12 Practices for a Restorative Winter and Opening to the New Year
I recognized winter. I saw it coming (a mile off, since you ask), and I looked it in the eye. I greeted it and let it in.
-Katherine May,
Story
We are in the thick of winter here in the Northern Hemisphere. I’m looking at a dark dreary gray sky, yellowing grass, trees exposing their million tiny branches and small black birds pecking away in the cold, brittle yard. Since Covid, our neighborhood has seemed determined to begin holiday lights in October and leave them until March. I feel it is a comforting gesture of support and love. Even in the darkest of times, we will light each other’s worlds with beauty and wonder.
Winter is a time for hibernation, comfort, meaningful connection, reflection, slowing down. It is the season in our cycle for the wisdom that arises from going inward. Which gets hard when every social media outlet is full on pressuring the New Year, New You. Wellness is now a multi-trillion dollar industry. I’ve deleted every app, social media account, and email subscription where I sense “not-enough” marketing. And still I’m left with a barrage of offers on courses, journals, make-up, clothes, books, workout programs, etc. asking me to drop the failures of last year and focus on how January 1st is the greatest opportunity for revamping my life and doing it right this time. It’s exhausting.
I offer you a different frame. We can take this time to nourish ourselves and our loved ones deeply. Winter isn’t over on January 1st and you don’t have to find a new you. Mindful Wellbeing is about welcoming our Wholeness. We can integrate the past as we compassionately vision our future, whenever we are ready. This blog, Between the Bell & the Break, explores the space between awareness and our settling into presence. The space between is about being human - and it is very human to go dark when it’s dark. Take your time, slow down, please don’t beat yourself up for being one week in and not having it all figured out. Rather than rushing into new goals and resolutions, some of us work better to take seasonal space to be in a process of unfolding.
Winter can be an extra challenging time for people who have a history of trauma or depression. That quiet, inward space the cold and dark encourages can be daunting when left alone with our memories or activated fears. I begin in September helping people prep for potential winter emotional pitfalls, such as anniversaries of a difficult event, navigating relationship changes like divorce, challenging family gatherings, loved ones who have died, seasonal depression/anxiety, and general fears of isolation and loneliness.
Winter can be challenging for any of us who carry an old internalized script of not enough. It can be easy to slip into auto-pilot around feeling like we’re not good enough ____________. Fill in blank…partners, people, parents, workers, friends. Sometimes the old script is one of scarcity. I don’t have enough _________. Fill in blank…money, time, right set up, adventures, kind of love. This list could be endless in a culture that is constantly trying to sell us something.
I also help people prep for the healing and joy Winter offers. Fortunately for all of us there are many things we can do to work with the dark and open to the light that surrounds us and is generated by us. Winter can be your best time of year for reflection and rejuvenation. When we open to it, there is profound joy to be found. Some of my favorites are the way the winter light shines through trees, cozy curled up movie nights with loads of blankets and hot cocoa, getting up an hour early and reading with coffee, meaningful conversations with friends around a fireplace, house concerts with twinkle lights, the gratitude I feel every day of getting to support people in their life journeys, breathing deeply the cold cleansing air, date nights with my husband in a cozy restaurant, enjoying conversations like time has stopped and this moment is all that matters.
I haven’t always loved Winter the way I do now. We lived a decade in sunny warm places with beaches. My body forgot HOW to Winter. I was in an endless season of summer and spring. While energizing and healing on so many levels, living in a four season climate has allowed for a depth and transformative energy I didn’t realize I needed. Learning to stay in and be present with myself has been a gift of living in Louisville. All of that to say, the practices below are definitely practices I lean into.
Below are 12 Practices for Working with Winter. Each one is evidence-based and please don’t feel the need to do them all. I give you a variety, knowing I serve many different personality types and some will resonate with you more than others. Winter can be a rich reflective journey of who we are, how we’ve been living, and what we truly want out of life. Beginning again is always a useful practice. Take your time and start your “new year” when you’re ready. Chinese New Year is February 10th and Spring Solstice is March 20th (plenty of time :)
May you find joy and peace in this season,
Shelly
Concept
Even in the New Year’s rush, we’re still in Winter. It’s ok to slow down and take all the time you need to reflect and restore. I offer 12 ways to do this. Take what interests you and leave the rest.
Practice
Mindfulness:
Get cozy. Wrap in blankets, add a heat pack, stretch out on floor…whatever feels good.
Breathe in a way that feels nourishing to your body.
As you take full, nourishing breaths, allow your body to release any tension that has accumulated through the day.
Hang out in this space for as long as you like.
When you feel done, you may want to take a few moments to journal about your experience. For a more directed prompt try: What am I releasing from today and what would l like to open to?
Daily Orienting Question:
What would nourish me today?
