Winter and Slowing Down: Embracing the Stillness of the Season

A Chicago Therapist's Guide to Honoring Your Winter Rhythm

It officially feels like winter in Chicago. While many of us miss the sun and warm air, this season offers something our overstimulated minds desperately need: permission to slow down.

As the winter months envelop us in their crisp embrace, nature subtly nudges us toward rest. The days grow shorter, the nights stretch longer, and the world outside seems to pause in stillness. Yet in our achievement-obsessed culture—especially here in bustling Chicago—slowing down feels like failure.

What if winter's invitation to rest isn't weakness, but wisdom?

Nature's Lesson in Rest

Learning from the Seasons

Look outside your Chicago window. The trees along Lincoln Park have shed their leaves, conserving energy for spring's eventual growth. The lake has slowed its summer churning. Even the ever-busy squirrels have reduced their frantic pace.

This seasonal rhythm reminds us that rest is not only natural but essential.

As humans, we're not separate from this cycle. Our ancestors understood this—winter was for restoration, storytelling, and preparation. But somewhere between Edison's light bulb and our iPhone alarms, we decided we should maintain July's energy in January's darkness.

The result? Burnout, illness, and that uniquely modern exhaustion where sleep never quite restores us.

The Hidden Benefits of Slowing Down

Why Your Body and Mind Need Winter's Pace

Physical Restoration Chronic busyness wreaks havoc on our bodies. When we slow down—truly slow down—our nervous systems shift from fight-or-flight to rest-and-digest.

For Chicago women juggling careers, families, and endless obligations, this shift is medicine:

• Improved immunity (crucial during flu season)
• Better sleep quality
• Reduced inflammation
• Lower cortisol levels

Mental Clarity When we're constantly moving, our minds become like Michigan Avenue during rush hour—cluttered, chaotic, overwhelming. Slowing down creates space for:

• Processing emotions instead of stuffing them
• Gaining perspective on challenges
• Making decisions from wisdom, not urgency
• Actually hearing our own thoughts

Enhanced Creativity Notice how your best ideas come in the shower or during your commute? That's because creativity requires mental spaciousness. Winter's slower pace offers this naturally—if we let it.

Deeper Connections Instead of rushing through holiday obligations, winter's pace allows for:

• Present-moment conversations
• Quality time without agenda
• Meaningful traditions over Pinterest-perfect parties
• Actually tasting your coffee while catching up with friends

Why Rest Feels Wrong

Understanding Our Resistance

The Productivity Trap In Chicago's competitive environment—from Loop boardrooms to Lincoln Park mom groups—we've internalized the message that our worth equals our output. Rest feels like:

• Laziness
• Falling behind
• Missing opportunities
• Letting people down

But here's the truth: Rest is not the opposite of productivity; it's the foundation of sustainable achievement.

The Guilt Factor "I should be..."

• Working on that project
• Organizing the house
• Exercising more
• Planning summer already

That word "should" is the enemy of winter wisdom. You're not behind. You're human. And humans need cyclical rest.

Fear of Stillness Sometimes we stay busy because stillness feels scary. When we slow down, we might feel:

• Emotions we've been avoiding
• Questions without easy answers
• The weight of unprocessed experiences

This is precisely why slowing down is so valuable—it allows us to process and heal.

Practical Ways to Embrace Winter's Pace

Chicago-Specific Strategies for Seasonal Slowing

Practice Hygge (The Scandinavian Secret) Scandinavians know winter. Their concept of hygge—creating cozy, comforting environments—transforms winter from endurance test to nurturing season:

• Light candles during evening darkness
• Create a reading nook with soft blankets
• Host intimate dinners instead of large parties
• Savor warm drinks mindfully
• Invest in truly comfortable loungewear

Set Winter Boundaries

• Say no to evening events that drain you
• Protect weekend mornings for slow starts
• Leave work on time despite winter darkness
• Skip the gym for gentle yoga or walking
• Order groceries instead of battling Jewel crowds

Honor Your Energy Instead of fighting winter fatigue:

• Go to bed earlier (darkness is nature's bedtime signal)
• Take lunch breaks even when it's cold
• Work with your natural rhythm, not against it
• Schedule demanding tasks for peak energy times

Embrace Winter Activities Find joy in season-specific pleasures:

• Ice skating at Millennium Park (movement with joy)
• Visit Lincoln Park Conservatory (green therapy)
• Snowshoeing in forest preserves
• Cozy museum afternoons
• Winter farmers markets (yes, they exist!)

Create Reflection Rituals Use longer evenings for:

• Journaling by candlelight
• Gratitude practices
• Planning dreams for spring
• Processing the year's experiences
• Reading actual books (remember those?)

When Slowing Down Feels Impossible

Realistic Strategies for Real Life

For the Overwhelmed Working Mom:

• One slow morning per week
• Five-minute meditation in parked car
• Saying no to one commitment
• Bedtime routine that starts 15 minutes earlier

For the Anxious Overachiever:

• Schedule rest like appointments
• Start with 10-minute "do nothing" breaks
• Practice saying "I'll get back to you" instead of immediate yes
• Remember: rest improves performance

For the Caregiver Who Can't Stop:

• Ask for help (revolutionary, I know)
• Take breaks while others are occupied
• Lower standards temporarily
• Remember: you can't pour from an empty cup

The Mental Health Connection

Why This Matters for Your Wellbeing

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Is Real Chicago's gray winters affect mood. But fighting against winter's rhythm can worsen SAD. Working with the season—honoring the need for rest while maintaining gentle structure—often helps more than resistance. If you're experiencing persistent anxiety or depression during winter months, professional support can make a significant difference.

Prevention Over Crisis Clients who embrace seasonal slowing report:

• Fewer anxiety spikes
• Better mood stability
• Reduced burnout
• Improved relationships
• Greater resilience

The Therapy Perspective In my Bucktown practice, I see what happens when women ignore winter's invitation to slow down: exhaustion, resentment, anxiety, depression. But those who honor this season's pace? They emerge from winter restored, not depleted.

Permission Granted

Your Winter Manifesto

You have permission to:

• Sleep more without guilt
• Say no to draining commitments
• Eat warming, nourishing foods
• Move gently instead of intensely
• Feel your feelings
• Rest without earning it
• Be human, not machine

Winter whispers what summer shouts: You are enough, just as you are.

A Closing Thought

The Promise of Spring

Here's the beautiful paradox: when we honor winter's call to slow down, we're not giving up—we're preparing. Like the trees outside your window, you're conserving energy for inevitable growth.

Spring always comes to Chicago (even when April feels like February). And those who rested through winter meet spring with energy, creativity, and joy—not exhaustion.

This winter, give yourself the gift that costs nothing but feels priceless: permission to slow down.

Resources for Winter Wellness

Books to Read by the Fire

• "Wintering" by Katherine May - A memoir about embracing difficult seasons
• "Rest is Resistance" by Tricia Hersey - Reimagining rest as power

Local Chicago Resources

• Lincoln Park Conservatory - Free green therapy all winter
• Chicago Park District indoor pools - Warm water movement
• Local therapy support - Schedule a consultation

Need Support This Winter?

If winter feels particularly heavy this year, you don't have to navigate it alone. Whether you're dealing with SAD, anxiety, or just need space to process, professional support can help.

Book a Winter Wellness Consultation

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About the Author: Katherine Hayes, LCPC, is a women's mental health therapist in Chicago specializing in anxiety, depression, and life transitions. She helps women embrace all seasons of life from her Bucktown practice.