Understanding the Purpose of Winter: Nature's Essential Season of Rest

Why "new year, new you" isn't the healthiest message

It’s going to be January 1st soon, and I don’t even want to look at the news apps on my phone, and I definitely DON’T want to open social media, for one very big reason: the “new year, new you” sorts of marketing that are so prevalent at this time of year.

I understand this mentality. Heck, I have been part of this mentality and have even promoted it at times. 

In recent years of my life, I have been feeling really differently about this. And it’s not just that I am done with diet mentality, though that is a big part of my feelings of push back about the new year. 

The real reason why a big life change in the new year seems out of alignment is that it IS actually out of alignment—it is out of alignment with Nature itself. Let me explain what I mean. 

If you look outside right now and observe, and I mean, really take the time to slow down and to look deeply, what do you see?

Nature is not busy right now. It’s not making itself new. 

It’s resting. 

And so should we. 

How winter helps with self-reflection and mindfulness

You see, in traditional cultures, and especially in the wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the purpose of winter is to rest. 

We are part of Nature. When we follow the rhythms of Nature, we will find, well…that life feels more natural. There is more of an ease and an ebb and flow to things. Our expectations of ourselves and others get to shift to having less expectations and saying no to doing more. 

In essence, winter is about BEING. We often underestimate the importance of winter for personal growth and rejuvenation.

And winter is also about connecting to our dream life and our creativity. You see, winter is ruled by water element. This element is the heaviest, associated with sleep. It is also associated with feminine energy which is all about tapping into our natural creativity and stoking our hearth fires at home, so to speak. 

So how do we cultivate this attitude of rest? Here are some suggestions of activities to enjoy during the winter season for better mood.

1) SPEND TIME IN NATURE, EVEN IN WINTER. 

Take long walks in snowy woods. Spend time near water, whether it be a frozen lake or an icy river. Notice how you hear less bird song, how the sounds are more crisp and spaced apart in winter. Notice how the contours of the land change with snow, how the snow sparkles differently from day-to-day. Notice the smells on the air in winter—sometimes the sweetest smelling breezes are the fresh ones from the Arctic north. Notice how even the environment in winter and our clothing we wear in it—bulky coats and snow boots—forces us to slow our movement down in Nature at this time of year.

Get outside in the winter. I promise you, you will feel better. Also, here is an example of the density and heaviness of water element in winter. This kind of snow makes a person SLOW down. 

2) SAY NO TO SOME THINGS DURING WINTER. 

Again, we underestimate how winter helps with self-reflection and mindfulness.

This is not the time to commit to new projects, unless you need to. It’s the time, if you can, to pull back and do less. I feel this is especially true if you have kids. Do the kids need to be in a lot of activities this time of year, or can you more intentionally cultivate your lifestyle to create more warm nights at home together as a family, connecting over a hot meal and a game or puzzle? This is the time of year for memory making in quieter, deeper ways together. 

If you don’t have kids, you can still create these nights of “hygge,” to steal from the Danish concept of warm nights at home around the fire with friends and family, by inviting a few friends over for a simple meal and conversation. Light some candles, make a simmer pot, and bring some fire element into your experience—this can help to balance the excess of water element—especially on stormy and dark days. 

3) START TOYING WITH THE IDEA, IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY, THAT YOUR VALUE AS A HUMAN BEING DOES NOT CONSIST IN WHAT YOU PRODUCE IN WORK AND HOW BUSY YOU ARE IN LIFE. 

Realize that your time BEING is just as valuable, if not more valuable, than the productive times. When we give ourselves seasons of rest, we are replenishing our emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual reserves for the seasons ahead that by design and in the rhythm of Nature are meant to be more active and more focused around productivity. 

Most of us are not going to be able to stop working just because it is winter. So how can we foster less productivity when we need to be productive? I would suggest simply committing to a few moments of quiet mindfulness and the beginning and end of your days. Light a candle, say some prayers or journal your intentions, and most of all, dream. Dream about what you want your life to be like. This is the season to fully embrace day dreams, exploring new ideas,  and reading books about new topics.

A visual representation of the excess of water element that is often found in winter. Counteract this heaviness by bringing fire element into your lifestyle—hot meals, burning non-toxic candles, spending time around the fire, whether indoors or outdoors. 

4) TAP INTO YOUR CREATIVITY. 

This is a way we can more deeply connect with a different type of doing energy than that productive energy of work. Paint a room in your house. Rearrange some furniture. Try a new hobby, especially one you can do quietly at home, such as knitting or crochet, that will also give your brain a chance to wander. Instead of falling into another Netflix binge (no judgement, by the way), why not pull out those painting supplies you had for forever and throw some color up on the canvas. Since we often cannot spend large periods of time outdoors in our free time in winter, it’s the perfect time to explore your creativity. And this is going to be whatever feels creative FOR YOU. What is something you have always wanted to explore as a hobby or try? This is the season to find it. 

More than anything, I want to encourage you to embrace the radically countercultural idea that rest and replenishment have tremendous value. When you give yourself permission to do this, even in small ways, you will help others around you to do likewise. The result will be that we feel more connection to Nature, others, and our intuition, creativity, and inner voice. This is the kind of “new year, new you” that I desire to create—and I encourage you to do it with me. 

These are big ideas and concepts that I mention here, and they can be challenging to work on. Are you looking for more support for this? I have two options for you. 

First, you can check out Winter Session of the Intuitive & Seasonal Living Academy. In the academy, we draw from the cycle of Nature and wisdom from Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and even aromatherapy to help ourselves tweak our lifestyle for maximum health, well-being, and enjoyment. 

Learning how to live in the cycle of the year and how to reconnect with Nature is the number one thing I have done for myself over the past 25 years to live a more holistic lifestyle, and I find that my life has so much less stress and such deeper meaning because of it. I hope you give yourself the gift of this class so you can learn it, too. 

WINTER SESSION OF THE EASTERN MEDICINE ACADEMY

Secondly, if a class, even a self-paced one, like the Eastern Medicine Academy, still feels like too much “doing” for you, then I have a second option for you—one that is easy, mostly passive, and will get you deeply into rest and replenishment mode. Come join us in the Rewild + Untame Community.