Last week, we’ve talked about the importance of seasonal living - how nature moves in cycles, and how we can use those cycles to stop living like we’re in permanent productivity (summer) mode.

This week, we’re going deeper into winter.

This is not about how to overcome winter blues and stay productive nevertheless.

This is about what winter is really here to do for us: soften, slow down, and help us come back to ourselves.

So we’re ready to root, grow, and bloom the next spring.

This will be a lighter episode. Make sure you grab something warm to drink, maybe light a candle, and let’s talk about how to make winter feel less like just that dark season… and more like a deep exhale.

1. Winter as the season of stillness

If you think about it, nothing in nature is panicking in winter.

But everything is about letting go, slowing down, going inward.

Trees aren’t apologizing for losing their leaves.
Animals aren’t beating themselves up for hibernating.
The sun doesn’t write a newsletter explaining why it’s clocking out at 4:30 p.m.

Nature just… shifts. Quietly. Intentionally.
Winter is simply the season where energy moves inward.

But we live in a culture that believes we should stay in August energy all year long. High output. High visibility. High everything.

So when winter comes and your body desires to slow down a bit, your brain goes:

No. We have goals. We have plans. We have a calendar color-coded in five shades of anxiety.

Let this episode be your reminder:
You are not failing because you feel slower in winter. You are in season.

2. Cozy, not comatose

Let’s be honest: when we hear “rest,” many of us imagine one of two extremes:

Either: hustling like it’s launch week, just with a Christmas mug in hand.
Or: disappearing into the couch for three months, half-human, half-blanket.

Winter invites us into a middle ground:
cozy, not comatose.

That might look like:

Swapping a high-intensity 5 a.m. workout for a slower morning and gentle movement.
Letting yourself rest on weekends without spiraling into “I’m so behind.”
Choosing one thing at a time instead of trying to be everywhere, for everyone.

You’re allowed to move slower and still be a person with goals.
Winter doesn’t cancel your ambition. It just asks you to carry it more softly.

It’s your chance to slow down and check whether your ambitions still align with you.

And then come back rested, full of energy and motivation in the next season.

3. Little rituals that warm the soul

Winter can feel heavy when it’s all obligations and no anchors.
Tiny rituals are like little lighthouses in dark months.

Some ideas:

A Sunday slow start: no alarms, a warm drink in bed, and 10 minutes of journaling or reading something just for you.
A mid-week wind-down: make tea, dim the lights, put your phone in another room, take a hot bath and watch your favourite soul-warming TV show.
A re-entry ritual after work when it’s likely already dark outside: changing into cozy clothes, washing your face, starting your air aroma diffuser with the scent of pine trees, and lighting a candle to signal “we’re home now.”

These rituals don’t have to be aesthetic or “content-worthy.”
They just have to be simple, repeatable and feel-good.

4. Winter’s permission slip

We often talk about what winter takes away: light, warmth, energy, motivation.
But what if we flipped that?

What if winter actually gives you permission?

Permission to go to bed earlier.
Permission to say no to social invites that don’t feel good.
→ however, that’s a big NO anyway :)
Permission to be quiet, or low-key, or not “on” all the time.

If summer is the season of “yes”, winter is the season of:

“Here, you’re allowed to cross some things out.”

Ask yourself:

👉 If I stopped fighting winter and treated it like permission, what would I allow myself to do differently?

5. Deep-clean your mind

We love to talk about spring cleaning, but honestly?
Winter is where the real inner clearing starts.

When you’re less busy outside, things get louder inside. Old stories, unmet needs, patterns you’ve been ignoring.

Winter gives you space to notice them.

This doesn’t have to be dramatic or heavy.
Sometimes, “mental decluttering” is as simple as:

Admitting: I’m tired of saying yes to things I don’t want.
Realizing: This version of “success” isn’t even mine.
Deciding: I don’t want to carry this expectation into another year.

We’ll get to journaling prompts in a moment; that’s where the magic really happens.

6. Finding light on dark days

Low light, colder weather, less time outside: it all affects your mood. That’s real.

Winter seasonal living isn’t about pretending you’re fine.
It’s about building tiny moments of light into your days.

That could look like:

Getting a few minutes of daylight as early as you can - even if it’s just standing by a window (of course with a hot mug of your favourite drink).
Using warm, soft lights at home instead of harsh overhead lighting.
Having something to look forward to in the evening: a book, a show, a craft, a bath, a call with a friend.

The goal isn’t to make winter “as good as summer.”
The goal is to make it supportive and gentle on your nervous system.

7. The soft reset (why winter is not a productivity gap)

We’re told the year begins on January 1st, and if we don’t have our life planned by the 3rd, we’re already behind.

