Sunday Letter • December 1st, 2024
A note on hibernation + restoration this season, November digest, and a peek at some of the goodies I have coming your way
Welcome to this week’s
Happy first of the month and last month of the year!
I hope that you had a good Thanksgiving, if you celebrated it. The fall and winter holidays can be a warm and fuzzy time for many as they spend time with loved ones and eat delicious food, however I understand it isn’t that way for all. More than anything, I hope you all get to spend some restorative time this season.
Winter is coming in hot (or cold, rather), and I’m thinking a lot about seasonality and hibernation. Lately, I have been recognizing just how in-tune I am growing with my body. I have learned a lot about my body and its functionality over the years, and there is still so much that I am continuing to learn about it.
Winter has long been known as a time for slowing down and restorative rest before the rejuvenating rebirth of the spring. Lately, especially after finishing my last big work trip of the season, I am starting to feel that urge to slow down and rest at home. I felt this way last year, too: I just want to drop all of my obligations and be still. To rest.
Rest looks different for everyone, and when I utter the word I don’t just mean laying around and sleeping in (although extra sleep is naturally on the docket this sleepy season), but engaging in restorative activities and habits that allow you to fill your cup by pouring into yourself.
SAD, or seasonal affective disorder is a kind of mood disorder associated with the “winter blues” that many feel due to shorter days and the lack of sunlight in the wintertime. Last year, I left Instagram for a little over four months starting in December. The algorithm and other icky attributes of social media that can make me feel bad or get in my head at times is that last thing I need on top of seasonal blues. Little did I know that a social media detox was exactly what I needed for my own version of hibernation last winter.
This year, I’ll be deactivating my Instagram again with intention as part of my restorative hibernation this season. I’m actually really looking forward to doing so soon. It will be a time for me to be free, leaning into seasonality and allowing myself to disconnect while I recharge. It is also most certainly an exercise in protecting my peace.
When I first deactivated my personal Instagram account last year, I wasn’t sure how long it would last. However, I found things to replace my habit of picking up my phone ever so often to check the app. I got back to practicing the latin languages on Duolingo (I currently have a 330 day practicing streak), played some of my favorite childhood video games, finished watching all episodes of Miami Vice, and of course, cooked and ate nourishing meals. I also took time to reflect in that stillness. After the holidays, I started to travel for work again, so I remained busy and active—just off the radar.
I was simply being present and being in my peace—without a thought towards being perceived by anybody. This year I imagine doing some of the same, and more, including getting extra vitamin D and saffron, a strong natural antidepressant.
I am especially looking forward to pouring more into writing and sharing with you all here on my Substack.
What does rest look like for you? How will you pour into yourself and restore yourself this winter?
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Did you catch my recent posts?
My gift guide for the 2024 holiday season is live with my recommendations and favorite products:
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I shared a recipe for protein and collagen-boosted marshmallow milk foam, which would taste great over a cup of hot cacao this season:
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Here are my favorite vintage home decor shops:
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And here is what I listened to (on cassette) the past two years:
Coming up:
My new favorite caffeine-free roasted beverage and how I hook it up to support energy and healthy hormones
The four herbs that started my kitchen apothecary and a quick start guide to using herbs in your own kitchen
I’ll share a recipe for my Throat Coat tea dupe that you can make in bulk with loose leaf herbs
Looking forward to sharing more with you all really soon.
Kendyl
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