Self-Care for Winter: Seven steps to thriving in the colder months

by Suzy Reading

Are you feeling it too? The genuine urge to bunker in, a growing need for rest, a deep desire to seek comfort? As the days become shorter and the cold descends, hibernation mode sets in. While seasonal change is a normal part of the natural world, many of us expect to have the same levels of energy all year round. The result is that our incessant drive to grow and out-perform can often leave us feeling frustrated and disheartened with our lower levels of energy and reduced productivity.But what if there was a better way to approach the winter season?Self-care expert Suzy Reading has devised 7 ways to not only survive the winter months but to thrive in them. By embracing the lessons from the natural world - from regulating light activity to warming body movements - you will learn how to alter your daily rhythms so that you can embrace winter. Through honouring lower energy levels and listening to what your body needs in the colder months, this can be an opportunity to rekindle joy and find fulfilment in every season of life. Approaching winter doesn't have to be full of dread - so snuggle in and learn the key to thriving in the colder months.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help

224 pages, Hardcover

Published January 7, 2025

Reviews

[Laura Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely book full of lovely nourishing things to do to support health and well-being in winter months. And gorgeous art/illustrations. I think it would have been better to own this book and dip in and out of it, rather than reading it cover to cover to send back to the library!

[Bloss ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Earlier this year, I stumbled across the concept of human seasonal rhythms and how capitalism and toxic productivity draw us into unhealthy and unsustainable patterns and behaviours by interrupting these rhythms by expecting 100% from people 100% of the time. As I was exploring this concept, I was drawn into some pioneering organizations that have structured their businesses around these rhythms effectively winding down almost entirely in the winter for a period of restoration and recharging. This was the context in which I was drawn to this book… and, geez, was I ever disappointed.

More on context: Right off the bat, I noticed the difference in my perspective as a Canadian living in the UK to the author’s as an Australian in the UK. I loved the Canadian winters of my rural Ontario childhood and find the UK’s rainy, dark winters quite depressing. In fact, I wasn’t touched by seasonal affective disorder (or debilitating chilblains!) until I moved to the UK.

What worked for me:
❄️ The cover art is beautiful and while I personally loathe the Corporate Memphis style, I did appreciate the care that was given to curating a colour palette and artwork to complement the book.
❄️ I genuinely think the idea of the book is coming from the right place.

What didn’t work for me:
❄️ The introduction is waaaaay too long (and waffley) and the messy, repetitive structure we experience in the intro continues throughout the book. Large parts of this book felt like filler: flowery metaphors, overlong descriptions, and so much repetition. There are sections of this that read like AI-generated copy.
❄️ Repetition deserves its own point because it was so prevalent: repeating the same points, but worded slightly differently, in tandem paragraphs or repeating the same verbiage almost verbatim across sections. This sometimes came across as insulting over-explaining, other times it’s just frustrating as we’re retreading the same ground over and over again.
❄️ The book lacked substance and felt gimmicky. Unless you’re brand new to winter, basic self-care, gentle movement, or keeping your home warm, there might not be anything novel for you in this book. I felt it overly simplistic, unhelpfully generalized, and where assumptions were made about the reader (the book felt targeted at middle-aged women in the paid workforce, with kids, that own their own homes) where there wasn’t much room for nuance, specifics, or depth.
❄️ The science info-dumping juxtaposed with some pretty unsciencey stuff (capitalization of Nature, gendered pronouns for celestial bodies, seeing your deceased grandad appear as a stoat) was so jarring. It honestly felt like the science sections were written by an academic technical writer and the rest of it by someone else. In general, the writing style was dry and the author felt distractingly present (“I have you covered” “I wrote this book to…” “I do this…”).
❄️ This whole book hits different in the wake of climate breakdown both from a planetary stewardship level (the suggestions on self care ranged from environmentally harmful to common sense leaving a lot to be desire, especially around environmental impact.) as well as generally warmer winters (even in Canada, the winters of my childhood are largely a thing of the past. I don’t think I’ve ever seen enough sticking snow in the UK for many of the outdoor activities suggested!).

I felt like this book didn’t know what it wanted to be: self-help, science, pseudoscience, workbook, biography… and it suffers greatly as a result. As it stands, it probably didn’t have to be a book: the content doesn’t naturally stretch to a book without the filler and repetition which directly impacts the reader experience. The content might’ve worked better as a magazine graphic feature, leaflet, or interactive webpage with more robust editing creating intentional, curated, and purposeful content.

I was privileged to have my request to read this book accepted through NetGalley. Thank you for letting me give this a try, Aster.

[SoftGurlBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute winter companion in book format. The art is especially pretty!

[cakecoffeeandbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a big fan of Suzy and love following her on Instagram- she is so inspiring and comforting. I thoroughly enjoy the prompts and practices she shares, and can confirm this book is packed full of them.
I found myself nodding along, feeling seen, acknowledged and encouraged throughout the book, and learnt so much. I read this right at the end of February, into early March, so am looking forward to rereading it again at the start of next winter. I do think many of the knowledge and tips shared apply to other seasons too, so even if it’s not winter I would highly recommend this book!

