Honouring Winter: The Gift of Slowing Down
As I breathed in the cold winter air and my boots went crunch, crunch, crunch in the snow while I was on my walk today, I couldn’t help but think about how beautiful winter is and what she can teach us.
Which is a wild thought coming from a woman who used to absolutely hate the shorter days and below zero temps.
But now I get it.
Each season has its own beautiful qualities and lessons to share with us and winter is our invitation to slow down… the hard part is listening!
Many of us don’t know how to slow down and for most of my life, that was me.
I believed that slowing down meant falling behind.
That rest was something you “earned.”
That being tired was just part of being an adult honestly.
Until my body gently, and then not so gently, asked me to listen.
Why Slowing Down Feels So Uncomfortable
We live in a culture that celebrates hustle, where productivity is praised and busyness is rewarded and worn like a badge of honor.
Try putting your legs up the wall for a few minutes while you take a few long breaths in and out… this is like giving your nervous system a nice big cozy hug.
Many of the women I work with tell me:
💬 “I feel guilty when I slow down… I feel like my worth is tied to how much I do.”
💬 “I don’t know how to rest… stillness feels unsafe.”
💬 “I’m scared I’ll lose momentum… because everything feels like it depends on me holding it all together.”
💬 “I’m afraid to look weak and I’ve spent my whole life being ‘the strong one.’”
Maybe you’ve felt that too? I know I did.
For years, I thought I was “doing everything right” and I just kept pushing through the fatigue…
In reality, my nervous system was overwhelmed, my hormones were struggling, and my body didn’t feel safe enough to truly rest.
My body was speaking to me, but I wasn’t listening...
What Nature Shows Us Every Winter
If you’re living in the northern hemisphere and look outside right now, you’ll notice something beautiful.
The trees, flowers or vegetables in your garden aren’t trying to grow.
Nature doesn’t resist winter.
It surrenders to it and trusts spring will come and bring new life and abundance with it.
This is the wisdom of winter.
Your Inner Winter: The Menstrual Phase
Just like the earth has seasons, so do you.
Every month, your body moves through its own inner seasons.
And during your menstrual phase, your body naturally wants to shift inward.
This is your own inner winter.
And hormonally, this makes sense. During this phase, your hormones are lower, meaning energy might feel lower.
And if you can give yourself the gift of slowing down, by any amount, your intuition will have space to come through more clearly.
This is your body’s reset phase and a really good time for reflection, restoration, and recalibration.
Yet so many women are taught to ignore this.
We’re told to perform the same way every day.
To push through cramps, fatigue, and emotional sensitivity.
And to act as if our bodies are machines.
But we’re not.
We are cyclical (and seasonal)!
Your Inner Winter is approximately days 27-5* in your cycle.
*This can vary from woman to woman and is based on a 28-day cycle.
What Happens When We Ignore Our Inner Winter
When we don’t honour our inner winter…
Our body eventually speaks louder through:
✗ Burnout
✗ Anxiety
✗ PMS
✗ Sleep issues
✗ Short luteal phases
✗ Low energy
✗ Hormone imbalances
✗ Autoimmune flares
✗ Constant “wired but tired” feelings
This is your body’s way of communicating with you, asking for more safety through rest and regulation.
Slowing down doesn’t make you fall behind.
It brings you back into alignment.
When you honour your inner winter you might start to notice:
✓ Clearer thinking
✓ Better sleep
✓ More stable energy
✓ Deeper intuition
✓ Stronger boundaries
✓ Sustainable motivation
Rest isn’t something that takes from you… it gives to you.
It is how your body heals, how your nervous system recalibrates, how your hormones reset and how creativity returns.
This is the real self-care.
Gentle Ways to Honour Your Inner Winter
You don’t need to change your entire life overnight.
The invitation is always to start small and gently.
Here are a few ideas:
❄️ Go to bed a little earlier
❄️ Eat warm, nourishing foods
❄️ Wear warm cozy socks
❄️ Choose gentle movement over intense workouts
❄️ Schedule less during your menstrual phase
❄️ Journal or reflect instead of scrolling
❄️ Listen when your body says no
❄️ Ease into the day without rushing
❄️ Protect your nervous system
The invitation is to give your body what she needs, even if just by 1%, to show her more love.
What if winter wasn’t something to “get through”…
What if it was something to honour?
What if slowing down wasn’t a setback but a sacred pause that prepares you for your next season of growth?
Your body is always communicating with you.
Through energy, cravings, emotions.
When you learn to listen, everything changes.
You stop fighting yourself and start trusting yourself.
You begin working with your body instead of against it.
And that is where you take your power back.
If this resonates with you, it’s likely because your body is asking for something different.
More rhythm, more support and more understanding.
You’re Invited
If you’d like more guidance on cyclical living, hormone support, and learning how to honour your body in each of its inner seasons, this is exactly what we focus on inside the RISE Tier of the Happy Hormone Collective.
It’s a supportive space for women who are ready to start working with their bodies instead of pushing against them.
And if you’re not quite ready for that yet, you’re always welcome to begin inside our Free Tier to see what our community feels like.
The Collective is made up of women who are mostly in their 30’s and 40’s.
A Gentle Reminder
Your body is always speaking to you.
Real self-care is learning how to listen.
I am honoring you, wherever you are on your journey.
With love,
Kristal
