It's December, and you're running on empty.

Work projects need finishing before the year ends. Last-minute stocking stuffers to buy. Cookies to bake. You want everything to be special for the people you love. You're planning, coordinating, and showing up for everyone.

And under all of it? Bone-deep exhaustion.

You've been tired before. But this feels different. This isn't "I need a good night's sleep" tired. This is "I don't remember the last time I felt rested" tired.

If you're wondering how to rest when tired winter sets in, you're not alone. And you're not broken. You're in winter.

Winter isn't just the season outside your window. It's a rhythm your body recognizes. Shorter days. Less light. The natural pull toward slowing down that our modern lives refuse to honor.

In Part 1 of this series, we explored why winter invites us to rest and what happens when we resist that invitation. Now let's get practical. How do you actually rest when you're this tired? What does winter rest look like when you can't just hibernate for three months?

Why Normal Rest & Relaxation Doesn't Work Right Now

You've tried sleeping in on the weekend. You collapsed on the couch after work. You told yourself you'd relax over the holidays.

But you're still exhausted.

Here's what most people don't understand about winter fatigue: physical rest alone won't fix it.

When you're this tired in winter, you're not just physically depleted. This is more than sleep debt. You're:

• Mentally exhausted from constant decision-making and planning
• Emotionally drained from holding space for others while ignoring your own needs
• Spiritually depleted from producing without pausing to receive
• Energetically overdrawn from giving more than you're taking in

Winter rest isn't about sleeping more (though that helps). It's about replenishing all the ways you've been depleted.

The Foundation: Learning to Listen

Before you can rest effectively, you need to know what kind of rest you actually need.

Most of us have no idea. We've spent years pushing through exhaustion, ignoring what we feel.

The first practice of winter rest is simple but profound: learn to listen.

Practice 1: Daily Check-Ins (2 minutes)

At the end of each day, ask yourself three questions:

1. What gave me energy today? (Even small things: a walk, a conversation, 10 minutes of silence)
2. What took energy? (Tasks, people, decisions, environments)
3. What did my body need that I didn't give it? (Rest, water, movement, silence, touch, food)

Write this down. One sentence per question. No judgment. Just observation. You can't honor your needs until you know what they are. This practice teaches you to take time to recognize your own needs and see patterns.

After a week, you'll start seeing themes:

• Certain people consistently drain you (even people you love)
• Specific tasks deplete you more than others
• Your energy has rhythms (time of day, week, month)
• Some "rest" activities don't actually restore you

Winter-specific tip: Pay attention to how darkness affects your energy. Many people need different types of rest in winter than in summer. You might need more creative rest (beauty, inspiration) to counter the visual bleakness. You might need more social connection to combat isolation. Or you might need more solitude because winter socializing drains you faster.

Once you understand your patterns, you can choose rest that actually restores you. Here are three practices that address the deep depletion many people feel in winter.

Practice 2: Parts Work (Talking to Yourself)

You have multiple internal voices or archetypes vying for your attention. Most people call this "being conflicted" or "not knowing what I want." What if, instead of fighting these voices, you listened to them?

Think of yourself as having a board of directors. Different parts of you with different perspectives, needs, and wisdom. Your goal is to have the wise you chair the meeting.

Step 1: Identify your parts

Common inner voices:
- The Warrior/Achiever: Wants to push through, accomplish, stay productive
- The Nurturer/Caregiver: Focuses on others' needs, often at your expense
- The Rebel: Resists rules, wants freedom, pushes back on "shoulds"
- The Wise Woman/Elder: Sees the bigger picture, knows what matters
- The Child: Needs play, joy, spontaneity, wonder

Or, to keep it simple: body, mind, emotions, and spirit.

Name yours. They might be different. That's fine.

Step 2: Check in with each part

When you're trying to decide whether to rest or push through, ask each part:

• "What do you need right now?"
• "What concerns do you have?"

Step 3: Negotiate

Let them talk. Listen to all perspectives. Then, as the chair of the meeting, make a decision that honors as many needs as possible.

