As winter arrives, many people start questioning their energy, focus and motivation. Yet what we often label as a lack of drive may simply be normal seasonal energy changes and a sign that our brain and body are responding exactly as nature intended. Understanding winter wellbeing, brain health and nervous system regulation can help us build greater resilience, maintain sustainable performance, and learn one of the most important skills for life and leadership: working with our brain rather than against it!
Come November in the Northern Hemisphere, we expect ourselves to keep operating at full speed like we do in the growing seasons.
The same productivity. The same social commitments. The same energy.
Then we wonder why we feel tired, flat, unmotivated, or as if we’re somehow falling behind.
Here’s the thing that deep down you probably know already:
Your brain and body are part of nature, not separate from it.
And nature is not designed to bloom all year round.
The neuroscience bit
Your brain pays close attention to light.
As daylight decreases, your body produces more melatonin, the hormone associated with sleep and rest. Reduced exposure to natural light can also influence serotonin levels, affecting mood, motivation and energy.
In other words, if you are feeling a little slower right now, it might not be a personal failing.
It might be biology.
Yet many of us respond by pushing harder.
More caffeine. More screen time. More pressure. We use electricity to create artificial daylight and fool our brain to stay awake and expect the same levels of attention and focus as spring or summer.
Unfortunately, that’s a bit like stamping on the accelerator while driving with the handbrake on.
A brighter way of thinking
Instead of asking: “How can I keep up the same pace?”
Try asking:
“What is this season inviting me to do differently?”
“How can I help my team embrace this change of season?”
Winter has its own intelligence.
It’s a season of restoration rather than expansion. Reflection rather than reaction. Preparation rather than performance. This is why I love taking a holiday in November. This year, I will be hunkering down getting cosy with breaks in England and Wales and enjoying winter walks (to maximise exposure to natural daylight to help regulate the circadian rhythm), thinking and embracing a slower pace. There’s stuff that I am probably not going to get done this month and do you know what, this is alright with me. It’s been a busy year: I got married!
The most resilient people aren’t those who keep charging forward regardless.
They’re the ones who know when to gather their energy and when to spend it.
Try this
This week, as a suggestion, take ten minutes and divide a page into two columns.
Column 1: Energy Drainers
What is unnecessarily consuming your attention, energy or emotional bandwidth?
Column 2: Energy Restorers
What genuinely helps you feel calmer, clearer and more like yourself?
Then choose one thing to reduce from the first list and one thing to increase from the second. Nothing dramatic.
Just a small seasonal adjustment. Because the goal is not to do more.
It’s to work with your brain instead of against it.
Brighter Thinking Takeaway
Winter isn’t a sign that you are losing momentum.
It is a reminder that sustainable growth includes periods of recovery.
The trees aren’t failing because they have lost their leaves.
They are preparing for what is next.
Perhaps, it is okay if you do the same. ❄️
Reference:
Karami, Z., Golmohammadi, R., Heidaripahlavian, A., Poorolajal, J., & Heidarimoghadam, R. (2016). Effect of Daylight on Melatonin and Subjective General Health Factors in Elderly People. Iranian journal of public health, 45(5), 636–643.