How I Finally Made My Winter Not Suck

For years, winter was my nemesis.

Having grown up in India, where winter meant a delightful break from the heat, the Pacific Northwest winters felt like a cruel twist of fate. The endless gray skies, the damp chill that seeped into my bones, and the early sunsets that curtailed my outdoor time—it all felt like a conspiracy to dampen my spirits.

But this year, something magical happened. I stumbled upon Kari Leibowitz's book, How to Winter, and it was like a warm light bulb flickered on in my mind. Leibowitz, a psychologist who ventured to the Arctic Circle expecting to study Seasonal Affective Disorder, found something surprising: people there actually loved winter!

Through Kari’s book, I discovered a treasure trove of insights from cultures that have mastered the art of winter living. In Troms?, Norway, people live in sync with nature, slowing down and embracing the coziness of the Polar Night. On the Isle of Lewis, Scotland, communal gatherings around crackling fires weave warmth and connection into the long nights. And in Yamagata, Japan, families soak in steaming onsen baths, turning winter into a ritual of relaxation and rejuvenation.

Inspired, I embarked on my own wintertime mindset shift, and the results have been transformative.

Nature Knows Best

One of the most powerful insights from the book was how nature needs winter.

Trees don’t fight the cold; they conserve energy, store nutrients, and prepare for the bloom of spring. Many fruits—like peaches—require a certain number of “chill hours” to grow properly. Without winter, there’s no fruit in summer.

And that made me think: How often do we resist the seasons of our own lives?

In our careers, we’re wired for productivity. We want momentum, output, visible progress. But what if, sometimes, we need a season of restoration—slower, quieter, but just as essential? What if we stopped seeing winter (or slow periods in our work) as lost time and instead recognized them as necessary cycles of growth?

Shifting My Winter Mindset

Armed with this new perspective, I decided to stop merely surviving winter and start embracing it.

?? Hiking and Dressing for the Cold

One of the biggest mindset shifts came from a simple but profound Nordic saying:

“There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.”

I realized part of my resistance to winter wasn’t just the weather—it was how unprepared I was for it. So I invested in the right gear: insulated gloves, a hard shell for hiking, mid-boots with gaiters to handle the snow and slush. And suddenly, the outdoors felt… fun.

Winter hiking became a new kind of adventure. The snow-covered trails added a different challenge—patches of ice, uneven terrain—but the cool air helped me hike faster without overheating. There was a stillness to the mountains in winter, a beauty I had never fully appreciated before.

I wasn’t just tolerating winter anymore. I was leaning into it.

?? Seasonal, Winter-Appropriate Food

I also started embracing the idea of eating seasonally, the way people used to before grocery stores stocked everything year-round. Instead of making the same meals regardless of the season, I started cooking food meant for winter—pickling, fermenting, slow-cooked stews. More elaborate home-prepped meals that brought our family together at the end of the day.

Food became more than just nourishment. It became a way to mark the season, to embrace it rather than fight against it.

?? Intentional Evening Rituals

I started making winter evenings something to look forward to. Whether it be making tea at night, or reading books with the kids under warm blankets or by the side of our fireplace—something we had but rarely used before. As with anything in life, nothing is a big change in itself.

These weren’t drastic changes. But taken together, they transformed my experience of winter.

What If We Applied This to Work?

I keep coming back to the idea that winter is a necessary season—not just in nature, but in life and work.

In our careers, we go through cycles. We have summers—periods of high energy, output, and growth. But we also have winters — times when things slow down, when progress is less visible, when we need to step back, reflect, and prepare for what’s next.

What if we embraced these work seasons instead of resisting them?

?? Instead of seeing a lull in momentum as failure, what if we saw it as strategic rest? ?? Instead of pushing for output every quarter, what if we built space for deep thinking and creativity? ?? Instead of fearing the slow periods, what if we trusted that they fuel our biggest growth?

Winter is not wasted time. It is the foundation for everything that comes next.

And for the first time, I get it.

What about you? Have you learned to love winter—or do you still dread it? And do you see seasons in your own work and life? Would love to hear how you navigate them.

#MindsetMatters #GrowthMindset #HowToWinter #SlowProductivity #SeasonsOfWork #WinterHiking #GetOutside #LifeLessons #PersonalDevelopment #WomenInTech