I feel the opposite, I feel that deep sense of dread for the summer months when around May hits. The long days, the heat, the starkness, it feels never ending. During that time I channel my friends who love summer, leaning into each season is key.
You know, as silly as it sounds, it never occurred to me that someone might feel the opposite! I just assumed everyone loved summer like I do. Perhaps you could write a summer survival list to sit opposite this one when it next comes around? I bet there are loads of people who feel like you do! If only we could trade seasons and swap
I totally resonated with this! As a huge nature enthusiast I don't like admitting it as feel I should just embrace everything winter has to offer but nowadays as each winter approaches I get that creeping feeling of dread come upon me as I wonder how low I'll feel due to the lack of sunlight. This year our neighbours moved house and they donated a SAD lamp to us - I think it's time to retrieve it from the cupboard and put it to use!
Yes! You described it exactly! And as much as we *know* we should get out and stay in nature in winter, the reality is that it's much harder to do. Just the layering alone takes half an hour some days! Hope the SAD lamp is working some magic for you. Not long til the shortest day now, and then we'll be on the upswing again!
Hehe, it does take ages to put all those layers on! Yes that thought did cross my mind the other day, the shortest day is just around the corner - hooray! I think the SAD light has helped (plus my annual Vitamin D mouth spray!) - it’s got a hole at the back so you can hang it on the wall so I think it’s going to become a permanent feature next to my little make up table. It’s pretty huge but if it’s working then I’m willing to give it a proper chance!
Lovely post! Sunlight is everything! This summer I had a potted strawberry plant outside of my backdoor that gave me berries all spring and summer. it is indoors now in my kitchen window producing berries. I hope it goes all winter. I am going to get a small grow light for it.
Sara! I agree with all this! I planted a mimosa plant this year so that we would have bright yellow bunches early on in the year. It's grown very fast already and seeing the little buds already growing is giving me so much joy!!
Ahh I might need to copy you and do the same. Things like this truly feel like a lifeline at this time of year. The mimosa will flower and the sun will return! Next month the night start getting lighter again…
I have an event on the longest day of the year, half of me is dreading it because of the cold but the other half of me is joyous as I know that this will be the tipping point of there becoming more light again.
I love the light and the warm summer months but dread the prickly heat.
I realise that I'm asking the weather to be goldilocks for me!
Honestly Sara, thank you so much for this piece of writing.
As someone with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue to name a couple, I’m never alone with three small children & loving partner thank goodness but I am alone with my grief of living in a very different way post pandemic and honestly, post trauma from *so much stuff* the last few years have brought.
People like yourself Sara are such a beckon of light for other non able bodied folk like myself — my youngest is unwell at the moment; stuck to my side, on my lap in my bed, and whilst I love those snuggles when you can’t take a walk around your garden, let alone around the block, it’s all rather intense. Moving positions to have the warm winter sunshine on my face is something I’d take for granted, something I wouldn’t even think about, but now it’s vital and life giving.
I used to dread winter but something about my illnesses have brought a peace to this time of year. Like others have mentioned, my main ‘issue’ is the summer! Especially in the UK when it’s just so claustrophobic and oppressive. Maybe that’s why I’ve always wanted to live by the sea?! 🌊
It’s inspired me to dust off an old journal as I wrote a piece about this that I never shared. (Also how the cycles of nature are connected to the menstrual cycle. E.g. menstruation is winter which many women suffer with too). I have come a long way to accepting my inner and outer winter but have a way to do with accepting my inner and outer summer!
Thank you for the time and energy it took to write this beautiful comment ❤️. I love the sound of that piece - so easy to forget or neglect that we are part of nature and live in cycles too! There's a certain sort of peace in winter for me in that the FOMO dies down a little. Everyone is stuck at home more, nestling in like you and I are made to do. I wish we still did the Victorian thing of sending the sick off to sanitoriums by the sea. A spot of sea bathing and some fresh air for a few months!
Love these ideas, and I incorporate many. I was not a bath person until a few years ago (I'm not sure what switched for me, but damn! A hot bath on a cold night is close to heaven). I have a dog, so I'm outside pretty much every day, no matter the weather. Living in Minnesota, I've had to learn the art of dressing for the season, but there's pretty much no climate I can't endure with the right gear (even if for a shorter time). I also love doing themed parties or gatherings in the winter time. Game nights, an annual Amy Grant Christmas singalong party, cookbook club...I know how important connection is and I just need to be a bit more intentional in the winter months.
Parties! Yes!! The company of other people is so important and conspicuously missing from my list now you mention it! haha!
I think it was Billy Connolly who said "there's no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing" which I think of often, as I walk around int the snow in a cardigan and tights...
I used to be afraid of winter because earlier this year all autoimmunity symptoms I've been experiencing started to crop up. I was unprepared and had no clue what was happening, with Raynaud's, chilblains, etc. But a year into this lifestyle management, I gradually recover my old self, before all the traumatic events. A lot of deep work done in spring and summer saw its benefits in winter. My body is still finding its way, protesting here and there with the symptoms, but I embody her more. That probably explains why despite the premature snow this week, I don't feel much dread anymore.
