12/18/2025
It feels almost cliché to talk about slowing down during winter, but this year the reminder resonated so deeply I have to share about it. I actually started “wintering” weeks ago without meaning to. Fall was a whirlwind — so much happened at once, and then I sort of disappeared. Both personal and professional demands stacked up, my momentum tanked, and overwhelm took the wheel. My capacity felt low, which meant that pretty soon the fear and anxiety of not doing enough soared high. It’s a familiar loop for so many of us in this era of relentless pace.
Then I remembered: overwhelm isn’t a failure; it’s my body waving a flag. It’s a signal to pause, recalibrate, and carve out space for recovery. It’s not working against me — it’s trying to guide me.
And just as the body knows when to slow, so too does the natural world. Shorter days, colder temperatures, and longer evenings inspire a lifestyle that is incongruent with the hustle and grind, the endless summer common in the over-culture. They offer gentle nudges toward a rhythm that’s far more ancient and humane, and many people feel the impact of those nudges, however they respond to them.
Maybe it’s Seasonal Affective Disorder…or maybe it’s a deeper resonance in the bones, a knowing that winter simply asks something different of us. This season isn’t here to sabotage productivity or undermine our capacity. It’s an invitation to rest and digest — to metabolize all the year has held, to recuperate and quietly prepare for what comes next.
For me, overwhelm was just the reminder that I was resisting that invitation. Now, with renewed commitment to practice, I’m choosing to embrace the slower pace and let winter work its quiet magic.
Happy Solstice 🕯(December 21)
