Winter’s Wisdom: Rest, Recharge, Reflect, and Release

William Koehler Koehler Author

Embrace winter’s rhythm: rest, reflect, recharge, and release stress with practical tips and resources to prepare for a peaceful, energized 2025.

On Monday after Daylight Savings Time ended, my day ended at 5:15. No big deal, but as I stepped outside, the darkness immediately began draining any energy left in me. “I can’t wait to go home, put on some sweats, get some comfort food delivered, and sit on the couch until it’s time for bed.” Hold up though Will, it’s only 5:15! In the summer, this would be the beginning of the 3rd act of my day. Now, I just wanted to sleep. “You can’t be going to bed before 6 for the next 4 months Will.”

A few days later, the 2024 election results fell on us like a cold wet blanket, adding to the sobering heaviness I was already feeling from shorter days. The rest of the week was FULL of counseling sessions and meetings with colleagues who all were in various states of shock, distress, and exhaustion. “We can’t be going through this again. We just can’t.”

As the next weeks wore on, there were moments of cheer, bouts of laughter, and flickers of hope. It wasn’t enough to cast off the dark heaviness weighing us down as helpers running out of ‘help’ ourselves.

What if… What if we stopped resisting the pull of the dark winter? I’m not implying we give in to depression, but what if we simply considered the call to rest? What if we fell in sync with the cycle around us? Last year, I offered a guide to helping your LGBTQ+ clients survive the winter blues. If you’re interested, it’s still available here: Winter Blues Survival Guide. This year is different. This year, I offer considerations for those of us in the helping profession. Here are some thoughts on how to feel better, and do the next best thing during these cold winter months.

Rest: Embracing the Art of Doing Less

Rest is making a comeback as an actual thing lately. I think it’s thanks to the up and coming generations who grew weary of the neverending drive to succeed. Our version of success as Gen Xers is a strange mix of the Boomer’s work ethic and the Millennial’s healthier (in my opinion) questioning of productivity. My Boomer parents worked 40+ hours/week, took 2 weeks off every year, and THEN felt like they could rest in retirement because “I’ve earned it.” My Millennial colleagues often remind me to stop working. They ask hard questions like “Who told you that you have to work harder than everyone else?” and “Don’t you think it’s time you took some time off?”

The world around us rests in the winter. We would do well to slow down and be less productive in the winter rather than ‘shoulding’ ourselves through the shorter days wondering why we aren’t getting as much done as in the summer months.

To learn more about the art and practice of Rest, I highly recommend Tricia Hersey’s “Rest Deck” and her book “Rest is Resistance” wherein she guides us into resisting the Grind Culture which ties our worth to our productivity.

Reflect: Looking Back to Move Forward

One evening as 2025 approached, my husband and I reflected on the year. 'It’s been a good year,' he said. 'I’ve learned a lot,' I replied. As we shared hard lessons and joyful moments, I realized how often I rush past accomplishments, forgetting to pause and celebrate progress. This reminded me of a conversation with my practice co-owner when I told her we received a $20,000 grant to go towards our $60k roof replacement project. “You don’t seem happy,” she says. “I can’t help but think about the other $40,000 we still need,” I say. Instead of pausing and celebrating a gift, I was moving on to the next task - finding $40,000.

Allowing ourselves times of reflection as my husband, friends, and colleagues have prompted me to take, requires effort if you aren’t accustomed to doing so. Finding moments of overlooked joy and celebration is a valuable and well deserved gift to ourselves. Need some recommendations to help you with this? I recommend tuning into Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. Throughout the course she provides practical exercises and journal prompts to appreciate your creative gifts and clear out old messages of inadequacy. Check out this 20 minute podcast from Guy Kawasaki’s Remarkable People where she opens up about her own battle with Grind Culture. Julia Cameron: Living the Artist’s Way.

Recharge: Rediscover What Sparks Your Energy

This is very different from resting, believe it or not. Although I don’t consider myself old, this year I will be able to enjoy the Senior’s Menu at most restaurants and the AARP has amped up their recruitment efforts. My point here though is that I can feel myself slowing down. Part of this is intentional but it’s also just my body and mind not having the energy reserves it once had. I’ve recently begun adopting the Slow Living attitude which has had a dramatic effect on my energy levels. For those of us in the helping field, we need to take our recharging seriously.

Early 2025 promises to start off into territory both familiar circa 2017 and altogether new. Already, rates of traumatic stress have increased. Many in our practice, clients and staff alike are retraumatized to the point of clinically significant PTSD diagnosis. For us as helping professionals, exposure to secondary traumatic stress and vicarious trauma threatens to lead us to burnout and compassion fatigue. So, I ask you - what is it that recharges you? Consider investing extra time for recharging during this season. Recharging doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, spending a lot for self-care treatments may cause more stress and deplete your energy quicker than reading, calling loved ones or even looking out onto a pleasant scene. One of the techniques I regularly to my clients is Safe Place. It’s a place in your mind which serves to ground and recharge you. Here’s a blog about this very practice: Finding Refuge I would also recommend my colleague’s (Kriss Jarecki) book Say That Again! an excellent resource from Harmony Hearth Center for Wisdom.

Release!: Freeing Your Body and Mind from the Weight of Stress

A final recommendation I have for us to prepare for 2025 is to ensure we are releasing stress and trauma from our bodies. Most of Disco Sock Productions is dedicated to helping people process stored trauma. For an excellent overview of how to do this, I have two recommendations: Dr. Peter Levine’s “In an Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness,” and “Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle,” by Emily and Amelia Nagoski.

Above are a select few of my recommendations for preparing for 2025 by syncing ourself with the natural cycle of this winter’s season. What strategies have helped you rest, reflect, recharge, or release stress? Share in the comments below!

Categories: : Trauma Processing