Honestly, Sara, how do you manage to make everything – even feeling a bit shitty – sound absolutely glorious? It's your magic. Well, part of it. Love it, thank you for sharing this. Xx
I suffer so much from dark winter days, I feel like I can't breathe. At a rational level I know that winter is beautiful and introspective but my body has a mind of its own. Thanks so much for sharing your take, I'm not alone then!
Even though Spring is turning into Summer here in the Southern Hemisphere, these words feel so warm and soothing. It bugs me enormously that those 'warming' festivals, like bonfire night and Christmas are just at the wrong time of year here 😄
Yes I was thinking of you southern hemisphere folk as I wrote that! I remember an Aussie friend telling my me she still sends Christmas cards with snow and robins on, then heads to the beach for a barbie on Christmas Day! 😄 Are there any alternative festivals you guys have in your own winter? If not, I think you should create some!
Yes, we have Matariki, which is Māori new year, at the end of June, but it's certainly not on the scale of Christmas. The Christmas lights are somewhat wasted in December when we're marking the longest day 🙃
In winter, I read or write by SAD lamp in the very early morning with my coffee, a candle, a pile of soft blankets (often a heated one as well), and the fireplace on. It really helps me set the tone for my day.
Such a nice ritual! I use a SAD lamp in place of a light for skincare/makeup which has both improved my makeup game and hopefully helped! Once you find a routine it becomes much easier doesn’t it?
I use this one that I got several years ago. And I don’t look at it directly because it is very bright. I set it off to the side of me so that I mostly have indirect light from it unless I choose to sit in front of it with my eyes closed while I meditate.
I relate to all of this! I wrote a post last week saying exactly the same thing - I once saw the romance of winter and, while there are so many elements I still love, I now feel a sense of dread and worry about impending gloom and depression. Nature and slower living really will work wonders ✨❄️
I feel the opposite, I feel that deep sense of dread for the summer months when around May hits. The long days, the heat, the starkness, it feels never ending. During that time I channel my friends who love summer, leaning into each season is key.
You know, as silly as it sounds, it never occurred to me that someone might feel the opposite! I just assumed everyone loved summer like I do. Perhaps you could write a summer survival list to sit opposite this one when it next comes around? I bet there are loads of people who feel like you do! If only we could trade seasons and swap
Me too, I literally dread the dry hot summer days!
I totally resonated with this! As a huge nature enthusiast I don't like admitting it as feel I should just embrace everything winter has to offer but nowadays as each winter approaches I get that creeping feeling of dread come upon me as I wonder how low I'll feel due to the lack of sunlight. This year our neighbours moved house and they donated a SAD lamp to us - I think it's time to retrieve it from the cupboard and put it to use!
Yes! You described it exactly! And as much as we *know* we should get out and stay in nature in winter, the reality is that it's much harder to do. Just the layering alone takes half an hour some days! Hope the SAD lamp is working some magic for you. Not long til the shortest day now, and then we'll be on the upswing again!
Hehe, it does take ages to put all those layers on! Yes that thought did cross my mind the other day, the shortest day is just around the corner - hooray! I think the SAD light has helped (plus my annual Vitamin D mouth spray!) - it’s got a hole at the back so you can hang it on the wall so I think it’s going to become a permanent feature next to my little make up table. It’s pretty huge but if it’s working then I’m willing to give it a proper chance!
Lovely post! Sunlight is everything! This summer I had a potted strawberry plant outside of my backdoor that gave me berries all spring and summer. it is indoors now in my kitchen window producing berries. I hope it goes all winter. I am going to get a small grow light for it.
Oh wow! Neverending strawberries! I love this and might need to do the same!
I really got lucky with the plant and I hope I can keep it going. Right now it have quite a few new blossoms which will become berries.
Sara! I agree with all this! I planted a mimosa plant this year so that we would have bright yellow bunches early on in the year. It's grown very fast already and seeing the little buds already growing is giving me so much joy!!
Ahh I might need to copy you and do the same. Things like this truly feel like a lifeline at this time of year. The mimosa will flower and the sun will return! Next month the night start getting lighter again…
I have an event on the longest day of the year, half of me is dreading it because of the cold but the other half of me is joyous as I know that this will be the tipping point of there becoming more light again.
I love the light and the warm summer months but dread the prickly heat.
I realise that I'm asking the weather to be goldilocks for me!
Yesss I'm honestly thinking of making myself some sort of daylight advent calendar that counts the days til we get more hours again!
All in favour of goldilocks weather and seasons. Somewhere on earth there must be the perfect climate for us all! I just havent found mine yet....
Honestly Sara, thank you so much for this piece of writing.
As someone with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue to name a couple, I’m never alone with three small children & loving partner thank goodness but I am alone with my grief of living in a very different way post pandemic and honestly, post trauma from *so much stuff* the last few years have brought.
