Winter reflection and rest; finishing the year softly
Inviting winter reflection and softness at the end of the year
I always think of winter as a season for settling into myself. The culture of New Year, New Me, along with the wild swings in energy at this time of year, is something I always feel a little resistant to. I really, really love the lights, the ritual and the gatherings in December but I’ve learned that I need winter to rest, just like everything else in nature. When there’s an excess of light, whether that's in the peak of summer or the frenzy of Christmas, I need to be more intentional about balance.
If you’re new here I’m Laura, a counsellor, nature therapist, somatic therapist. My offerings are all about supporting you to connect with yourself and the world around you. Spring’s arrival is a while away yet, so what might it be like to explore the rest of the year through a lens of softness and winter’s rest.
This year that feels more prominent. It's been a challenging stretch for a lot of reasons and this has pulled on my energy in different ways. As we reach the end of the year, I’m noticing how much of me feels more porous and sensitive to the world.
How am I responding to this? Mostly by paying attention to what’s actually happening in my body and not pushing myself. I'm asking the question, am I being gentle enough with myself?
I think this matters at this time of year anyway, but especially if you’ve had a tough stretch.
As the year comes to an end there are a lot of external messages about starting strong in the New Year. The culture of New Year, New Me, along with the wild swings in energy this time of the year can bring, is always something I feel strongly. While I’m temporarily energised by the collective momentum of the season, we’re also in the depths of winter.
The myths of "finishing strong" and “new year, new me”
Winter isn’t a time for striving; it’s a time for gestation. The natural world has withdrawn; trees are bare, the earth is resting and so much of life has turned inward. Nothing in nature is trying to reinvent itself in midwinter. Winter is a time for rest.
When we look to nature rather than cultural expectation, this season isn’t asking us to finish anything with force. It is asking us to gather resources and replenish. I know that I have a tendency to finish the year feeling burned out. This year in particular has been a lot for a variety of reasons and I’m trying to honour that by listening to the parts of myself that needs some gentler days and space to just be.
To support you to do the same, I’ve shared some somatic invitations and suggestions below for creating space for softness and nourishment in December. You can check them out below. You might also want to check out my Patreon where you’ll find free sample practices from my Sacred Somatic Journeys series.
Three somatic invitations for softening into winter
Take a micro-hibernation
Imagine the animals that retreat or slow down at this time of year and the way they might follow their instincts. Build yourself a small nest with whatever you have: blankets, cushions, a corner that feels like it holds you. Settle into it for a few minutes and let your senses orient. Feel the weight of the blankets, the texture against your skin, the way warmth surrounds you. Notice what shifts, if anything, as you let yourself be held by a space you intentionally created.
Notice your own warmth
Place a hand somewhere that feels natural; your chest, belly, or even your arms. Notice the temperature meeting your touch. Experiment with movement: stretch, curl in, wiggle your toes, roll your shoulders. See how your body creates heat from the inside out. What does that internal warmth tell you about your energy right now? What’s the difference between the coldness outside you and the heat of your body?
Lean into nature
Step outdoors for a moment, or look through a window if going out isn’t accessible. Notice the details that tell you where we are seasonally; the angle of the light, the barren trees conserving energy, the stillness or noise. How do you know the Earth is in its resting phase? Is there anything in what you’re seeing that mirrors something in you? You could expand this practice using my Sitting Place guided Journey. You can also check out my free Rooted Body Scan sample practice, if you join my Patreon as a free member.
Finishing softly and winter reflection
While the Winter Solstice marks the rebirth of the sun, the reality is that the light returns slowly. This teaches us that this isn’t a time to rush. Instead, it’s a time for consolidation, winter reflection and restoration of our energy in preparation for spring.
Long nights and cold days offer us a chance to pause, to process the year that’s passed and to really embrace the rest we need in the darker months. This doesn’t mean ignoring our aspirations or avoiding growth. Instead, we can give ourselves the grace to rest before the burst of energy that comes with spring.
While I save the majority of my intention setting for the end of Winter and the start of Spring, I still see the turning of the year as a threshold that deserves some reflection. Can you connect with what you want to carry forward and what you’re leaving behind, from a gentle place?
If you’d like to explore this, I’ve created Reflective, a free workbook with reflective prompts and somatic invitations, to support you to do the same. This journey is about attention and intention, reflection, and somatic integration of your experience. You can download it for free by joining my Patreon as a free member.
How to create space for softness and nourishment in December
Take some time each day for winter reflection: find a quiet corner, light a candle and sit with your thoughts. This practice can help you release the pressure to do and invite you to be present for a while.
Prioritise rest and sleep: it’s easy to sacrifice rest during the busy holiday season, but winter is meant to be a time of restoration.
Simplify your holiday plans: saying no to some invitations and commitments allows you to preserve your energy and gives you the space to recharge. Remember: quality over quantity.
Cultivate self-compassion: be kind to yourself during this time, acknowledging that you don’t always need to be "on". Allow yourself moments of rest and peace without guilt and allow yourself the space to think about what you need and what might nourish you.
More Resources to Support You
Reflective: an end of year reflection workbook - For many years now, as we approach the end of a year, I've shut myself away from the world for a while, to light a candle and reflect on the year’s ending. I make this an intentionally gentle process, I take time to reflect, to be with my experiences over the past year, as a way of integrating them rather than rushing to make sense of them. I created Reflective, a workbook with reflective prompts and somatic invitations, to support you to do the same. This is a no-cost resource for free and paid Patreon members.
Celebrating Yule & the Winter Solstice: reflecting on renewal and hope - at Samhain we honoured the descent into darkness, welcoming its mysteries and its teachings. By the time of the Solstice we have journeyed all the way into the depths of that darkness, standing at the threshold of the longest night. For a brief time, the sun seems to pause in its path, rising in the same place on the horizon for several days. This is a moment of balance, of liminality and the delicate point where light and dark meet.
Leaning Into Darkness is a 60 minute audio-guided somatic journey that invites you to step into and explore darkness as a space that you can inhabit. Through embodiment, sense exploration and presence, you’ll explore your relationship with the night and what what it feels like to surrender to the dark. This is available to paid Patreon members or to buy for a one-off fee from my website.
Rooted Presence Body Scan - we spend so much of our time in our thoughts, navigating expectations, responsibilities and the noise of the world around us. Our bodies carry us, while holding the stories, sensations and memories we often don’t have space to hear. This Rooted Body Scan offers a way of softening back into yourself. Not to “fix” anything. Not to achieve anything. As an invitation to remember your own inner landscape. This is a no-cost resource for free and paid Patreon members.
