It’s a funny thing, but I often remind myself that illness is my body’s way of making me slow down. And it often seems to me that, although our body keeps going through times of stress (both good and bad) at some point the elastic snaps, the body stops and we are forced either to push through the kind of illness where every step is quick sand and the road in front so long and hard, or where moving is an impossibility and you might as well sink gratefully to a bed and tell the world go hang.

Last week for me was the go hang kind. I nurtured a blinding headache at work on Wednesday afternoon, and by the time I got home it was clear that the only place I was going to be hibernating was in bed. That wiped out Thursday and Friday, and it wasn’t until Saturday afternoon that I felt anywhere near human again.

Hibernation is supposed to be my way of taking care of myself so that I don’t fall ill. It’s supposed to boost my physical and mental well-being so that I cruise through the rest of winter with a smile, at slow speed and happy to just be. I guess my body just wanted to give me a chance to wipe my slate clean, to sleep well, hard and long, and to have that space to think without doing. You can’t change the world when changing your pyjamas seems like an impossible task.

I’m lucky that my teenage children and husband step up for cooking and kitchen duties when I’m ill, so I got fed during this time. The washing basket is looking at me askance, and I know tonight I need to get to grips with that. But the few days when bed becomes the centre of my world are good for me. I read a fair bit, I began to sketch again, I may even have planned my next craft to master. It was like a chance to jump start Hibernation.

So far, my plans for Hibernation have gone well, then. I have boosted my vegetable and fruit intake, cut back on alcohol by dint of not being fit to drink any, and had time to craft and create as I recuperated. A few more rows on the cream blanket, and the purchase of a sketchbook last Thursday. I want to draw or doodle every day. I was always a pencil-in-hand kind of child, and I lost that desire when I went to work as a teacher and never recaptured it. Here’s the first page so far:

The plan is to zentangle the outside with doodles. It may take some time, or be done tonight. Time won’t matter. What does matter is that for the few moments I took to get started, I was happy.

How has your hibernation gone? Have you been able to take or make the time for what you need, to boost your energy and smooth your senses? What books have been your friends this week? Have you had time to spend with friends or family? Crafted anything good? Baked or braised a bowl of goodness? My intention to boost my nutrition has gone well, like I say, with sweet potatoes instead of potatoes, or baked butternut squash proving incredibly useful as a warm, satisfying dish on a cold day. Let me know in the comments below, or via Facebook on How To Hygge The British Way or by joining The Hygge Nook. I’m also on Instagram. And if you’d like to make me smile, leave me a quote that cheers you up every time.

Remember, a book is for life, not just for Christmas…. My books are all available on Amazon. Just click through the links here to order. I get an extra couple of pence every time you buy something from Amazon through my page. And all proceeds are used to buy more books to review on the page. My books have more ideas that are good for hibernating with, and are all available from Amazon. 50 Ways to Hygge the British Way  is available in Paperback and Kindle version and so is How to Hygge Your Summer, again in Paperback and Kindle form, from Amazon. Have Yourself a Happy Hygge Christmas was released in September 2017 and is available again in paperback and ebook version.