Returning to Winter: A Therapist’s Notes on Seasonal Transitions, Mindfulness, and Emotional Resilience

Wowee, Winter.

I’m back from Costa Rica—sun-drenched, salty, a little spiritually crispy around the edges—and suddenly remembering that I haven’t actually wintered in years. True wintering. Like… putting-on-multiple-layers, warming-up-the-car, feeling-your-nose-sting kind of wintering.

This is my first real cold season since moving to Maui, and I can feel this funny cocktail of emotions brewing inside me. There’s a very dramatic part of me (hi, inner lizard brain) that is convinced cold weather is a personal threat. An anticipatory fear rises in my body the second I imagine stepping outside and seeing my breath for the first time.

But here’s the thing: once I’m actually in it?
I remember I’m capable. I remember I’m adaptable. I remember my body knows what to do.

And honestly… I end up kind of loving it.

There’s something tender about watching myself brace for discomfort and realizing, again and again, that discomfort doesn’t swallow me whole. I see this same pattern in so many of the clients I support in therapy—anticipation often feels worse than the actual experience. Our nervous systems are just trying to protect us, even when the “threat” is simply a drop in temperature.

If you're someone who’s navigating anxiety, transitions, or big emotional seasons, this pattern might feel familiar. (Yes, this is your therapist gently validating you.)

The Spiritual & Ayurvedic Meaning of Winter

In Ayurveda and spiritual traditions, winter is a Vata season—cool, windy, spacious. It’s a time of inwardness and reflection. While summer pulls us outward into activity and connection, winter invites us into rest, grounding, and introspection.

Nature is modeling something profound for us:
Let go. Slow down. Restore.

In both Ayurvedic philosophy and trauma-informed therapy, this season is ideal for nervous system regulation, calming internal overwhelm, and rebuilding resilience. Winter is when we cultivate ojas—our deep vitality—and when emotional healing can feel most accessible because everything around us is quieter.

Winter asks:
✨ What needs warmth, not speed?
✨ What truth have I been too busy to hear?
✨ What part of me is ready to be nourished instead of pushed?

These are questions I explore often with my therapy clients, especially those seeking more authentic, grounded versions of themselves.

Celebrating My Capacity (Even When I’m Shivering)

So as I step into this season—yes, probably shivering, probably whining a little—I’m also celebrating the part of me that can handle it. The part that remembers I’m resilient. The part that whispers:
See? You thought you couldn’t, but look at you… doing it.

Winter, in its own way, makes healers of all of us.
It brings us home to ourselves.
It reminds us that we are more capable than our fear suggests.

If you’re wintering too—emotionally or literally—offer yourself this reminder: anticipation is often the hardest part. The actual experience may be gentler, more workable, and more transformative than your mind predicted.

And if this season is stirring up anxiety, overwhelm, or the desire for deeper self-understanding, this is a beautiful time to begin therapy or restart the work. Winter is the perfect teacher for slowing down, turning inward, and reconnecting to your authentic self.

Here’s to embracing the chill, honoring our resilience, and letting winter do what winter does—draw us inward, deepen our roots, and warm us from the inside out.

Looking for support this winter?
If you’re navigating a season of transition, anxiety, or the desire to return home to yourself, this is a beautiful time to begin therapy. I support women and young adults who are ready to regulate their nervous system, deepen their self-understanding, and live more authentically.

If winter is calling you inward, I’d be honored to walk with you.

Click here to schedule a session or send me a message to see if we’re a good fit.