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Embracing Winter: How to Align with Nature and Thrive
- Julia Davies
- Sep 29
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 2
Winter is often misunderstood. Shorter days, longer nights, and worries about staying healthy can make it feel like a season to endure rather than enjoy. Many of us rush to supplements, herbs, and immune boosters at the first sign of colder days. But what if the real key to thriving in winter isn’t more products, but understanding the season and aligning our lives with it?
Instead of panic, we can embrace winter as a time to restore, nurture, and thrive, working with nature rather than against it.
The Shift in Society’s Winter Mindset
Ever since COVID, we’ve noticed a profound change: people are afraid of winter, quick to spend money on anything that promises immunity, and focused on avoiding illness. Yet few ask: why do we fear winter, and how can we work with it rather than against it?
Winter is natural. It brings shorter days, longer nights, and a slower rhythm. By recognizing these changes, we can support our bodies and minds instead of fighting the season.
Aligning with Circadian Rhythms
One of the most powerful ways to prepare for winter is through circadian biology - the natural rhythms of light and dark that regulate our physiology, including the immune system. Every aspect of immune function follows a 24-hour rhythm, influenced by light exposure.
Sunrise and Sunset
Morning: Align your wake-up time with sunrise. Around this time of year, sunrise is roughly 6:40 am and sunset around 7 pm - making it easy to get natural light at both ends of the day.
Immune benefit: Morning light helps regulate melatonin and cortisol, optimizing your body’s rhythms. Even on cloudy or rainy days, outdoor light is far more potent than indoor lighting for signalling your brain.
So instead of immediately turning to supplements, start with natural daylight exposure - it’s one of the simplest, most effective ways to support your immune system.
Evening Routine
Dim lights after sunset or use blue-light-blocking glasses.
Replace harsh artificial lighting with soft lamps, Himalayan salt lamps, or circadian bulbs.
Limit screen time or use night mode to reduce disruption of your natural rhythm.
By supporting your circadian rhythm in the evening, you enhance sleep, immune function, and overall well-being, without spending a fortune.
Eating in Sync with the Seasons
Winter also offers an opportunity to rethink when and how we eat:
Eat within daylight hours: Aim for larger meals during breakfast and lunch.
Melatonin clearance: Step outside as soon as you wake to clear night-time melatonin, helping your body respond better to food and insulin.
Light signalling: If it’s still dark in the morning, use temperature cues like a cold shower or splash of water to jumpstart cortisol and set your circadian clock.
After-dark meals: Keep evening meals light to avoid interfering with natural rhythms.
Timing your meals with natural light helps optimize digestion, energy, and immune function, creating a foundation before considering supplements.
Trust Your Body
Winter doesn’t need to be feared. By aligning with the seasons, respecting natural light-dark cycles, and pacing ourselves with food and rest, we can:
Sleep better
Increase energy
Reduce anxiety around winter illnesses
Supplements can help, but they are most effective when your body is already aligned and functioning optimally. Trusting your body, rather than fearing winter, is the key to thriving.
Winter Wellness Checklist:
Morning Light: Step outside at sunrise to reset your circadian clock.
Evening Light: Dim lights after sunset; use blue-light blockers if needed.
Mealtimes: Have main meals during daylight hours; keep evening meals light.
Body Signals: Use temperature cues (cold shower/splash of water) when light isn’t available.
Trust Your Body: Supplements help, but only after your circadian health and rhythms are supported.
Move & Breathe Outdoors: Even a few minutes outside punctuates your day with natural light.
Sleep Alignment: Aim for earlier nights; longer darkness supports deeper rest and immune function.
By following these steps, winter becomes not a season of fear, but a time to restore, nurture, and thrive.
If you're curious to find out more, join our Autumn/Winter Circadian Alignment Series - one online session per month for 6 months - where we’ll dive deeper into how aligning your daily routine with your body’s natural rhythms can boost your energy, sleep, and overall well-being.
If any sessions have already passed, recordings will be available for all registered participants to catch up.
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