This beautiful time of Matariki, with its bittersweet combination of maumahara (remembering) and new beginnings can sometimes evoke a lot of emotions. Missing those we loved and lost, cherishing treasured memories, looking forward to the time ahead with all our hopeful plans and dreams held in our hearts...
The long nights and short chilly days can make us feel a little down, so this is a great time to cherish yourself and your loved ones with some special focus on connection and nurturing wellbeing. Create a celebration of the season, and enjoy a reason for your loved ones to gather together.
Enjoy Whānau time during Matariki
- Make a night to have a special family dinner and have a little korero with your tamariki to ask each child for one thing they would like to do to recognise Matariki.
- Remembrance may mean visiting Poppa and sharing stories of Nan's childhood, tales of when they were pēpi, or stories from your whakapapa.
- Sharing and celebration of harvest may mean inviting over their three closest friends for a special after-school feast.
- Take them to one of the many amazing community events in Auckland or around the country.
- They can plan ahead by choosing a fun event to do in Spring like a trip to their favourite beach, or set themselves a special goal like joining a sports team or making their first kete.
- They can choose a game for the family to play, or ask for a special story (like the tale of Whaea Matariki and her six tuahine., or how they came to be in the sky.)
Take care of your wellbeing
A tricky part of being a parent is the constant focus on what's most important - your tamariki! But we aren't able to look after them really well, unless we are really well.
Providing a great school lunch, hugs and a warm home is wonderful, but showing your children a model of adulthood where communication is honest and cooperative, where work is done well but isn't an obsession, where their parents are energised and calm and do things they love; that's priceless too.
Everyone's journey is different but here are some ideas you may like to pick from to give yourself the gift of wellbeing inside and out.
Curate your friendships
Give your time and love to people who give you time and love. It seems so simple, but is often not the way things work! Support and care can eddy and change but overall your partner and your friends should be people who step up for you when they can. Having a network of true friends means you can spend more energy on people who lift you up. Real friends and loving family fill each others cup.
Set new goals and intentions
As Aotearoa begins the slow traverse back toward springtime, this is the perfect time to plan for how you want new shoots to burst forth in your life too. Think about where you want to flourish and what the first steps towards that will be. Involve whanau and friends in your planning and maybe you'll find shared goals and dreams to co-create.
Practice saying no to things that will over-extend you or don't sit well with you. Speak out about what things you like and ask for what you need. Put your energy into the things that make your life richer and more rewarding. Over-extending ourselves on things we don't want to be doing is draining, whereas working on things you care about makes you feel fulfilled, even when the mahi is hard. Spend your time on things that bring you joy and achievement.
Nurturing & Nourishing
May we suggest a long bath with epsom salts or an oat soak, followed by nourishing natural oils for face and body? Oh you know us well! But seriously, our cleansing and natural beauty rituals really help set us up for feeling good!
In winter, Papatuanuku dishes up warming root vegetables, citrus fruits rich in vitamin C and lovely dark bittergreens like kale, collard greens and spinach. Here are 30 tasty winter vege recipes, you're welcome. If in doubt, pop them fresh in the blender with frozen peach chunks and fresh citrus and make a smoothie!
Get out in Nature
Our bodies and minds are designed to go outside! Being outdoors even for an hour can lift your spirits for days. Take a simple forest walk, skim stones at the beach or take a trip and explore the beautiful country we call home.
