You Don’t Have to Feel Settled Yet

Why Winter Is Still Asking You to Slow Down

There’s a quiet pressure that shows up around this point in January. The calendars are no longer blank. The “new year” feeling has faded a bit. We’re already wanting cookies again. And somewhere in the background, there’s this idea that by now, you should feel more settled. More confident. More sure of how the year is going to go. If that hasn’t happened for you yet, you’re not doing anything wrong!

What we don’t talk about enough is that winter itself asks something different of us. Shorter days, colder mornings, less sunlight—our bodies notice all of it, even if our to-do lists don’t. There’s real science behind why we want to slow down right now. Less daylight affects our circadian rhythms and serotonin levels, which can leave us feeling more tired, more inward, and more content doing the bare minimum. Our nervous systems crave rest, warmth, and familiarity. It’s why so many of us want to curl up under a blanket, light a candle, and call it a productive day.

This isn’t laziness. It’s biology.