Real example:

It's 4 pm on a Tuesday. You have a slight headache, low energy, and mild congestion. Not sick enough to call off work tomorrow, but depleted. You lack clarity and motivation on what to do, so you know it's time to check in with the Board.

• Your Warrior says, "We haven't worked out in two days. We need to go to the gym."
• Your Body says, "I need rest. I'm fighting something off."
• Your Nurturer says, "If you get really sick, you can't take care of anyone."
• Your Rebel says, "Screw the gym. Let's get apple pie and watch TV the rest of the day. I bet a hot toddy would help."

The negotiation: A bundled-up 20-minute walk on a local trail, an hour of TV with hot tea after, and an early bedtime.

Everyone gets something: The Warrior gets movement. The Body gets gentle activity that supports immune function. The Nurturer protects your health. The Rebel gets to skip the structured workout.

Why this works in winter: Winter amplifies internal conflicts. The pressure to maintain summer productivity clashes with your body's need to slow down. Parts Work helps you navigate these conflicts with compassion instead of forcing yourself to "just push through."

Practice 3: Energy Journaling (Pattern Recognition)

This takes the daily check-ins deeper. Create a simple note or journal page with these categories. Once a week, look at your patterns and adjust accordingly.

People:

• Who consistently energizes me?
• Who consistently drains me?
• Note: You can love someone and find them energetically expensive. Both can be true.

Activities:

• What lights me up?
• What feels like an obligation?
• What looks like rest but doesn't actually restore me? (Scrolling, certain TV shows, etc.)

Environments:

• Where do I feel most alive?
• Where do I feel most depleted?
• What sensory inputs help or hurt? (Noise, light, temperature, clutter)

Time patterns:

• When during the day am I most energized?
• When do I crash?
• Are there weekly or monthly patterns?

Physical signals:

• What does my body do when it needs rest? (Headaches, tension, digestive issues, irritability)
• What does true rest feel like in my body?

Winter-specific adjustments:

• Schedule high-energy people for when you have capacity. If someone you love also stresses you, see them during your high-energy windows. Then build in recovery time after.
• Protect your mornings or evenings. Whichever time feels sacred in winter, guard it fiercely.
• Stop "fake rest." If scrolling social media doesn't restore you, stop counting it as rest.
• Build in light. If darkness depletes you, add a morning walk outside or light therapy into your routine.
• Say no strategically. Don't skip all winter socializing. Decline the events that drain you most.

Through energy journaling, I discovered:

• Watching TV right before bed affects my sleep quality (I'm still working on changing this habit). I sleep better on the nights I get off my laptop and stretch for ten minutes before bed.
• Some people I love deeply also trigger my stress responses. If I see their name on my phone when I'm already depleted, I let it go to voicemail and call them back when I have capacity. I may call them back when I can walk in nature.
• Most weeks, I can work out six days. Other weeks, four is my max. My body tells me. I've learned to listen.
• Thanks to my Oura ring, I know my HRV (heart rate variability) relaxes when I watch non-action movies and knit. This counts as real rest for me.

You don't need fancy tracking; a note in your phone works. The point is paying attention and adjusting.

Practice 4: Micro-Rests Throughout the Day

You don't need a vacation to rest. You need moments. Winter rest works best when they're woven into your day, not saved for weekends or holidays.

Micro-rest ideas (1-10 minutes each):

Physical micro-rests:

• Close your eyes for three deep breaths between tasks
• Stretch for two minutes every hour
• Lie on the floor for five minutes (seriously, just lie down)
• Go outside for one minute to feel the air on your face

Mental micro-rests:

• Drive with the radio off
• Close all browser tabs and stare out the window
• Do one task at a time (no multitasking for 20 minutes)
• Turn your phone face down for an hour

Sensory micro-rests:

• Dim the lights
• Turn down the stimulus (fewer inputs for 10 minutes)
• Listen to rain sounds or nature videos with lights low
• Light a candle and watch the flame

Emotional micro-rests:

• Cry if you need to (five minutes of crying can release incredible tension)
• Say no to one thing today
• Write three sentences in a journal, no editing

Creative/spiritual micro-rests:

• Look at something beautiful (art, nature, architecture)
• Listen to one song that makes you feel something
• Talk to the divine like a good friend (doesn't have to be formal prayer)

The practice: Aim for 3-5 micro-rests per day. That's it. Not a meditation practice. Not a full yoga class. Just moments of pause.

