Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times - Katherine May

Have a pencil at the ready while reading this. You’ll want to underline everything to remember and share with others.

Katherine May describes wintering as times of difficulty and strife. “It is a fallow period in life when you’re cut off from the world, feeling rejected, blocked from progress, or cast into the role of an outsider.” Wintering can be painful but is also inevitable.

In a world where we glorify being busy and productive, we overlook the necessity of rest, of being gentle with ourselves in our darker moments.

I was drawn to this book because every year I absolutely dread winter. The short days, the lack of light, my SAD in full swing. I was intrigued by the concept that winter may in fact hold within it opportunity. And it does. In Wintering, our eyes are opened to examples of the magic of winter; the tenacity, the healing.

May offers lessons of wisdoms learned from mere dormice to the great Stonehenge. Life doesn’t stop during winter. She highlights the importance of everything from seasonal cyclical rituals to learning from nature, our greatest teacher.
Wintering is laced with lessons from mythology, literature, nature, and May’s personal winters.

Rushes of emotion swept over me at so many parts because of my personal connection to her story and the stories of others she shares. This is why I always try to be transparent with my OCD, anxiety disorder, etc. There is such relief in feeling seen and understood.

My takeaway, in a small nutshell, is that we are not handed anything in life by accident. With every winter, our wisdom expands. Our toolbox of coping techniques grow. Our ability and duty to share what we have learned become essential. With each winter, with each shedding of skin, we take steps closer home to ourselves. We learn to trust the process and instead of dreading and fighting the inevitable storm, we learn to soften our resistance and ride out the waves.

{the perfect read during the wintering that comes with the pandemic}

(Sidenote: I have never felt more drawn to the Wim Hoff Method after May devotes a portion of her story to the healing potential of the cold. I also highly recommend his book: The Wim Hoff Method.)