[Karen Mace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be a bright light amongst the upcoming doom and gloom of Winter!! It's a beautifully presented book, along with some lovely illustrations, and even if some of it is common sense, I enjoyed the engaging manner in which it is written and it is full of helpful ideas to get you through the darker months and help reframe your mind to the more positive aspects of life.

In the book are 7 steps, and each step is looked at in depth as the author looks to nature to show us the way to get through Winter - watch what they do and follow suit. But that is not the world we live in nowadays, where we are all expected to be productive all year round, but this book shows that it's ok to slow down and to get over the guilt!

With each step there are many helpful ideas of how you can improve your outlook and encourages a more positive frame of mind - from going outdoors as much as possible, using bright colours in your clothing to lift your mood and to looking at what kind of food you eat - I found the suggestions to be really helpful and included indoor and outdoor options, along with meditations and even different yoga movements to try.

Obviously some of the steps are easier said than done when it's raining or cold outside, but this book has quite a comforting feel to it so you don't feel like you're being bullied into it, just gently encouraged!! A very helpful guide to making time for you and shifting your mindset for a brighter outlook!

[Desarae · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened on audiobook, and this is definitely one that is better read in person, you so can work through the prompts and see illustrations for the exercises she talks about. I will say that I absolutely loved the narrator for the audiobook, her British voice was perfection, it was lovely warmth to listen to and just made me feel calm and cheery.

The book itself has some great practical breakdowns of things to try, lots of writing prompts, gentle exercises for all energy levels, breathing techniques and movement for mood boosters, ways to encourage and build up ourselves and just a lot of helpful little nudges. I love that she gives a bunch of natural remedies for cold season sicknesses and practical things like take fish oils, drink water, get outside.

This is a book I would like to own in hard copy and could even see myself giving as a gift.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this is the kind of book that just isn’t suited to the audiobook format - the author would present the topic, and then ramble on for a while, and I’d think…. Wait…. What is she talking about again? And in a physical version, you could easily flip back to the beginning of the chapter/topic to remind yourself. A lot of the steps and advice were also just a bit odd - write down a list of every single person you’ve ever come across in the last 10 years of your life? To remember you’ve experienced love or something? Ouf, no. I think a lot of the advice just wasn’t really winter-centric, so I was expecting more and something different? I did, however, really like the end, the last half hour or so of the audiobook, where she went into journaling prompts, remedies for different winter ailments ie flu and cold - it felt concise, and also winter-related, at the same time.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw this advertised in Good Housekeeping magazine. I was hoping to learn some new things on how to brighten up the many grey days we have in the UK, during the winter months. As I live in the north east of England we do have a lot of days like this: Sadly this book offered nothing different. Don’t take what magazines are recommending as the best thing to read.

[Alison S ☯️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for me. I've just read How To Winter, so was interested in reading more about cultivating a positive winter mindset. This book compared very poorly with that one, and seemed quite shallow and facile. The writing was a bit "meh", and it read like a magazine article that had been padded out so it could be classified as a book.

[Isla Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice illustrations, some good lists of things you can do, some useful recommendations/advice and its not too much to take in. Can be read sparingly. Its mostly stuff I knew and didn't particularly break new ground for me personally but that's hardly the author's fault.

A decent approachable and not intimidating read, I recommend this to others struggling with SAD or similar issues.

[LeyanneForbes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous book, perfect for this time of year. A lovely one to keep on the side and dip in and out of when you can! I didn't need anything too sciencey or difficult to do. The illustrations are beautiful and it just feels like a luxurious book to own.

[Tamara]

A nice book; not groundbreaking and not as special as the cover made me think it would be. I like the ideas for different levels of exercise depending on energy levels, which is something I always need, whatever the season, and lists of questions for reflection.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even just the opening pages of this book create a mindset shift about winter, through Suzy’s beautiful writing that wraps you up like a warm hug and makes you feel positive. Sit and devour the whole thing, or dip into the areas where you feel most challenged in winter. A great companion.

[Raakel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little book with some lovely illustrations and winter wellness tips. I wasnt a fan of the yoga and breathing exercises but appreciated the reflection/journalling prompts.

[Elizabeth Hetterley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reminder to give myself permission to navigate the world with compassion, curiosity and care ♥️ bring nature into my home and classroom and embrace the winter.

[Rachelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a lovely winter companion filled with practical and nourishing ideas and beautiful illustrations

[Mathilde Hutt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring book for the winter season
Just help reflecting on passing time

[Susan Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent

[Bridie]

Tbh I skimmed and didn’t really engage w it soooo idk. I’m still counting it tho

[Carly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet little book. It was actually very practical and I kind of wish it was more vibey than practical if that makes sense. A nice quick little read regardless.