Winter-specific micro-rests:

• Look outside and observe what's going on for two minutes
• Wrap yourself in a blanket and drink something warm
• Sit by a window and feel winter sun on your face (even weak winter sun counts)
• Walk outside in the cold air for five minutes to wake up your senses

Winter fatigue isn't solved by one night of deep sleep. It's solved by changing your relationship with rest from "special occasion" to "normal part of my day."

What "Not Going to 100%" Actually Looks Like

Here's something most tired people don't have permission to hear: You don't have to operate at 100% every day. It's not realistic. It's not sustainable. And it's definitely not required. But what does that actually mean in practice?

• At the gym: Instead of pushing to 90%, go to 70%. You still moved your body. You still showed up. You just didn't destroy yourself.
• At work: Instead of perfecting every detail, aim for "good enough" on tasks that don't truly matter. Save your 100% for the few things that actually require it.
• At home: Not every meal needs to be elaborate. Not every surface needs to be clean. Not every holiday tradition needs to happen.
• With people: You don't have to respond immediately. You don't have to solve everyone's problems. You don't have to be "on" in every conversation.

The question to ask: "What actually needs my full energy right now, and what can I do at 70% without real consequences?"

Most things? 70% is plenty.

Saying No to Say Yes to Yourself

Every boundary you set is an act of love. When you say no to what doesn't serve you, you say yes to yourself. To rest. To the replenishment that makes spring possible. This will disappoint people. Some will push back. Some will call you selfish.

Let them.

Selfish isn't a bad word. Your self needs things. That self is precious. She's been starving while you feed everyone else.

It's not selfish to rest. It's not selfish to have needs. It's not selfish to let the leaves fall so the tree can survive winter.

Here's the truth: Every time you say yes to something that depletes you, you say no to yourself. To that deep, exhausted part of you that's been begging for attention.

Practice this:

When someone asks something of you, pause. Check in with your board of directors. Ask:

• Do I have the capacity for this?
• Will this nourish or deplete me?
• Am I saying yes from guilt or genuine desire?
• What am I saying no to if I say yes to this?

Then answer honestly. Sometimes the answer is yes. Sometimes it's "not right now." Sometimes it's "I can do a smaller version of that." Sometimes it's just no.

Your no doesn't need to be explained, justified, or apologized for.

Your Practice This Week

Before you close this tab, commit to one thing.

Not all of it. Just one practice. One thing you will do to create a place of rest.

I can't promise that rest will fix everything. Life will still be hard. Winter will still be dark. You'll still feel tired sometimes. But here's what I've learned:

When you stop fighting your need to rest, something shifts.

The tree doesn't die when it lets the leaves fall. It rests. It pulls nutrients back into its roots. It survives winter by working with the season, not against it.

And when spring comes (because it always comes), those nutrients you pulled back into yourself feed new growth. Richer, deeper, more rooted than before.

Your exhaustion isn't failure. It's information. Your body telling you: This season is for rest. For composting. For letting go so something new can grow.

You don't have to do this perfectly. You don't have to practice all of these techniques. You don't have to be good at resting.

That's the whole point.

Rest isn't another performance. It's permission to be human. To have cycles. To let some things die so other things can grow.

The trees know. The land knows. Your body knows.

Now you know too.

Want to go deeper? Read Winter's Invitation to Rest: Understanding Life's Cycles for the why behind winter's call to rest.

Preparing for your first winter? Get the complete guide in Thriving Through Winter, covering everything from practical prep to embracing the season's gifts.

What's one micro-rest you'll try today? What pattern are you starting to notice? I'd love to hear from you at hello@livinginseason.co