12 Practices for Creating a Restorative Winter
Pick your favorite 3 and get them on the schedule.
#1 DOUBLE DOWN ON BASICS
Full amount of sleep, restorative care, hydration…anything fundamental to your system getting supported is especially important now. (For ideas: 8 Ways to Nourish) This message is counter to a cultural message of “screw it and enjoy the holidays”. That belief leads to an over consumption of foods, substances, experiences and a lack of listening to what our whole self actually needs to wake up feeling good and positive. When people tell me, “I don’t know why I’m so depressed during winter” I help them with an audit of their wellbeing. Often we quickly find ways in which they’ve sacrificed their needs. I totally get this! I promise my acupuncturist will text me later asking me to remember my own advice here.
#2 MINDFULNESS
Mindfulness practices help mind/body connection and present moment awareness (research includes boosting mood and immune response). Bringing our whole self into the present moment through compassion and breath regulation is foundational for working with dark feelings/thoughts. Check out this favorite Body Scan by Tara Brach.
#3 RESTORATIVE YOGA
Restorative Yoga helps release tension and bring our bodies out of past patterns of pain. You can benefit from a short practice before bed or visit a local studio if you are needing to get out and be with others. (Louisville friends Yoga Baum offers several weekly classes.)
#4 CLEAN OUT ANYTHING
Cleaning out is a powerful act of releasing the past. It’s one of my go-to homework assignments for clients when they feel scattered or overwhelmed. Our outer environment can begin to look like the way we feel inside (check your bag or car). Any amount works to clear space. Now is good time to release things that have built up or gotten out of order. Bags, cabinets, basements, closets, junk drawers, computer files. It doesn’t matter, but devoting a few minutes a day to cleaning out will accumulate to clear space for your new year when you are ready.
#5 LETTERS TO LOVED ONES
Thank you notes for gifts, memories or role in your life can help someone else have a lovely winter. A powerful intervention for helping anxiety or depression symptoms is to do something for others. When we are stuck in our pain we can become protectively self-focused. Opening to others and generating their joy can help us find relief from our own pain stories. Research shows when we give to others we benefit in increasing our happiness as well.
#6 SOCIAL CONNECTION
Who brings you joy? Be intentional about plans with the people who add value to your life. Winter can be filled with obligatory events. Make room for who you most want to be with.
#7 SCHEDULE BIG SUPPORT
Now is the time to go to therapy, coaching, acupuncture, massage, weightless float, salt cave, whatever brings you extra support. Sometimes people skip this level of support for the holiday season because they believe they’re supposed to be happy. Reality is that this time of year can be incredibly stressful even if the stress is coming from fun things. Remember your level of support needs to match your level of challenge. Louisville people check the links for local spaces mentioned above.
#8 REPLACE PAST HARMFUL HABITS WITH NOURISHING HABITS
We all have our secret behaviors that do not serve us. Shopping when we don’t need things, more alcohol than we can process, staying up and binge watching a really good show, rich foods that make you feel sick the next day. You know what doesn’t work. Fill your time with nourishing habits and create realistic and sustainable boundaries around things that might hurt if you go too far.
#9 GET OUTSIDE
Especially when it’s sunny! Being in nature helps even when it’s not sunny, but taking advantage of winter sun can be extra supportive. If you have kids, please get them out too. Nature is the perfect metabolizer of crazy-making energies that come from too much cooped up tech time. Check out Greater Good Science Center for ideas on how and why to get into nature.
#10 FOOD/SUPPLEMENT CHECK
Talk with your medical provider about your nutrient absorption. What we consume absolutely impacts our mood and overall wellbeing. This article from the National Institute of Health highlights all the nutrients we need to work on for preventing depressed moods. Vitamin D is especially interesting to read about and get tested to make sure you’re not deficient. Again, talk with your medical providers if this interests you. Create nourishing meals that support your body during this time. Here is a pdf from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration on food and mood.
#11 MOVE BODY
10 minutes is enough for helping reduce anxiety, but in winter we might need to practice a few times throughout the day. It doesn’t matter how…stairs, dance party, squats, whatever gets you up and blood flowing.
#12 BRING IN THE LIGHT
Scandinavians really know how to do winter well. Explore Hygge, the art of creating comfort and connection. It’s not just a fad. I certainly add more candles and lights to my home in winter. Make time for slow ritual. Here are a couple of articles to inspire you. Danish Hygge and winter ideas.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and found a few helpful tools. Please remember that this site is for your informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for any professional services, including coaching, therapy, psychiatric or medical services. No blog or article can do that. Try any of the practices at your own wise discretion as none of it is direct advice. If you or someone you know needs mental health support, check out Mental Health Lou website for local Louisville and National resources. Full website disclaimer at bottom of the page. Thank you!