January often arrives with an unspoken expectation to reset. Im sure your feeds have been awash with ‘New Year, New Plans, New Me’ energy and a sense that it is time to move forward, again. Yet for many, what actually shows up is a low hum of tiredness or flatness that feels very much at odds with the calendar.
This is where exploring Winter offers a useful lens.
In nature, Winter is not a failure to grow, it is a necessary pause. A period of conserving energy, restoring soil, and preparing for what comes next. Humans are not separate from this rhythm, even if modern life encourages us to ignore it.
The emotional lull that follows Christmas is part of the same cycle. December demands output, presence, giving and emotional availability. So you adapt, you stretch and you cope – just! But when the demand drops, the system softens and this can feel like a dip, but it is often the body and mind simply recalibrating after sustained effort.
Positive psychology reminds us that wellbeing is shaped by pace as much as by purpose. Sudden shifts in stimulation and connection can unsettle mood. That does not mean something is wrong, it means adjustment is happening.
January is rarely a season for blooming. It is a season for regrouping, taking stock, and clearing mental space. A time for noticing what has been depleted and what quietly needs attention.
At this point, a simple reflective practice can help, not to fix how you feel but to understand it more clearly. I often suggest a short reflective exercise informed by positive psychology known as the Winter Inventory. It takes ten minutes, so grab a pen, piece of paper and put away your phone.
Divide a page into three sections.
First, write three things that feel drained right now. It is your energy, attention, perhaps your emotions. Keep it factual and non-judgemental.
Next, write three things that feel quietly supportive, even if they seem small. Maybe a walk, a specific person or a familiar routine.
Finally, write one thing that needs protecting this Winter. It is a boundary, the need for a slower morning or fewer commitments.
Trying to rush this season tends to create more strain, so productivity plans can wait. Optimism cannot be forced and Winter asks for something simpler. We need a gentle structure, fewer demands and small, steady anchors to the day. There will be time to grow again but for now, slowing down is not avoidance or lack of ambition. It is preparation. Winter does important work beneath the surface, even when nothing obvious appears to be happening.
If you found this helpful, I share weekly reflections in my newsletter The Happy&® Edit where I use positive psychology to make sense of everyday life. Written by Anna Shears, Positive Psychologist MSc and EMCC Accredited Coach Practitioner.
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