People like yourself Sara are such a beckon of light for other non able bodied folk like myself — my youngest is unwell at the moment; stuck to my side, on my lap in my bed, and whilst I love those snuggles when you can’t take a walk around your garden, let alone around the block, it’s all rather intense. Moving positions to have the warm winter sunshine on my face is something I’d take for granted, something I wouldn’t even think about, but now it’s vital and life giving.
I used to dread winter but something about my illnesses have brought a peace to this time of year. Like others have mentioned, my main ‘issue’ is the summer! Especially in the UK when it’s just so claustrophobic and oppressive. Maybe that’s why I’ve always wanted to live by the sea?! 🌊
It’s inspired me to dust off an old journal as I wrote a piece about this that I never shared. (Also how the cycles of nature are connected to the menstrual cycle. E.g. menstruation is winter which many women suffer with too). I have come a long way to accepting my inner and outer winter but have a way to do with accepting my inner and outer summer!
Thank you for the time and energy it took to write this beautiful comment ❤️. I love the sound of that piece - so easy to forget or neglect that we are part of nature and live in cycles too! There's a certain sort of peace in winter for me in that the FOMO dies down a little. Everyone is stuck at home more, nestling in like you and I are made to do. I wish we still did the Victorian thing of sending the sick off to sanitoriums by the sea. A spot of sea bathing and some fresh air for a few months!
(apologies for lack of formatting - substack got weird about this cmment and made me shorten it!)
Lovely photos and practical advice. Thanks for sharing
Love these ideas, and I incorporate many. I was not a bath person until a few years ago (I'm not sure what switched for me, but damn! A hot bath on a cold night is close to heaven). I have a dog, so I'm outside pretty much every day, no matter the weather. Living in Minnesota, I've had to learn the art of dressing for the season, but there's pretty much no climate I can't endure with the right gear (even if for a shorter time). I also love doing themed parties or gatherings in the winter time. Game nights, an annual Amy Grant Christmas singalong party, cookbook club...I know how important connection is and I just need to be a bit more intentional in the winter months.
Parties! Yes!! The company of other people is so important and conspicuously missing from my list now you mention it! haha!
I think it was Billy Connolly who said "there's no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing" which I think of often, as I walk around int the snow in a cardigan and tights...
Haha - it took me years to actually live by that advice
Very warm reading, thank you
I used to be afraid of winter because earlier this year all autoimmunity symptoms I've been experiencing started to crop up. I was unprepared and had no clue what was happening, with Raynaud's, chilblains, etc. But a year into this lifestyle management, I gradually recover my old self, before all the traumatic events. A lot of deep work done in spring and summer saw its benefits in winter. My body is still finding its way, protesting here and there with the symptoms, but I embody her more. That probably explains why despite the premature snow this week, I don't feel much dread anymore.
Honestly, Sara, how do you manage to make everything – even feeling a bit shitty – sound absolutely glorious? It's your magic. Well, part of it. Love it, thank you for sharing this. Xx
Lovely post and so mucy to be inspired by when the November blues hits! Thank you for reminding us of all the things we can do!
I suffer so much from dark winter days, I feel like I can't breathe. At a rational level I know that winter is beautiful and introspective but my body has a mind of its own. Thanks so much for sharing your take, I'm not alone then!
Yesss exactly this! Like I’m going to suffocate in the gloom of it all. It feels good to know I’m not alone
Even though Spring is turning into Summer here in the Southern Hemisphere, these words feel so warm and soothing. It bugs me enormously that those 'warming' festivals, like bonfire night and Christmas are just at the wrong time of year here 😄
Yes I was thinking of you southern hemisphere folk as I wrote that! I remember an Aussie friend telling my me she still sends Christmas cards with snow and robins on, then heads to the beach for a barbie on Christmas Day! 😄 Are there any alternative festivals you guys have in your own winter? If not, I think you should create some!
Yes, we have Matariki, which is Māori new year, at the end of June, but it's certainly not on the scale of Christmas. The Christmas lights are somewhat wasted in December when we're marking the longest day 🙃
In winter, I read or write by SAD lamp in the very early morning with my coffee, a candle, a pile of soft blankets (often a heated one as well), and the fireplace on. It really helps me set the tone for my day.
Great post!
Such a nice ritual! I use a SAD lamp in place of a light for skincare/makeup which has both improved my makeup game and hopefully helped! Once you find a routine it becomes much easier doesn’t it?
I bought a SAD lamp but I found it simply too bright for my eyes. Do you have any you'd recommend?
I use this one that I got several years ago. And I don’t look at it directly because it is very bright. I set it off to the side of me so that I mostly have indirect light from it unless I choose to sit in front of it with my eyes closed while I meditate.
https://verilux.com/collections/happylight-therapy-lamps-boxes/products/happylight-liberty-10k-natural-spectrum-energy-lamp
Thanks! How long do you spend with it every day?
At least 20 minutes but sometimes longer.
I relate to all of this! I wrote a post last week saying exactly the same thing - I once saw the romance of winter and, while there are so many elements I still love, I now feel a sense of dread and worry about impending gloom and depression. Nature and slower living really will work wonders ✨❄️