Winter in the northern hemisphere has a way of asking us to slow down—whether we like it or not. Living in Scotland, it can feel as though winter stretches on for half the year. The cold, the damp, the grey skies, and the long dark nights can be deeply draining. I’ll be honest: I’m not a big fan of winter. By January, it often feels like my energy has been leached away by the endless wet and darkness.
But what if, instead of struggling through winter, we chose to meet it differently?
What if midwinter became a season not to endure, but to embrace?
Reframing Winter as a Season of Rest
We live in a culture that values constant productivity, forward motion, and brightness—qualities that align far more naturally with spring and summer. Winter, however, is quieter. Nature itself retreats. Trees shed their leaves. Animals hibernate. The world rests.
Perhaps the discomfort we feel in winter comes not just from the cold and dark, but from trying to live as though it’s still summer.
Midwinter invites a different rhythm: slower mornings, earlier nights, softer expectations. When we resist that rhythm, winter can feel heavy and exhausting. When we align with it, it can become deeply restorative.
Making Self-Care a Habit, Not a Treat
Self-care isn’t something we should only reach for when we’re burnt out or overwhelmed. In winter especially, it works best as a habit—small, regular acts that help us regulate, recharge, and feel grounded.
This season offers permission to turn inward. To rest without guilt. To do less, and be more.
Think of winter self-care as maintenance for your nervous system. A way to replenish energy stores rather than pushing through on empty.
Embracing the Indoors
There’s something comforting about leaning into indoor life during winter. Instead of resenting being inside, we can make it a place of enjoyment and refuge.
Simple pleasures can feel luxurious when approached with intention:
A hot bath or foot spa at the end of a cold day
Wrapping yourself in a cosy blanket, layers soft and warm
Lighting a candle as darkness falls, marking the shift into evening
Playing gentle music while you rest, stretch, or journal
Losing yourself in a good book, or letting words flow as you write
Allowing yourself extra sleep without judgement
These aren’t indulgences—they’re ways of regulating your body and mind during a demanding season.
Winter as a Time to Restore and Create
Midwinter isn’t just about rest; it can also be a fertile time for quiet creativity. Without the pressure of constant socialising or outdoor activity, there’s space to read, write, reflect, and create simply for pleasure.
You might find yourself journaling more, doodling, knitting, planning, or daydreaming. These gentle creative acts don’t need an outcome. They’re about expression, not productivity.
This is also a powerful time to check in with yourself. What feels nourishing right now? What can wait? What do you need more of—and less of?
Letting Go of the Struggle
Winter can be hard. Acknowledging that matters. Embracing winter doesn’t mean pretending you love the cold or the darkness. It means softening your resistance to what is.
When we stop fighting the season, we conserve energy. When we accept that this is a slower, quieter chapter of the year, we make room for rest without guilt.
And rest is not laziness. It’s preparation.
A Gentle Invitation
This winter, instead of counting down the days until spring, consider this an invitation to be kind to yourself. To make self-care a habit. To enjoy what winter offers, even if it isn’t your favourite season.
Light the candle. Run the bath. Pick up the book. Wrap yourself in warmth.
Winter doesn’t have to drain you—it can be the season that restores you.
