Wintering vs. the New Year Push: Why Slowing Down Might Be the Most Intentional Choice You Make

Article written by Denver therapist, Julie Reichenberger

Here we are again! The start of a new year. A collective time of new.

The start of a new year is often framed as a time to gear up and become “better”.

Everywhere you look, the message is the same: now is the time to do more.

But winter tells a very different story. One that I find sweet and nourishing that directly conflicts with one I’ve held for a long time.

While our collective cultural calendar encourages movement and energetic goal setting, the season itself asks for rest.

Darkness that comes with shorter days, colder temperatures, and lower energy levels naturally slow us down.

Popularized by Katherine May, the term wintering refers to this concept of slowing down with the season and with what our body is craving.

For many people, this creates an internal conflict between the pressure to start fresh colliding with a nervous system that is asking for something gentler.

This internal conflict is important to notice. When we ignore it, we often end up repeating the same cycle every year: ambitious resolutions, early burnout, and self-criticism when motivation fades.

I do feel that initial excitement every year for setting intentions and I have set some for my self this year.  And I notice as I write this, I lack the energy to support the ideas and ambition my mind fires off.

So here I am sharing my thoughts on wintering and ways we can incorporate some of this energy and excitement for new, while also honoring our need for rest.

Why New Year’s Resolutions Often Don’t Work

First it’s helpful to look at Traditional New Year’s resolutions which tend to focus on outcomes rather than intention. They’re usually built on the idea that if we just try harder, we can override exhaustion, break or make habits, or change emotional patterns that have developed over time.

If your nervous system is depleted, overwhelmed, or recovering from a demanding year, pushing yourself into high-effort change can backfire.

Motivation drops because your system doesn’t feel resourced enough to sustain it, not because you’re failing (which is often the default self-criticism that follows).

This is one reason resolutions frequently fall apart. They’re often disconnected from how someone is actually feeling and what they realistically have capacity for sustaining. Especially in the middle of winter.

Wintering Is Not the Opposite of Growth

Wintering doesn’t mean giving up on growth or intention. It means shifting how you approach it.

From a mental health perspective, wintering is a phase of reduced output and increased awareness. It might show up as lower energy, less motivation to socialize, or a stronger desire for routine and comfort.

While we may also feel this way after completing a big project, experiencing burnout, loss, transitions, or periods of prolonged stress; it’s a seasonal shift that occurs as well.

Engaging in the act of wintering shifts us to a time when reflection, rest, and internal recalibration take priority over performance. These are moments when the body and mind naturally pull inward, even if the calendar says it’s time to move forward.

This can feel uncomfortable in a culture that equates progress with consistent action and performance, but it is a necessary part of creating sustainable change.

Ignoring this phase doesn’t make it disappear. It usually just shows up later as anxiety, depression, overwhelm, or exhaustion.

A Different Way to Approach the New Year: Intention Over Pressure

Instead of using the New Year as a time to overhaul yourself, it can be more helpful to see it as a moment to listen to what you need.

This is where intention becomes more useful than setting resolutions and lofty goals.

Intentions invite curiosity rather than control. They allow you to ask:

• What am I needing more of right now?

• What story have I been telling myself that no longer fits?

• What would support my nervous system instead of overwhelming it?

This approach doesn’t require dramatic change. It allows for small, meaningful shifts that align with where you are, not where you think you should be.

Some people choose to have a word they reflect on for the year. This is nice, in that it gives you something to anchor to, rather than something to push for. An intentional word rooted in reflection demands less energy and supports gentle movement forward.

Telling Yourself a New Story During Winter

Wintering is often the ideal time to examine the stories you carry about productivity, worth, and success.

If your internal narrative says that rest is laziness or that slowing down means falling behind, winter can feel especially hard. But those stories are learned and they can be rewritten.

A new story might sound like:

• Rest is part of how I recover and grow.

• Slow makes room for more insight and less reactivity

• I can move forward without forcing myself to sprint.

• I am tuning into my body and mind to honor my needs for my own health and wellness and longevity.
• I trust my intuition.

These shifts aren’t about positive thinking. They’re about aligning your expectations with your capacity. When the story changes, behavior often follows naturally without the need for pressuring your self to push on.

What Wintering Can Actually Offer

When you allow yourself to winter, a few things tend to happen:

• Your nervous system has a chance to regulate

• Emotional clarity increases

• Old patterns become easier to notice

• Therapy can be more effective

• New intentions form more organically

• You learn to the power of pausing and being more intentional

This is often when people gain insight into what they truly want to change or spend time on. Not because they’re trying to fix themselves, but because they finally have space to reflect.

Therapy can be especially supportive during this time, offering a place to explore these shifts without urgency or judgment.

A Reframe for the New Year

The New Year doesn’t have to be about gearing up. It can be about grounding and tuning into yourself.

Instead of asking yourself what you need to accomplish, consider asking:

• What do I need to let go of?

• What pace actually feels sustainable?

• What would it look like to honor this season rather than fight it?

Wintering is not a pause on growth. It’s a phase of it.

When you move with the season instead of against it, the changes you make tend to last far longer than any resolution ever could.

If you’re curious about taking a different approach in your life, therapy can be very helpful. Reach out today to schedule a consult with one of our Denver-based therapists today.

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Denver Therapist and Owner of Denver Metro Counseling, Julie Reichenberger

Julie is a trauma and psychedelic therapist and the founder of Denver Metro Counseling. Julie incorporates slowing down as a practice and a foundation to her approach with clients. She has seen first-hand the impact slowing down has on progress forward.

She helps those who struggle with slowing down the most: entrepreneurs and founders, executives, leaders, ambitious people, those with trauma and ADHD.

She weaves this approach in the values of Denver Metro Counseling and the care she places on making sure the clinician and other supports affiliated with DMC are supported in their needs to slow down in order to take better care of themselves and in their work.

To learn more about Denver Metro Counseling, check out our website.