Grounding moments, comforting food, slow rituals & small reminders to breathe.
There’s something about November that always shifts the pace. The days get shorter, the air sharper, and life naturally pulls us inward. This month, I haven’t had the energy for hikes or intense training, and instead of fighting that, I’ve tried to lean into it.
Movement has been gentler, slower. More yoga, more pilates when I’ve had the energy… and many days, none at all. But strangely, it’s felt right. November has been about warmth, nourishment and staying close to home, cooking, resting, working towards Christmas, and grounding myself however I can.
Here are five things that brought me comfort, joy and a little bit of calm this month.
Moon Gazing Through My Telescope
I might not have been out on the trails, but I’ve still had one of the most beautiful nature moments of the year, standing in my garden, telescope pointed at the sky, watching the moon in all her phases.
This month I saw the waxing crescent and the gibbous moon, both so detailed and luminous they didn’t feel real. There’s something about seeing the craters, the texture, the shadow lines… it pulls you out of your head and back into the moment instantly.
It’s grounding in the purest way, that quiet awe when you realise you’re looking at the same moon humans have looked at for thousands of years. November has been wet, but the clear evenings we did have were perfect for star and moon gazing. It felt like a gift.
Comfort Cooking: Broths, Bowls & Slow Rituals
This month has been all about warm, wholesome, seasonal food, the kind that feels like a hug from the inside out.
Celeriac Soup with Hazelnuts & Crispy Sage
My absolute autumn favourite, one I make every single year you can find the recipe here.
Carrot Cake Granola
A warm, spiced, crunchy heaven, perfect on yoghurt or warm porridge, see recipe here.
Snowman Soup Hot Chocolate
My own little tradition, pure comfort:
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Hot chocolate
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Baby marshmallows
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Squirty cream
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Sprinkles
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Mini gingerbread man
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A candy cane
It’s nostalgic, cosy, and makes the whole house feel festive.
Birria Brisket (My Slow Cooker Method)
This one has my whole heart. Slow cooking is such a sensory ritual, the smell filling the house, the spices warming the air, that slow simmer that makes you feel held.
My full recipe:
Ingredients
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1–1.5kg brisket
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4 dried chillies (any mix of ancho/guajillo/pasilla)
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1 onion
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4 garlic cloves
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1 tbsp cumin
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1 tbsp smoked paprika
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1 tsp oregano
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1 cinnamon stick
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1 beef stock cube
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1 tin chopped tomatoes
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500ml water
Method
Sear the brisket (string left on).
In a slow cooker, mix the rest of the ingredients.
Add the brisket and cook on low for 6 hours.
Remove the cinnamon stick, blend the sauce, then shred the brisket back into it.
It is to die for.
Cooking has genuinely been my anchor this month, warm kitchens, nourishing bowls, and food that supports the nervous system.
A Winter of Learning: Energetic Selling
Every winter I go into learning mode, and I’ve been listening to Energetic Selling by Lenka Lutonska.
It feels so aligned with how I naturally run my business, energy first, intuition-led, service-driven. It’s been soothing, reassuring, and incredibly inspiring. Winter is the perfect time to go inward and refine your inner world so the outer one feels lighter.
Softening Stress (Naturally)
As always, November brings rising stress the run up to Christmas, keeping on top of work, money for gifts, life admin… all the usual pressure points.
And honestly?
I don’t have it all together either.
I get overwhelmed, I overthink, I take on too much, and I feel the weight of things.
This month, communication felt difficult too, a painful reminder that we don’t always have the people we need available when we need them most. I ended up talking out loud to myself and the universe (if a fly on the wall saw… well, never mind). But maybe that was the point, to learn to sit with myself, to confide in myself, to listen inward.
But there’s a balance.
Being unable to commune with others is painful, it’s part of being human. We’re meant to connect, to be held, to share burdens. When that’s missing, it hits hard. And yet… learning to hold yourself is empowering too.
Here are the small, natural ways I’ve been softening the edges:
Herbal Teas
Ceremonial Cacao
A gentle heart-opening ritual I’ve grown to love. I bought mine from here
Fire Honey
This one is incredible for immunity and warmth, see recipe
Cold & Flu Remedy
A natural and comforting recipe I found, see recipe. These little rituals feel like care, warmth, and grounding in a very overstimulating month.
Reflection of the Month: Shadow & Self-Honesty
November has been a month of noticing my own patterns, especially the ones that surface when stress builds. With the run-up to Christmas, work pressure, gifting, planning, and just life, I felt my nervous system tightening and my thoughts spiralling.
Learning to sit with yourself, to be honest, grounded, and accountable, is deeply empowering.
This quote moved something in me:
“The hero that slays the dragon becomes the dragon he denies…
As within, so without. As unhealed, so undone.” - Nicole Seeger
It reminded me how important it is to look inward, to meet the parts of ourselves we’d rather avoid, and to acknowledge the role we play in our own stories. Shadow work isn’t always comfortable, but it’s clarifying. It helps us soften, become more aware, and navigate from a place of truth rather than reaction.
Even though this month hasn’t been energetic or outwardly productive, it’s been profoundly real, and sometimes that’s the most important kind of progress.
Closing Thoughts
November wasn’t fast or adventurous, but it was real. Grounding, nourishing, honest, and deeply needed.
Wherever this month finds you, I hope you’re keeping warm, eating something comforting, taking small steps to support your nervous system, and remembering that slowing down is still a form of moving forward.
Toni xo
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