Are We Supposed to Slow Down in Winter?
It's November. The days are shorter, the mornings darker and the evenings are drawing in.
Does your mood change with the seasons? Do you find yourself wanting to stay indoors, struggling to get out of bed or feeling less motivated to exercise?
Or do you try to carry on as you did in July, getting frustrated when your usual habits suddenly feel harder to maintain?
There's a reason for this. Daylight helps regulate our circadian rhythm, our internal body clock, which influences our sleep, energy and mood. As daylight reduces, some people notice changes in their motivation, appetite and sleep patterns. For others, it can be more significant, with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) affecting their mental health.
Research also suggests we're generally less physically active and spend more time sedentary during winter.
So perhaps we're not imagining it when our usual routines start to feel harder.
Yet rather than recognising these changes and adapting, we often become frustrated with ourselves. We assume we've lost motivation or fallen out of good habits.
But perhaps we're simply not paying enough attention to what we need.
A little story about slowing down
A few years ago, I spent a weekend away on the Isle of Bute in January.
It was one of those trips that has stayed with me, not because we did lots of exciting things, but because we didn't. We soaked up the windy sea air and felt completely rested for it.
Everything was shut. Apart from one restaurant, a shop and a pub, there wasn't much going on. The other shops and restaurants had signs saying they weren't open until March.
We were also told that we'd need to catch the early ferry home on Sunday because a storm was forecast.
And do you know what? I absolutely loved it.
There was something quite freeing about it. No pressure to find somewhere to go, no list of things to see, no expectation to fill every hour.
Life had slowed down, and we simply went along with it.
It made me think about how differently we approach the seasons.
Nature doesn't operate at the same pace all year round. Animals adapt their behaviour, some hibernate, trees become dormant and the landscape changes.
Of course, we're not bears, and I'm not suggesting we all disappear under a duvet until March!
But perhaps there's something to be learnt from the idea that everything doesn't need to operate at full capacity all year round.
Do you know what you actually need?
This is something I find particularly interesting when it comes to our health and habits.
How often do we really stop and ask ourselves what we need?
When we're tired, do we need rest, or would a little movement actually lift our energy?
When we're feeling sluggish, do we need to get outside and see some daylight, or have we simply been expecting too much of ourselves?
When we lose interest in exercise, have we genuinely fallen out of love with it, or is our current routine no longer suited to how we're feeling?
It's not always easy to know the difference.
We're surrounded by information telling us what we should be doing. Get your steps in, lift weights, eat more protein, sleep eight hours, get up earlier, stay consistent.
And whilst much of that advice can be helpful, it can also drown out our own awareness.
We become so focused on following the right advice that we forget to check in with ourselves.
I think this is where we can become a little disconnected from our own needs.
We don't always recognise the signs of stress, tiredness or overwhelm until they become difficult to ignore. Sometimes we mistake a lack of motivation for laziness, when actually we're exhausted. Other times, we assume we need more rest when what might help is getting outside, moving our body and changing our environment.
Getting to know ourselves takes a little practice.
It means noticing patterns, understanding how we respond to different situations and recognising that what works brilliantly for us in one season might not work quite so well in another.
Perhaps consistency doesn't have to look the same all year
I'm a big believer in building healthy habits, but I don't think consistency means doing exactly the same thing regardless of what's happening around us.
Perhaps it's about having a little flexibility.
You might love your early morning Pilates class in the summer, but find that an afternoon walk or an evening stretch feels more appealing in November.
You might need a little more sleep, a slower weekend or more time to yourself.
Equally, you might find that keeping up with your movement routine is exactly what helps you through the darker months.
Neither is wrong.
The important thing is understanding the difference between genuinely needing to slow down and avoiding something that might actually make you feel better.
And that comes from paying attention, rather than automatically pushing through or giving up.
Final Thoughts
As we head into the darker months, perhaps take a little time to check in with yourself.
Are you getting enough daylight? Are you moving enough? Are you allowing yourself to rest? Are you expecting the same from yourself in November as you did in June?
And most importantly, are you listening to what you need, or simply following what you think you should be doing?
You don't need to abandon your healthy habits or retreat from the world until spring.
Perhaps you just need to find a different rhythm.
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” — Lao Tzu
If this post resonated...
Perhaps the changing seasons are a reminder that we're not meant to feel the same every day, or to live at the same pace all year round.
It's not about abandoning the habits that make us feel good, but learning to adapt them as life changes around us. Looking after ourselves is about understanding what we need, and being willing to respond to it.
If you'd like a helping hand in understanding what gives you energy, recognising what you need and finding habits that genuinely support you, my I am Habitually Healthy course is a good place to start.
I've got your back
Kirsty x
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