The Healing Power of Winter: Understanding Melatonin, SAD, Darkness, and How to Stay Well Naturally Through the Season
- Nata Montes Viviani
- Oct 30
- 7 min read
Embracing the Darkness: The Healing Power of Wintering
As the clocks go back and the evenings draw in, many of us instinctively brace ourselves for the darker months. We talk about “getting through winter” as if it’s something to endure, yet darkness has its own wisdom. In nature, winter is never wasted time. It’s a season of deep rest, regeneration, and quiet transformation beneath the surface.
When I first moved from Chile to the UK, I found the long winters especially hard. Everything felt slower, heavier, as if I was just surviving. Working with Flower Essences helped awaken nature’s wisdom within me and gently transformed winter from something to endure into a season of purpose and quiet nourishment.
In her book Wintering, Katherine May beautifully reminds us:
“Winter is not the death of the life cycle, but its crucible.”
Just as the earth slows down, so too are our bodies and minds wired to follow this rhythm. The darkness invites us to pause, to restore our inner light, and to listen more deeply to ourselves.
The Biology of Darkness: Melatonin, Rest, and Renewal
As daylight decreases, our circadian rhythm, the internal clock that governs sleep, energy, and hormone production, shifts in response. One of the most important changes is the rise of melatonin, often called the sleep hormone.
Melatonin is produced in the pineal gland, and its release is triggered by darkness. During summer, when days are long, melatonin production is suppressed for longer periods, keeping us active and outwardly focused. But as nights lengthen, our bodies naturally increase melatonin levels earlier in the evening. This helps us feel sleepier sooner, supporting rest and repair.
In evolutionary terms, winter was a time for conserving energy, when food was scarce and cold demanded slower movement. Our modern lives, with their artificial lighting and constant stimulation, disrupt that pattern. Many of us push against the need to rest, interpreting tiredness as weakness rather than an invitation to realign with nature’s cycles.
Honouring your natural rhythm by sleeping more, dimming lights in the evening, or simply accepting the slower pace, supports your immune system, mood regulation, and emotional balance.
The Gift of Darkness: Psychological and Emotional Cycles
Darkness is not just a physical state but also a symbolic one. Psychologically, these months can invite introspection, a descent into the quieter, unseen parts of ourselves. This can feel uncomfortable if we’re used to constant movement and productivity. Yet, this “wintering” time can be deeply healing when embraced with gentleness and awareness.
Slower rhythms allow us to integrate experiences, release what no longer serves us, and reconnect with inner guidance. In many traditions, winter is seen as the season of wisdom, a time to listen inwardly and nurture the seeds of what will grow in spring.
When the Darkness Feels Heavy: Understanding Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
For some, the shorter days bring not renewal but struggle. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that follows a seasonal pattern, usually appearing in late autumn and lasting through winter. Symptoms often include:
Low mood or loss of interest in everyday activities
Fatigue and difficulty concentrating
Increased need for sleep or difficulty waking up
Changes in appetite, often craving carbohydrates
Withdrawal from social interaction
Difficulty falling or staying asleep
SAD is thought to be linked to reduced exposure to natural light, which disrupts both melatonin and serotonin levels. Serotonin, sometimes called the happiness chemical, helps regulate mood, appetite, and sleep. Lower light levels can decrease serotonin activity, leading to feelings of sadness and lethargy.
Light exposure also affects the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that controls circadian rhythms and hormonal balance. When this system is thrown off, our body’s internal clock struggles to stay in sync, making it harder to wake up, focus, and stay energised.
While SAD can vary in intensity, many people experience a milder form, often called the winter blues. Recognising it early and taking proactive steps makes a significant difference in how you move through the season.
Supporting Your Wellbeing During Winter
There are many ways to support your emotional and physical balance during these darker months:
Seek natural light daily: Try to spend at least 20–30 minutes outdoors each morning. Morning light helps reset your circadian rhythm and supports serotonin production (yes, even on cloudy days!).
Nourish yourself well: Foods rich in Vitamin D, Omega-3 fatty acids, and tryptophan (such as fish, eggs, seeds, and whole grains) support mood and energy balance.
Move gently and regularly: Yoga, walking, or dancing (even in short bursts) release endorphins and keep your energy circulating.
Prioritise rest and reflection: This is a season for slowing down. Allow yourself to sleep more, read, or spend quiet time indoors without guilt.
Stay connected: Winter can make us turn inward, but warmth often comes through connection. Share meals, talk openly, and reach out when you need support. I used to let people know in advance and we'd book some winter plans to keep us all connected, just like tree's roots under the snow.
