Winter: The Season of Slowing Down

By Myra Hurtado, LPC-S

Winter asks us to remember something our culture often forgets: we are human beings, not human doings.

And like everything in nature, we are wired for seasons.

There is a rhythm to life—a pulse, a cycle, a cadence—and winter is the season that whispers what our nervous systems are often too overwhelmed to tell us:

Slow down.

Soften.

Come home to yourself.

In a world that glorifies productivity and constant output, this can feel uncomfortable or even wrong. But the truth is, nothing in nature thrives by pushing nonstop. Nothing blooms endlessly. Nothing stays vibrant and expansive without also having a season of retreat and replenishment.

If the trees can release their leaves without apology, you too are allowed to release what no longer serves you.If the garden can rest beneath the soil without guilt, you too are allowed to rest without explanation.

Winter is not a pause from life.Winter is life—just a quieter, deeper, more restorative part of it.

The Nervous System Needs Seasons Too

Trauma disconnects us from our natural rhythms.It teaches us to live in survival mode—constantly alert, constantly pushing, constantly performing.

But healing invites us back into alignment with the body’s inherent wisdom.

Winter mirrors what the healing nervous system needs:

• Slower pacing to recalibrate

• More rest to restore exhausted neural pathways

• Quiet moments to digest emotions and experiences

• Intentional stillness to shift out of sympathetic overdrive

• Soft connection instead of constant stimulation

Just as the earth conserves energy in winter, the body needs periods where output is low so internal restoration can be high.This is not laziness—it is biology.

Winter Is an Invitation to Turn Inward

Winter naturally pulls our gaze inward, asking us to gently explore the landscapes of our emotions, our beliefs, and our unmet needs.

Rest

Not performative rest where you lie down but stay mentally running…Real rest.Slower mornings. Earlier nights. Permission to do less.

Reflect

What did this year teach you?Where did you grow?Where did you stretch too thin?Who supported you—and who drained you?

Reflection is not about criticism; it is about clarity.

Go Inward

You are allowed to retreat.To hold boundaries.To protect your peace.To let your inner world matter more than external expectations.

Release

Winter naturally sheds the unnecessary.You can do the same.Release roles, habits, relationships, or rhythms that keep you disconnected from yourself.

Conserve Energy

Spend wisely—emotionally, socially, energetically.Your output doesn’t have to match anyone else’s expectations.

Restore

Healing does not always look like progress.Sometimes healing looks like not collapsing.Sometimes restoration looks like choosing stillness over self-betrayal.

You Don’t Have to Bloom Right Now

We forget that dormant seasons are not failures—they are sacred preparation.

The ground beneath the surface is busy, even when it appears still:Roots strengthen.Soil replenishes.Energy gathers for spring.

We are the same.

Just because you’re not “producing” doesn’t mean you’re not growing.Sometimes the most meaningful transformation happens in the dark, quiet, hidden places.

Nothing in nature is in full bloom in December.You don’t have to be either.

Let Yourself Be Held by the Pace of the Season

This winter, you are invited to:

• Take slow walks

• Drink something warm without multitasking

• Light a candle and breathe deeply

• Let yourself sleep a little longer

• Allow silence to be part of your day

• Say “no” without guilt

• Choose peace over pressure

• Let your nervous system settle instead of sprint

You are allowed to soften into your life.You are allowed to heal without rushing.You are allowed to do less, feel more, and honor your own needs.

Stillness is not the absence of growth—stillness is the place where growth begins.

Permission to Move Gently

If this season feels heavy, slow, or quiet, please remember:

There is nothing wrong with you.Your body is not failing you.Your energy is not broken.You are simply aligned with nature’s pace.

You are allowed to follow the rhythm of winter.

You are allowed to move gently.

To rest deeply.

To trust the wisdom of the season.

And when spring comes, you will rise—not because you forced yourself to bloom, but because you honored the season that prepared you for it.