Time to Rest: Aligning With Nature

Every winter, nature hits the brakes. Trees slow their growth, the air goes still, and somewhere out in the woods a big fluffy bear curls up, tucks its paws, and checks out for months. The bear isn’t lazy. It isn’t procrastinating. It isn’t scrolling TikTok for four hours trying to escape its to-do list.

It’s doing exactly what nature designed it to do: rest, repair, and restore.

And honestly? We could take a few notes.

The Wisdom of the Bear

Bears hibernate because winter is a season of scarcity and stillness. Food is limited, temperatures drop, and survival depends on conserving energy. So they make a plan: eat intentionally, slow down, and give their body the time it needs to reset on the deepest level.

If a bear tried to run around all winter like it was spring, it wouldn’t last very long. Yet humans? Oh, we will absolutely try to “spring energy” our way through December.

More errands, more social events, more pressure, more expectations—when the world around us is literally whispering, please slow down, we often do the opposite.

Traditional Chinese Medicine: Winter Is the Season of Deep Rest

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has always viewed winter as the most inward, reflective time of the year. It’s associated with:

• The Water Element – wisdom, depth, intuition, and inner reserves

• The Kidneys – the storehouse of our life force (your long-term battery)

• Yin Energy – quiet, cool, calm, restorative

  
  

TCM teaches that winter is the time to protect and replenish your energy. If you push hard through the winter—ignoring your need for rest—you tap into your deepest reserves. That’s when people get sick, feel burned out, or struggle in spring when the liver is ready to detox and the body wants to burst into new growth.

Think of winter as plugging your internal battery into the charger. Spring is when you unplug and take on the world again.

Signs You Might Need a Winter Reset

If you’re feeling any of these, your body is waving a little “please slow down” flag:

• Constant tiredness

• Feeling scattered or overstimulated

• Mood swings or irritability

• Difficulty sleeping

• Lack of creativity or motivation

• Emotional heaviness

• That “my brain is buffering” feeling

  
  

These aren’t personal flaws—they’re signals.

How to Actually Rest in Winter (Without Hibernating in a Cave)

Resting doesn’t mean doing nothing. It means doing what nourishes you.

Here are gentle winter practices inspired by both bears and TCM:

1. Prioritize Sleep Like It’s Your Part-Time Job

Longer nights = permission to go to bed earlier. Your body wants it. Your hormones want it. Your future self wants it.

2. Move Slowly and Intentionally

Think walks, stretching, gentle strength work, Pilates, yoga—movement that warms your body instead of draining it.

3. Eat Warm, Grounding Foods

TCM encourages:

• Soups and stews

• Root vegetables

• Beans

• Dark leafy greens

• Herbal teas

• Warm water instead of ice water

  
  

Your digestion loves warmth in the winter.

4. Protect Your Energy

This is the season for:

• Saying “no”

• Choosing fewer commitments

• Creating quiet pockets of time

• Letting yourself recharge without guilt

  
  

A bear doesn’t apologize for staying home. Neither should you.

5. Spend Time Reflecting

Winter is the time to go inward:

• Journaling

• Planning

• Emotional release

• Vision-setting for the spring

  
  

This is where the wisdom lives.

When You Rest, Everything Else Gets Easier

I always say: it’s only difficult until it’s easy. And most of the time, things feel difficult simply because we’re depleted.

When you give your body and mind the rest they’ve been craving, your clarity comes back. Your intuition strengthens. Your creativity wakes up. You make decisions faster. You feel more grounded and less reactive.

Winter isn’t a punishment. It’s an invitation.

An invitation to reconnect with yourself, refill your tank, and prepare for whatever your spring “new beginning” is going to be.

Let Yourself Hibernate a Little

You don’t have to disappear into a cave (although I fully support blanket forts).But you can take inspiration from the bear:

• Slow down

• Conserve your energy

• Nourish yourself

• Rest without guilt

• Trust the natural cycles of your life

  
  

When you honor winter’s rhythm, your body thanks you, your nervous system thanks you, and come spring—you bloom without force.