Attuning our bodies to winter
In our Surviving Winter Series, I want to focus on writing about tangible, realistic things that you can do to make this season more enjoyable for you and your family. Today, I want to talk about attuning our bodies to winter.
Attunement is a word that originally was used in development psychology to describe a parent’s ability to be aware of and respond to their child’s needs. I’m using it intentionally here today to similarly talk about our own unique needs and how to respond to them during this season.
Our bodies are infinitely complex and are constantly responding to various stimuli all the time. Our bodies have become “out of tune” with the natural world. This is largely due to modern technological advancements such as air conditioning and central heating systems, vehicles capable of transversing all kinds of terrain and inclement weather, water-tight buildings, etc. As a result, weather patterns and seasons pass by and we hardly pay them any mind. What if all these modern conveniences have actually hurt us by taking us away from our bodies’ natural awareness of the seasons?
Most plants and animals go dormant during the winter months. This is practical for a variety of reasons. There is less available food for animals, so many stockpile food or fatten up at the end of the warm weather months in preparation for dormancy. As the earth swings away from the sun in winter, there is less available sunlight throughout the day, so most plants cannot be active during the winter months because the available time for growing each day is much shorter. In response, most plants either die with a hard frost, or go dormant until the weather conditions improve enough for them to begin growing again. This process is important. Many plants require a period of “cold stratification” in order to grow best each spring and summer. This means that if it is not cold enough for long enough, they won’t produce fruit or flowers (because they are confused about what season it actually is). Nature requires rest and dormancy. Why shouldn’t humans require this period of rest as well?
Winter = less energy
Do you ever wonder why you’re so gosh darn tired in the winter? In a study with rodents (no, not humans, but humans are animals too and we can make some correlations here), melatonin (the hormone that makes us sleepy) production increases in winter due to the decreased availability of sunlight during the winter months. Less sunlight = less energy. That’s science. So many of us are trying to override science in the name of productivity. All for what? So we can check a box? So we can say we produced the same amount of work year round? Our bodies don’t work that way. One could argue almost no bodies work that way. Animals don’t. Plants don’t. And I don’t think humans do either.
Recognizing that we have less avaialble energy in the winter means that we may have to adjust for different sleep needs as well. The days are shorter, which means that it gets dark earlier in the evening. We may find ourselves flagging by 7:30 pm instead of having energy to do things until 9 pm or later. If your body is telling you it is tired, go to bed a little earlier or sleep in a little later. Find a way to attune your body to what it is telling you it needs.
2. Go outside.
Just because generally energy levels are lower during the winter doesn’t mean we should just give up and live in a Snuggie on our couch all winter long. I suspect your mental health might take a hit if that were your strategy of choice. We can tune in to the weather and our bodies to make decisions about what might be best for us on any given day. For example, if there are bitterly cold temperatures or heavy precipitation going on, please stay inside and enjoy some indoor activities. But if the sun is out, and the temperatures are tolerable, our mental health improves greatly with as little as 20 minutes of outdoor exposure to the sun (thanks Vitamin D). Go for a walk. Go for a hike. Go fishing. Shovel snow. Play with your dog. Spending time outside in the winter doesn’t have to be unpleasant. I have found that if I am dressed appropriately for the weather, I tend to enjoy it a bit more. So if you are lacking the proper winter attire, it could be worth investing in pieces that will keep you warm so you can spend more time outside.
3. Adjust nutrition needs
With the change in seasons often comes a change in the types of foods we are drawn to. Instead of trying to stick to a particular way of eating, allow the season to dictate what you buy, cook, and consume. Winter is a time for soups, stews, breads, hot cocoa, and baking. Similar to animals, humans expend more energy when they spend time in cold weather. We need to replenish that energy lost with nutrient dense foods. So if you find yourself craving a big bowl of chili on a cold day, your body is telling you what it needs. When we regularly listen to our body’s cues, it creates a sense of safety in the body. This is incredibly important for everyone, but especially for folks who are actively engaged in trauma processing. If our bodies feel safe, we feel safe. When we feel safe, we are able to heal.
I hope you found this post helpful. This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the ways we can attune our bodies to the winter season. If you have some tried and true ways of being more in tune with the seasons, I would love to hear about it! Feel free to comment on this post or send me an email. Happy Wintering!
