How To Approach Wintertime If This Season Has You Feeling Down

Winter can be tough, especially if you live in a harsher climate. Days are short, nights are long, and the cold can get in the way of your typical pastimes.

Winter, or "the dark half of the year, as it was known in Celtic cultures," May tells mbg, "has always been associated with gestation." It's the time of year when the "world is pregnant with promise," she adds. Adopting this mindset can be a helpful way of thinking about it.

"It's linked to thinking about, and sort of absorbing what happened in the summer—and processing it," she explains, so you're ready to go back out into the world come spring. And on top of that, winter brings us solitude. "It invites us to spend some quiet time in our own heads," May adds; something she greatly appreciates.

The seasons are cyclical, and the sooner you can accept that, the better. "It's not permanent," May stresses. "We shouldn't seek to skip that really necessary phase because, actually, that's where change happens."

And remember, just because it's cold doesn't mean you can't connect with nature and get outside. "I always say you need to get the hang of the way that daylight works in the winter," May says. "So try to see the dawn and the dusk outside. Try to get the rhythm of the days in winter."

When we get as much sunlight as we possibly can during these short days, she says, "the world begins to feel an awful lot better." Plus, the more you expose yourself to the cold, the more you'll get used to it. "We spend a lot of time in very warm houses, pretending winter isn't there. And actually, if you can get out a little bit every day and let your body gradually adapt, it really makes a big difference."