Reclaiming Winter: Managing Seasonal Depression

For the past few years, I’ve not-so-quietly dreaded the arrival of winter. As the days shortened, something inside me dimmed, too. The shift was subtle at first — less motivation, more fatigue, a heaviness I couldn’t quite name. I could get through November and December with the holiday season as a distraction, but by January, I would find myself in a full-blown seasonal depression. The kind of depression that makes it hard to get out of bed. The kind that makes everything feel just a little (or a lot) too much.

This year, I decided I didn’t want to fear winter anymore. I wanted to meet it differently — not with resistance, but with reverence. I truly believe nature is our best teacher and healer, and if nature thinks four to six months of darkness and cold is what is best for us, then who am I to disagree? I figured maybe I should take what nature is teaching - that it’s time to slow down and go inward - and let it work for me. That meant I needed to develop ways to be intentional about tending to my own energy.

So once we hit November and the time change happened, I’ve been building new rituals … not as a way to bypass the hard stuff, but as a way to move through it with more grace, more support, and more self-compassion (and hopefully fewer days spent in bed binge-watching The Real Housewives of Wherever).

Here’s my plan for the darker season. See if any of this resonates with you!

Alllllll the Light You Can Find!

One of the most powerful shifts I’ve made is prioritizing light immediately after I wake up. I open every curtain and blind in my home. I turn on warm lights or light a candle. And I sit in front of my Happy Light while I drink my coffee and plan my day. This simple ritual helps reset my circadian rhythm and gives my brain the signal that it’s time to wake up and engage. It’s subtle, but last year when I started doing this, it made a difference in my mood and energy levels.

Movement as Medicine

I’ve learned that I can’t wait to feel like moving. It might never happen if I wait for the motivation to strike me! Apparently, I have to actually move in order to feel better. Who knew?

Right now, yoga is my anchor. Some days it’s a slow, restorative practice on my mat at home or at one of the studios where I teach. Other days, I crave the intensity and warmth of hot yoga, where I can sweat out the stagnation and reconnect with my body in a deeper way.

I am also re-introducing walking. I usually dread the process of getting out the door, but I’m almost always grateful afterward. There’s something about the rhythm of walking, the crisp air, the sound of my feet on the earth that brings me back to myself.

Remember that movement doesn’t have to be intense to be healing. This time of year calls for us to be more gentle anyway. So I aim to move most days, in a loving way.

Nourishment That Grounds

I am gravitating toward warm, grounding foods — soups, stews, Crockpot or Insta-Pot meals, roasted vegetables, warming teas. Yoga’s sister science, Ayurveda, teaches us that winter is a time to balance the cold, dry, airy qualities of the season with warmth, moisture, and stability. I recently had a few sessions with Emma Horne, a friend and fellow Reiki Master, who is also an Ayurvedic healer, and that’s been a game-changer (her business is called Ahimsa Wellbeing). She helps me understand my unique constitution and how to support it through seasonal shifts. Her sessions are deeply grounding and centering. As someone who holds space for others, this kind of support is essential. I can’t pour from an empty cup — and I don’t want to.

Creating Sacred Rituals

In addition to my coffee and Happy Light, I have also begun to pick up an inspirational book and read a few pages to start the day. For way too long, I’ve gone straight to my phone to read and respond to messages, check my bank account balance, or just plain scroll. By making myself pick up a book, I delay the scroll. Some days, I get so sucked into the book that I skip the scroll altogether - go me! Right now, I’m reading Rest is Sacred by Octavia F. Raheem. It’s beautifully written and a great reminder that slowness is the name of the game this season.

Another thing I’ve invested in is warmth. I HATE being cold, and I get cold easily. So I am under an electric when I’m on the couch. I sleep with a heating pad and extra blankets. And I recently got a Warmie, a stuffed animal with a rice bag inside that I can heat up in the microwave and snuggle. My Warmie is a sloth, and his name is Sid.

Other simple rituals could be lighting a candle, journaling a bit, meditation, pulling an oracle card … find what feels good (and attainable!) for you.

Letting Winter Be What It Is

Most importantly, I’m learning to let winter be winter. I no longer expect myself to be as productive, social, or energized as I am in the summer. I honor the natural slowing down. I give myself permission to rest more, to say no more, to be quieter.

Winter is not a mistake. It’s a sacred part of the cycle. It’s the season of roots, of dreaming, of deep inner work. And when I stop fighting it, I can feel its gifts.

If you’ve struggled with seasonal depression, I see you. I know how heavy it can feel. But I also know that healing is possible. Not through force, but through devotion. Through ritual. Through remembering that you are part of nature, and nature knows how to return to balance.