The Darkest Day of the Year

As we approach the darkest day of the year, I find myself surrounded by reminders to do less—to reclaim winter as a season of rest in the face of societal pressure, to reject New Year’s Resolutions, and to hibernate like the animals. And while I don’t disagree with slowing down, I’ve come to realize that my personal hibernation needs don’t fully align with the dominant narrative.

It’s an ongoing process of noticing, tweaking, and optimizing. Winter can be tough, and if we’re lucky we’ll get to live through many more of them, so we might as well do our best to overwinter well, making the most of what’s in our control.

That said, here are some assumptions I’ve made in the past about what my body craves in winter versus my reality:

My inclination towards introspection is year-round. I rely on it to stay grounded, and don’t feel it any stronger in winter than I do in summer. In fact, because winter is notorious for hardships, I tend to feel pulled to extend myself more. To foster my connections with others and check in on my friends, family, and neighbors more often.

I live in the rainy Pacific Northwest where umbrellas are shunned in favor of appropriate outerwear, so getting outside in winter weather is often just a matter of stepping up my gear. Fresh air still makes me feel better even when it’s cold outside, but I find the key to making the most of it is to prioritize warmth once back inside. A hot bath, a snooze by the fireplace, a steaming bowl of soup…

Speaking of dinner, the opposite is true in my household. We all have a stronger appetite in the colder months, and preparing heartier meals with quality ingredients over cold convenience foods makes a big difference in digestion and keeping us feeling good.

My New Year’s resolutions are less about New Year, New Me and more about setting intentions and being productive in seasonally appropriate, sustainable ways. Thus, I find it important to my wellbeing to make goals, plans, and establish routines—especially ones that support sleep, downtime, and meal planning in the winter. It’s one of my nerdiest, happiest things to crack open a new planner and list my goals for the new year.

I do get melancholic this time of year, but for me it’s a comfortable, creative state to ride. I don’t feel hopeless or sad when I’m still making progress on my goals and adhering to my routine.

As for when hibernation begins, I notice my body’s pull towards it as early as mid-November, but the reality is that this time of year is too jam-packed to slow down before Christmas. We have kids’ recitals, holiday parties to attend and host, baking, shopping, gifts to wrap, and on and on. So my hibernation starts right after we pack up the Christmas decorations.

Everything but the twinkle lights, that is. Those stay up until spring.