Reflections on Winter, Wellbeing and Life’s Seasons.

Winter Wellbeing - words that for many people just don’t sit well together. People report feeling more sad and low energy, with some suffering the effects of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder - basically their mood is affected by the season to the point that it is considered a depressive illness).

Winter is….

It’s nature’s season that gets the raw deal, from a public perception and PR point of view.

It’s the one we moan about.

It’s the one we just can’t wait until it’s over.

It’s the one we overtly reject.

It’s grey, dreary, bleak…

It’s only just begun here in the ‘Northern’ half of the world (meteorologically) and we’ve still got a couple of weeks to go astronomically and already many people are desperate for it to end.

Winter seems to be the irritant, the ‘annoying one’ of the seasons.

And this seems to be the default thinking about it.

I have often wondered why so many people report psychological ‘struggle’ with the winter months, and yet at the same time some of us seem to be able to embrace it without major negative effects on our wellbeing.

And it seems I haven’t been the only one thinking about this!

Winter Mindset

A study by Kari Leibowitz & Joar Vitterso published in 2020 in the International Journal of Wellbeing (and widely reported in the mainstream media at the time) highlighted the significant role that our thoughts and beliefs about winter have on our feelings about it, and associated self-reports of wellbeing - something they call our winter ‘mindset’.

Leibowitz highlights findings that strongly indicate that it’s not the shorter days, the colder weather or any other objective physical feature of winter that shapes reports of positive or negative wellbeing. Whilst undoubtedly these things do affect us (people do generally feel more tired, of lower mood and energy in the winter months), the key thing is how we perceive and feel about those effects.

This study, conducted in Norway, found that the further north people lived, the closer to the arctic circle, the more they were inclined to see these changes in energy levels, mood etc. as normal responses to the seasonal changes.

And, importantly, they were less likely to report feelings of poor wellbeing.

Perhaps because they embrace it. Accepting it for what it is, and treating it as simply the time for doing indoor things - connecting with friends, creating warm and cosy spaces to snuggle under a blanket with a good book in front of the fire, or hunker down together and eat, socialise and have fun together, entering into the ‘Dunkirk’ collective spirit of gratitude for survival in difficult times.

Perhaps they have little choice but to do this, because conditions are so extreme it’s futile to do anything other than make these shifts. But given the higher levels of reported wellbeing, I think we should take note.

The Human Disconnect from Nature

Human beings, from what I can see, are pretty much the only species that behaves in a way that is totally disconnected from the changing seasons.

What I mean by this is that our lives, in the West anyway, are structured such that we expect and are expected to continue with the same behaviours irrespective of the weather.

So, whether it’s warm, sunny, light or dark, cold or grey, we carry on the same. We attend school at the same time, for the same length of time; we push ourselves to work at the same pace, even though our energy levels are lower; we want/expect to be out and about exercising the same way in the winter as in the summer. We want to be as joyful and energetic in mid-January as we are in mid-April.

No other species in nature operates in this crazy way!

Insects lay dormant in the ground.

Many mammals hibernate.

Birds disappear to a new home for a few months.

Trees shed their leaves and turn inwards.

We are placing ‘demands’ on ourselves throughout the year, that may be easier to fulfil at different times of year and we are not making allowances, physically or psychologically, for the effects of shorter days, colder and wetter weather, greyer skies, on our capacity to maintain the same energy levels and elevated mood.

Then when we can’t, we feel frustrated, resentful, or as if we are ‘broken’ for a few months of the year.

And then we seek solace in cake!

Connect with Nature for Wellbeing

What this study clearly indicates is that feeling good about our wellbeing in winter is more than simply looking for the positives in the season, although that’s important too (just look at the snowdrops).

More than this, though, it’s about responding on a deeper level to the changing of the seasons as nature guides us. By changing our ‘expectations’ about what is possible and appropriate at that time of year, and in response adjusting the things we do, and the expectations we place on ourselves, we are far more likely to report positive wellbeing, even when the thundersnow hits, the rain pelts down and the skies are cloudy and grey.

(For me, this idea also helps to explain something that has been perplexing me, and that is that one of the most commonly accepted explanations for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) has been the notion that it’s the lower light levels in winter that leads to these depressive feelings: but this doesn’t explain why about 10% of SAD sufferers report symptoms in the summer months (when clearly light levels are not really an issue)).

And it’s not just nature that experiences seasons. We have periods in our lives where things feel more wintery and weary.

The Lesson From Nature

This understanding of winter mindset, and the benefit of adapting to the demands of the season, provides some insights for the emotional and psychological ‘seasons’ we experience in life too!

Those times in life which feel darker, chillier, more ‘difficult’ to like. The times our bodies are telling us we need to slow down, to spend less time ‘doing’ and more time just ‘being’ so we can rest, replenish and restore.

Something we find very difficult to do - as I found out myself this past couple of weeks when I have been bone wearily tired, but my attempts to rest have been self-sabotaged by an inner-voice telling me I need to ‘make use’ of my down time by trying to ‘do’ stuff whilst I’m sitting ‘resting and relaxing’ in my pyjamas in front of the TV. Turns out that’s not actually very restful!

So, what if we follow the example of nature, and those in the cold zones, and lean into the season? Accepting, even embracing, that it’s a time of year that requires a different approach…

How about, rather than fighting it, we get excited about this as a time of year to slow down, reflect, contemplate - be less ‘busy’ ? As an opportunity to spend more focused time with the people we care about… or as a chance to try some new things that we wouldn’t think to do at other times of year, when we’re flying around with our high energy ?

Or simply as the BEST time of year to get cosy, light a few candles, snuggle-up and watch all those box-sets?!

And how about when we hit a winter season in our minds and bodies, those times when we’re being given a nudge to slow down by the physically tired, psychologically weary and emotionally drained feelings coming through loud and clear, instead of pushing on through, we actually listen and respond, allow the season to be as it’s meant to be, do the things for us it’s meant to do, and start seeing and doing things a bit differently. Just until we feel more rested and restored - just until this winter has passed?

Just a thought!

What do you think? Let me know in the comments, or email me (nicki@nickigabriel.com) I always love to hear your thoughts!

P.S. I will be running some seasonally inspired coaching for wellbeing ‘retreats’ in the New Year - if something like this sounds just up your street, I invite you to sign-up for my newsletter so you can get the latest on dates and venues and more info as it’s firmed up. You can sign-up HERE