Winter Wellness
rhythms & habits to thrive during the colder, shorter days
By Kara Richard, LMSW
I am a sun girl through and through.
I am my best self in the summer months — sun absorbed skin, constant warmth, outside all the time, movement for days. And I don’t think I’m the only Iowa native that struggles November through March. For many years, an unspoken sense of dread washed over me as fall came to an end, knowing I would soon feel less me, less alive. I categorized winter as a time to enter survival mode and “get through it.”
Reframing Winter: From Survival Mode to Sacred Season
This winter, I am pushing back against this narrative — my own past narrative — that says winter months can’t be just as full of life, vibrancy, warmth, and genuine feelings of wellness. Like any season of our lives, there is purpose. Winter isn’t the way it is for no reason.
The Lord created ebbs and flows of nature, the pause to growth and rebirth, the colder, dimmer days. He created it all, so it must be good. He created the sparkling glow of snow, the lower rising of the sun, the barren trees, the frozen reflective ice, the stillness of a cold night. There is beauty to be found. A sacred slowness to embrace. A stillness to grab our attention.
The Lord created this season, so it must be good.
Finding Meaning and Purpose in the Winter Months
What good can come from these months?
What good can I create?
These are the questions I’m asking, because I refuse to spend another winter in annoyance, bitterness, or dread. This attitude of “just get through it” is not for me. As someone who values presence, mindfulness, and being in tune with each moment, I refuse to view this beautiful God-given season as one to simply push through.
I will embrace it.
I will choose to see it as good.
I will learn how to love it.
Creating New Winter Rhythms for Mind, Body, and Soul
Learning to love winter has required the creation of new and different rhythms. My body needs different things. My mind needs a different pace. My soul needs warmth in a different way. Here’s what I’m doing.
Unashamedly more rest & sleep. Our body’s ancient wisdom says to sleep when the sun goes down and rise when the sun rises. Following this might look like crawling into bed at 7:30 PM, and I will do just that. Look around at nature hibernating, awaiting the sun’s return. We are no different.
Beginning the day with something warm. Right upon waking up, I put on cozy sweats. The day begins with a warm tea or coffee, turning up the thermostat a couple degrees. Allowing my body to gently wake up to the day.
Embracing the quiet, not filling it with more noise & action. There is almost a forced slowing down in the winter months. Slower driving, canceled events due to snow, less going on at night because of the cold and dark. I choose to embrace this slowing down, and allow my calendar to be more open. I see the emptiness as a gift, not a space too fill.
Using a sunlamp for increased Vitamin D + mood. Recently, I’ve begun using the MitoLite Sunlamp which has UVB rays to help my body turn cholesterol into Vitamin D during the months without sunshine. The red and infrared light helps with overall wellness, inflammation, skin health, mental health.
Connecting inwardly. Sitting on my couch wrapped up in a blanket is my favorite place to be. I spend much more time journaling, pondering, reflecting, and meditating on scripture in these colder months. The quiet moments will speak if you listen.
Making bedtime therapeutic. Days can feel harder as the sun goes down early and the cold overwhelms the body. Making bedtime something to look forward has been a game changer. My sleep score gets up into the 90's on my Oura ring, and I believe the bedtime prep is everything.
My bedtime routine goes something like this.
Turn on instrumental guitar or piano. My current favorite is ‘dwaler’.
Dim all lighting - Christmas lights and lamps only.
Put screens away and tidy up my space.
Take a warm shower with essential oils.
Dry brush my skin and put dry oil on afterwards.
Rub magnesium oil into my skin.
Take GAD supplement (helps me stay asleep all night).
Turn on my heating pad and let it warm my sheets.
Turn on brown noise, and fall asleep.
Still prioritizing outside time. No matter how cold or snowy it can get, I always try to get outside in the natural light every single day. I love to bundle up and go on walks. There’s a different beauty to nature in the winter, and we miss out if we hibernate inside. Our soul needs to be exposed to more than man-made walls, fluorescent lights, and concrete. Get around plants, snow, anything natural.
Embracing connection in a different way. It can be really hard to have the same summer motivation for celebrating and nights out. I find myself becoming more of an introvert in the winter, but what it doesn't mean is isolation. Isolation will cause illness faster than some viruses, and we need connection. Embracing that connection may look different, with more phone calls & writing letters & praying for loved ones.
Exfoliate and hydrate. I dry brush much more often in the winter to help with the dry, dead skin. I’m always rubbing nourishing cream on my hands, and use a heavier moisturizer for my face during the colder months. It’s easy to neglect drinking water when it’s cold, but it’s just as important.
Make your space therapeutic. There’s so many ways to do this but my favorite are: more plants/greenery, minimizing clutter, diffusing my favorite oils, calming background music, comforting blankets, earthy colors. Wherever you spend the most time, make it somewhere you enjoy.
A Prayer for the Quiet Winter Season
God, help me embrace this beautiful season you’ve created. Remind my heart that time for reflection, slowing down, and getting closer to you is a gift. Give me a heart posture of reflection, presence, and humility. The winter months don’t last forever, and summer is right around the corner. Seasons change, and my circumstances change, but you are the only thing unchanging. Bring me closer to you through the challenges of this season. Bring healing to my mind, body, and soul. Help me see every single moment, every day, every season of life as a blessing. A creation of yours that is good and glorious.
Amen.
