It's widely joked about how the reason so many festivals exist when the year becomes darker (at least for people that live in the norther hemisphere) is because it would otherwise be an incredibly depressing and low point in the year. It definitely does feel like that sometimes!

Here in the UK, sunset is averagely around 4pm. It's a good thing I wake up early(ish) at 7 am for work, otherwise, I would get a maximum of 5-6 hours of daylight. Even then, how much daylight is there, when its perpetually gloomy, rainy and foggy?

I know there are some people who absolutely love cold weather - I am absolutely not one of them. The idea of having to put on heavy layers just to be comfortable outside makes me want to hibernate. After all, it is the season of hibernation for so many other living things. The lack of sunlight means I have to take Vitamin D pills, or just more multivitamins in general to just to feel normal. That feels ridiculous to say, when humans before easy access to these OTC medications were completely fine. Sure, I'm a brown person living in a colder country, but this experience isn't unique to just people with more melanin. It's becoming increasingly popular to see all types of people need extra help feeling okay during the winter season.

Seasonal depression isn't just a flippant name for the way we experience a low in winter, but a very real issue. And I think part of it is because our bodies are forced to operate the same way year round, instead of adjusting to the differences every season has to offer. I think a lot of people would be happier if they didn't have to get into work and leave when it's dark outside, unable to access any daylight during their workday. Finding enrichment time for yourself out of your work hours feels extra difficult, because you're just sheer exhausted and on top of that it's miserable outside.

I recently moved into a high-rise building, and I have a fantastic view of the water from the 11th floor. I work from home, allowing me a lot more freedom to move around than a regular office job, but still on days where its actually kind of nice outside, I can't help but resent that I have to spend the majority of my day inside.

This part of the year brings to mind ideas of winding down - in many different senses. It's obviously the wind down of the calendar year, and for many people's jobs, or school holidays. It is a time of rest and recharging before diving into a new year in which we make resolutions for ourselves, promises to ensure the new year looks different to the one's passed.

I find it really interesting that the winter holiday season - no matter which ones you choose to celebrate or not, is often deemed that happiest time of the year, despite how depressing it can be. I think it's because it reminds us of what's truly important - warmth, rest, time spent with loved ones, generosity (the giving season). The winter forces us to slow down, when for so much of the year we're kept on our toes trying to anticipate what comes next.

In the winter, we know exactly what comes next. The next year. So, its important to sit with the year we're still experiencing and reflect and do things that make us happy.