My Winter Arc

+ the habits that keep me going

I’m not one to jump on social media trends, but there’s something about the “winter arc” trend that all TikTok girlies have been talking about that has me interested. (Haven’t heard of it? See here, here, here, & here.) The idea is to take the last few months of the year to realign, reset, and move towards becoming the person we aspire to be. I think it’s safe to say we’ve collectively taken a step back from the idea of New Year’s resolutions, which put too much pressure on us to make unrealistic and drastic changes. Who is to say that there is any wrong time to start working on ourselves?

For me, personally, winter feels like a heavier time of year. It’s darker, colder, and over the last few years, it has happened to coincide with some very difficult life moments. Two winters ago, a loved one was diagnosed with heart failure. Last winter, I grappled with the stabilization of my hormones and body post-egg freezing and the passing of a beloved relative. There were times when I felt drowned in grief, and in those moments, I learned that it is absolutely imperative to stay grounded in habits that support my mental and physical health in order to move through. 

If we can build and sustain an inner reservoir, it can give us ammunition and energy with which we can meet life’s challenges. If we create routine and ritual around this, we are no longer at the mercy of our daily circumstances, but anchored in the habits we choose to repeat. In short, taking care of our physical, mental, and emotional health consistently allows us to cultivate resilience.