Wintering Together

The winter solstice was yesterday. The longest night of the year has passed. Knowing the light will only return from here offers me a quiet kind of hope, even as winter settles more fully into my body.

Last night was not especially cold, but I am preparing for what is coming. The past few weeks have been brutal, the kind of cold that seeps into joints and bones and makes going out feel heavier each time.

I noticed it first in my body, before I even looked outside. My joints felt heavier. My muscles a little stiff. Everything a touch more tender. There is a particular ache that arrives with the cold, a deep bone ache that reminds me I am living in a body that carries stories.

Winter carries weight. The darker days can settle in the chest. Grief can feel closer. Chronic pain and fatigue can sharpen. Leaving the house can take more effort. There is no right way to feel in this season. You are allowed mixed feelings. You are allowed to be tired. You are allowed to need softness.

Letting What We Feel Be Real

Winter can bring old grief and memories forward. Loved ones who have died may feel nearer. Loss can feel sharper. The silence of the season gives feelings room to echo. You do not have to push them away or make them easier for others.

Creating a Seasonal Coping Map

A care plan can help. A Mad Map, a WRAP, or simple notes on a page can serve as a companion or map. You might include:

• What feels grounding and supportive

• Signals that overwhelm is building

• People you can reach out to

• Practices that help your body feel safe enough to rest

Your map can change as you do. Return to it whenever you need guidance.

Leaning Toward Connection, Even in Small Ways

Connection does not have to be big or constant. Sometimes connection is one person you can message. A peer support group that meets regularly. A shared quiet space online. Being on FaceTime or Zoom together while doing separate things.

Nourishing the Body with Small Joy

Small joys support us through winter. Putting together a LEGO set. Sipping tea under a cozy blanket. A warm compress on stiff muscles. Listening to a favorite playlist. Making a zine from scraps. Getting lost in a story. Rearranging a small corner of your space to feel gentler.

Reaching Toward Support When Needed

Sometimes the most loving thing we can do is ask for support. Warmlines, peer support spaces, grief groups, disability and chronic illness communities, and mutual aid networks exist because many of us struggle in seasons like this.

Finding Warmth Where We Can

Winter can be tender and hard. A time to move more slowly. A time to loosen expectations. A time to remember we were never meant to carry everything alone. We move through winter by listening to our bodies, softening where possible, and letting ourselves be held, even in small ways.

The solstice has passed. The light is returning, minute by minute, even if it is hard to feel yet. There is warmth here. In the body. In community. In the quiet ways we care for one another.

We find our way together.