Energetic Support: Flower and Vibrational Essences for Winter
Did you know that Patagonia lies at a very similar latitude to the UK? Winter days there are much like those in England or Scotland: short, grey, and often introspective. The plants and birds that inhabit those southern lands have evolved not just to survive, but to thrive through extremes. Their essences carry that same wisdom: the ability to conserve energy, draw strength from the roots, and bloom again when the light returns.
Here are some of our top Flower and Vibrational Essence suggestions for winter, each supporting a different aspect of balance, vitality, and trust through the darker months.
Soldadito (Tropaeolum tricolor)
Soldadito rekindles the spark of vitality when energy feels low and mornings are heavy. It brings both physical and emotional strength, helping us find motivation and purpose when everything feels grey. Use when: you wake with fatigue, struggle to begin the day, or feel a deep loss of meaning or drive. Supports the Root Chakra and helps restore the will to live fully.
Moustached Turca (Pteroptochos megapodius megapodius)
Moustached Turca nurtures receptivity and cyclic wisdom, inviting us to soften into our natural rhythms with receptivity, rather than trying to force a state that doesn't feel natural. It helps balance overactivity, control, or disconnection from self. Especially useful for those healing the Sacral Chakra, it restores a sense of inner warmth, sensuality, and trust in life’s natural cycles. A beautiful ally during winter’s inward phase.
Guayacán (Porlieria chilensis)
Guayacán offers grounded strength during challenging or uncertain times. It helps us reconnect with our roots (values, inner courage, and ancestral wisdom) so we can stand tall even when life feels unstable. Perfect for moments of transition or endurance: migration, financial strain, illness, or emotional upheaval. Supports the Root Chakra; excellent for building emotional and physical resilience through winter.
Saxífraga (Saxifraga magellanica)
A true rescue essence for moments of emotional overwhelm or inner chaos. Saxífraga helps us reconnect with our higher self, the part that can lovingly witness emotion without being consumed by it. Its particularly supportive when we feel lost in stress, addictions, panic, or self-criticism, guiding us toward calm, self-compassion, and wise action. Encourages emotional stability and perspective in long, dark months.
Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus hudsonicus)
Whimbrel reconnects us with our sense of purpose and faith in life’s timing. When winter feels stagnant or directionless, it reminds us that growth often happens invisibly, under the surface. It supports trust, patience, and present-moment awareness, easing anxiety about the future and helping us digest experiences gracefully. Ideal for those in life transitions or vocational uncertainty. (One of the key essences in our PURPOSE combination.)
Ajicillo helps us slow down a racing mind and stay anchored in the present moment, perfect when winter stress, overthinking, or anxiety pull us into the future. It supports emotional maturity, presence, and the ability to learn from experiences instead of repeating old patterns. Excellent for hyperactivity, stress, or those who feel mentally accelerated or restless during dark months.
Ready-Made Winter Support
If you prefer to start with a ready-made Flower Essence combination, these blends are powerful allies for winter wellbeing:
Reconnect with joy, purpose, and the beauty of everyday life. JOY is a Flower Essence combination designed with seasonal affective disorder in mind. It uplifts the heart when energy and optimism fade, helping you rediscover emotional warmth and meaning. Use for: low mood, grief, exhaustion, or emotional heaviness. Particularly supportive during transitions such as divorce, loss, or recovery, helping us to find meaning and hope in our more uncomfortable emotions, rather than trying to suppress them.
Inspired by Rumi’s words: “The wound is the place where the light enters you.”JOY helps you meet even your heaviest feelings with compassion, trusting that light and life always return.
A nurturing support for children during winter, when routines shift and the world can feel more inward. CHILD reinforces emotional security, grounding, and self-esteem. It strengthens the bond with caregivers, supports sensitive and shy children, and helps them feel safe to explore the world knowing they can always return to their “nest.” Ideal for transitions like starting school, a new sibling, or periods of separation. Also deeply helpful for highly sensitive children (HSC), promoting balance between openness and protection. As a mother of two, this was a must-have in winters at home.
The Gift of Darkness
Just as the plants and birds of Patagonia know how to thrive in long, cold seasons, these essences remind us that winter is a teacher, one that invites resilience, rest, and renewal. Each essence holds a spark of light within darkness, helping us align with the season rather than resist it.
May this season bring you renewal, softness, and the quiet courage to rest deeply.
Love,
& The Patagonia Essences Team
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