What if winter is nature’s retreat? How to slow down, restore your energy and make space for yourself this season

Words: Stephanie Fitzgerald. Images: Shutterstock

It is easy to think of winter as a season of nothingness. The rhetoric we are sold is of hibernation. A fallow time of year, where nothing much happens. Yet there is a definitive energy to winter which leaves us feeling reenergised, restored and rejuvenated. Unlike other seasons, winter energy is gentle, presenting not with a loud ‘ta daa!’, but quietly pulsing through the season.

With a little care, we can plug into this gentle energy and feel the benefits of winter. When we celebrate the flowers blossoming in spring, we forget that all the essential growth of those buds and leaves happened over winter. Far from being a ‘dead’ season, it is a season of preparation and (literal) growth. Winter prepares us for the year ahead.

It allows us to gently unfurl and plan whilst having productive and meaningful rest. It is a period of ‘active recovery’; not the high-energy workout of summer, but the beautiful ooey-gooey yoga stretch of winter. We don’t stop, but we do slow down and it is in the slowing down that we discover magical winter energy.

This idea can feel somewhat jarring. We reward being busy so much that we can struggle to see rest as productive, all the while becoming exhausted and burnt out. It’s important to see winter as a gently energetic season, offering us all the benefits of embracing a different approach.

Winter balances out the continual activity of summer, with more mindful growth and development. ‘I work with people who dread winter but I really like to reframe it,’ says psychologist Victoria Baverstock.

‘Winter gives us the gift of a retreat every year. People spend thousands to go on retreats whereas nature gives us that gift, we don’t have to pay anything for it! Winter gives us that signal to rest, be quiet and use that time to reflect. Winter gives us that opportunity to review and plan and look at where we are, look at what we’ve achieved so far that year. We don’t have to get on a plane, we don’t have to spend money, this natural retreat is nature’s gift.’

It is in rest that the magic of winter’s energy lies. Not simply stopping, but restoring ourselves, ready for our next burst of activity. Far from being a waste of time, winter engages us in a different type of activity, leaving us calm, restored and refocused. Author Beth Kempton fuels her creativity with winter energy.

‘I adore writing at this time of year. It’s so cosy! There is something very special about the quiet of early winter mornings. At 5am it’s still dark outside and the light of a candle seems like an invitation to listen and write. Candlelight, firelight, fairy lights – there is something very magical about winter glow. Everything slows at this time of year and I can sink deeper into my ideas.’

I have always seen winter as a recharging period. Baverstock concurs that it is ‘a time to gather and recoup what has been lost or spent throughout the year’. I relish the opportunity to recharge my batteries and experience a renewed energy. Pushing through all seasons with a summer vibe, diet and expectation, doesn’t serve me well.

It leaves me feeling as though I am fighting against winter, rather than being deeply emerged in it and benefitting from its beautiful restorative energy. When we are caught up in the busy, the noise and the chaos, it is easy for us to shout over the quiet voice of winter, inviting us to tune in, rest and restore. Once we see winter as a time to find softer energy then we can stop battling with the season.

Life becomes easier and more doable and we stop gritting our teeth whilst wishing fervently for spring. The gentle energy of winter is beautiful, restorative, calm and comforting. Plugging into this softer energy really allows us to do more than we imagined, but it’s a different kind of busy.

This isn’t about burning out. It’s about leaning into and embracing the slow-down so that we can build ourselves up for a successful year ahead. It is the difference between winter’s soft candlelight and the glaring floodlight of summer. Whilst we blame winter for dark nights, we need to remember that winter solstice actually signals the start of lighter days.

Winter is a season that brings more light, gradually waking us earlier and stretching out our days. But it does this slowly. We can also move through winter at a slower pace, taking time to really lean into the natural retreat that we are being offered. Every expert I speak to agrees that new year’s resolutions can be jarring if they require dramatic and high-energy changes at a time of year when nature is encouraging us to consider and contemplate before we leap into action.

However, this doesn’t mean we can’t achieve. Baverstock encourages clients to have a framework for winter, which doesn’t need to be rigid or serious. ‘It could be as simple as having a grey-day plan, where you have simple low-energy tasks that absolutely make life simpler and more joyful, such as auditing your wardrobe.

Getting these tasks done makes you feel so light and there’s no pressure involved. There is a playful element that we can weave through, which is so important. Life can be serious, and the more joy and light-heartedness we can introduce at every moment the better. Instead of white-knuckling it through winter trying to keep up with manic resolutions we can ask “what books do I want to read, what podcasts do I want to listen to?” This is an opportunity to put an arm around yourself and take that time to nurture yourself. It is a real time of replenishing.’

Seeing winter not as a barren battleground, but as a playful space, with gentle energy, that encourages us to explore and restore makes me excited for the months ahead. I make my grey-day plan and dig out my cosiest fluffy socks. Bring it on winter, I am ready for my retreat!

Expert advice

Victoria Baverstock is a psychologist specialising in burnout and the complexities of mid-life transitions. victoriabaverstock.com

Beth Kempton is a bestselling self-help author whose six books, including Calm Christmas, have been translated into nearly 30 languages. She writes about doing what you love and living well. dowhatyouloveforlife.com | bethkempton.com

Fiona Berry, Registered Nutritionist, mBANT, CNHC, specialises in seasonal living programmes that promote lasting change through nutrition and lifestyle habits. itstheberries.co.uk