But in seasonal living, winter isn’t a sprint-start.
It’s a soft reset.

It’s the slowing down before speeding up.

It’s the pause that helps you realign and make sure you’re still heading toward the same destination.

And it’s the gentle space to readjust if that destination has changed.

In my Seasonal Living 101 episode, I described winter like this:

Winter is here to rest and recharge. It’s the indoor season. It’s inward-focused. Most importantly, don’t feel guilty about the fact that you need rest. Embrace it. Make the most of it. This is the perfect time to reflect on the past year. Don’t wait for the new year; that can create pressure and rush. Use the whole winter to process, journal, and reflect.

Instead of cramming all your reflection into the last week of December, you get a whole season to land in yourself again.

8. Move gently, feel strong

Your body is not a machine; it feels the seasons too.

In winter, movement might shift from “how hard can I push?” to
“how can I feel more alive in my body today?”

Some gentle winter movement ideas:

Short walks in the crisp air with a podcast or just silence.
Yoga or stretching in the morning or evening.
Slow strength work or Pilates at home.
A five-minute movement break between calls.

You don’t have to “keep up” with your summer routine.
You just have to stay in conversation with your body.

9. Winter comforts, mindfully

Yes, winter is absolutely about coziness. But let’s make it intentional coziness, not autopilot numbing.

Not another checklist to follow, but a practice of listening to what you actually need.

Some ideas:

Cook one comfort meal a week that feels soul-nourishing: a soup, a stew, a baked good. Make the process part of the ritual, not just the result.
Create a winter soundtrack: soft playlists that make your home feel calm and safe.
Play with sensory anchors: a scent you associate with evening wind-down (a candle, essential oil), a soft blanket, a favorite mug.

The point isn’t to make winter “Instagrammable.”
It’s to remind your nervous system: You’re safe, you’re allowed to exhale.

10. The winter you actually want

Before we go into journaling, I want you to imagine this:

If you could design your ideal winter - the way it feels, not the way it looks online on Pinterest - what would it be like?

Maybe:

Fewer social obligations and more evenings reading.
Weekend mornings with a hot drink in bed.
Long walks in nature with your dog.
A small creative project you do just for joy, not for income or “content.”

Now ask:
👉 What would it look like to bring just 10% of that vision into my real life this winter?

You don’t need to overhaul everything.
You just need a few aligned choices.

Aligned choices create aligned outcomes.
It’s a ripple effect: start with one, and the next will naturally follow.

Journaling prompts for your winter inner season

Winter is the season to go inward and reflect.
Here are some journaling prompts you can use throughout the season - not in one sitting, unless you really want to.

Reflecting on the past season/year:

What felt most nourishing in the last year? What do I want more of?
Where did I feel most disconnected from myself? What contributed to that?
What did I say “yes” to that I wish I had declined? What can I learn from that?
Which version of “success” was I chasing - mine, or someone else’s?

Letting go:

What expectations of myself feel heavy or outdated now?
If I could put down one responsibility, role, or persona (even mentally), what would it be?
What am I tired of pretending is “fine”?

Coming back to your values:

What actually matters to me in this season of life?
Which values do I want my everyday life to express more clearly (e.g. freedom, presence, health, creativity, connection)?
Where in my current routine am I already living in alignment with my values, even if it’s in small ways?

Looking ahead with compassion:

How do I want to feel next winter when I look back at this season?
What tiny shift could I make this week that my future self would thank me for?

You don’t need perfect answers. The goal is simply to listen.

Winter is the season when your inner voice grows louder.
Give it space, and you’ll start to hear it.

A little tease: what comes next – vision, planning & dream life (without the pressure)

All this reflection leads us beautifully into what we’ll talk about in the next episode.

Every year, I do a gentle ritual to:

Look at what’s happened,
Reconnect with my values and my dream self,
And then plan the next year in a way that feels grounded and aligned, not like a strict contract I signed with a past version of myself.

We’ll talk about:

How to plan your next year based on your reflections,
How to create a vision board that goes beyond aesthetics and actually supports your everyday decisions,
And how to move toward your “dream life” step by step - with space for evolution, changes, and new clarity as you grow.

Because your dream self isn’t a fixed destination.
She evolves with you.
And your planning gets to reflect that.

So if you enjoyed today’s episode, stay tuned, and become a paid subscriber - the next one will bring all of this inward work into gentle, intentional action.

Closing

And there you have it - your Seasonal Living in Winter guide.

I’d love to hear from you:

Do you plan to live a little more seasonally this winter?
What’s one small shift you can make to feel more supported, not depleted?

If this episode gave you a little relief, a little softness, or a new way of seeing winter, it would mean a lot if you shared it with someone who might need that too.

Take care.

Love,
Lexie.

Interesting reads:

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