience and a lot of napping.

“Hibernation is a survival strategy designed to conserve energy when conditions are harsh.”

Call me dramatic, but January is pretty harsh! Days are short, cold and dark. Christmas lights and cheer are over, and the bank accounts are running low because of it. There’s flooding and ice, while heating is expensive. Colds and flu does the rounds, and generally people’s moods and energy levels are lower.

While we can’t actually hibernate, I feel some of us are drawn towards something similar. Staying indoors, preserving our energy, resting and preparing. And why not? It’s a very natural response, to slow down and wait for the sun. Only doing what we feel ‘pulled’ to do, instead of pushing ourselves. In fact, the colder weather boosts our metabolism, so it increases the need for sleep and food. Studies show we need 30 minutes more REM sleep during the colder months!

I think it’s a great time for reflection. A useful time to think about our goals, and plan them out for the future. Planting the seeds for Spring! In fact, this is what Chinese medicine believes; January is the time to slow down, not power forward. Extra sleep, meditation and quiet reflection is all encouraged. For a deeper connection with ourselves, to allow for new growth later.

Yes I made a vision board and a list of goals, but I set them aside for February and focused on my health. Adjusting to my immunosuppressants has meant time off work. Sleeping whenever I can. Taking it one day at a time and looking after myself. Less time online, less time socialising, and more time under my electric blanket.

Instead of writing off January as ‘depressing’, or pushing ourselves with new resolutions, perhaps we should snuggle under our blankets and re-charge for the year to come. Lower our expectations, and give ourselves what we need. Whatever that looks like for you. I'm eating cookies and re-watching Harry Potter for the second time this month. Maybe I'll hit the gym later this year, but not yet. I'm embracing hibernation for now.

Bonus: Why don’t humans actually hibernate?

Humans don't hibernate because our ancestors evolved in a warmer environment. Food was available all year round. Hibernating would have meant being unable to reproduce, and being vulnerable to predators. As they had no use for this survival strategy, they didn’t develop the biological mechanisms for it. Eventually, they migrated to cooler temperate and sub-arctic latitudes, but only in the last hundred thousand years. By then they had already learned how to survive the winter with fire, shelter and warm clothing.

Brain activity in hibernating mammals differs from sleep, coma, or anaesthesia. So whilst human hibernation is being investigated for space exploration, it’s more likely to be a ‘controlled hypothermia’ that gets us to the next galaxy.