4 December – A Mindful Morning, Circadian Clues & a Calm Evening

anjaconway
Dec 4
3 min read

Mindful Moment Calendar

My planned mindful activity for the day? A walk. Perfect timing.

Today didn’t look anything like a snowy winter postcard. It was definitely not “Leise rieselt der Schnee, still und starr ruht der See” —“softly falls the snow, still and frozen lies the lake.”

Realistically, it was more like:“Leise segeln die Blätter, nass und gelb-braun liegen sie auf der Erde,”“softly the leaves drift down, landing damp and yellow-brown on the ground.”

A quiet, earthy kind of December day.

Slow Living Starts with Slow Porridge

I had soaked my buckwheat the night before, so once the kids were off to school I took my time preparing a proper buckwheat porridge. Forty to fifty unrushed minutes to get that creamy, nutty perfection.

My bowl today included:

chopped sweet dates (buckwheat needs more sweetness than oats, I swear)
mixed seeds
organic grapes
ground cloves
toasted pecans
a spoon of Greek yoghurt

Simple, nourishing, grounding.

A Walk in Drizzle & the Smoothest Espresso

I stepped out into light drizzle and quickly realised my umbrella wasn’t in my bag. Detour to Waitrose → £14 umbrella → back to serenity.

I reached Esher early and abandoned the idea of food shopping when I discovered there were no organic peppers. Instead, I went looking for an espresso and wandered into a small café I recognised from years ago. The espresso was unbelievably smooth — the best since discovering espresso with my mum earlier this year.

I opened Better Sleep, Better You and landed on the chapter about what happens between 10pm and 2am. Which, funnily enough, is exactly the window I had sabotaged some nights ago.

Late Nights, Cheerios & What the Body Does at 2am

A few nights ago, Broadchurch pulled me into the classic “just one more episode” trap. Suddenly it was 2am, and I had eaten several bowls of Cheerios — not out of hunger, but pure tired craving.

The book explained it perfectly:

10pm–2am is a natural digestive peak, mirroring morning metabolic activity
This peak is designed to happen while we sleep, so the digestive system can repair and reset
Late-night eating forces the system to work overtime, leading to things like brain fog, fatigue, and those not so lovely night sweats

In other words: when you eat late, your body prioritises processing the food instead of repairing you.

Time-restricted eating suddenly made even more sense.

Midday Inspiration

At noon I visited FIT and Partners, where Sarah gave me a tour. The organisation and design were impressive — everything in one place, and clearly built for efficiency. It made me reflect on this year of change and how much I’ve enjoyed learning, growing, and reshaping my work.

A Simple Afternoon & an Early Kitchen Close

The rain had stopped by the time I headed home. Lunch was a pitta filled with whatever wholesome bits I had in the fridge.

Later I picked up my organic peppers and made a quick, cosy dinner: