Finding Light in Darker Days: How Nature Supports Winter Well-Being

Seasonal Shifts Impact Mental Wellbeing

As we move into the darker half of the year, many of us notice that the diminishing daylight has an impact on our mental and physical health. According to the American Psychiatric Association (2024), two in five Americans report a worsening in their overall mood during winter months, experiencing common symptoms like sleeping more, feeling fatigued, moodiness, and an increased appetite. Beyond the more commonly reported symptoms is a more significant shift in mental health called Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. This condition afflicts roughly 5% of the population and presents with similar symptoms, but differs in their severity and frequency, resembling that of a depressive disorder.¹

The Link Between Daylight and Mental Health

When daylight hours shorten, our body's regulation of mood-hormones, sleep cycles and appetite-can shift. For example, reduced sunlight is linked to lower serotonin levels (a mood-regulating chemical) and disruption of the body clock.² Light acts as the body's main timing cue, shaping sleep patterns, emotional balance, alertness, and health outcomes across populations.³ Additionally, studies show that broader measures of sunlight exposure and time outdoors correlate with better mental health outcomes. One review found that exposure to sunlight, time in green spaces, and physical activity each had a positive impact on indicators of depression, anxiety and stress.⁴

How Time Spent Outside Can Help

While time spent in nature isn't a treatment for mental illness, it is a powerful tool to help alleviate some of the mental and physical symptoms associated with changing seasons. Spending time in green spaces (yard, garden, woods, park, etc.) and on trails can be an affordable and accessible way to boost your mood, support your mental health, and build resilience. Engaging in activities located in green spaces is also linked with lower symptoms of anxiety and depression and with higher positive mental well-being. Even the act of being outside is associated with increased light exposure and movement (gardening, walking hiking), which together amplify benefits.⁴

Taking smaller steps, like opening your curtains to allow more natural light, stepping outside for a few cleansing breaths, or engaging in community events or activities where being outside is part of the fun, are all part of building a helpful self-care routine.²

Green Spaces and Trails

By intentionally accessing nature via green spaces, trails, and mindful outdoor time, we can support our body's mental and physical health no matter the time of year. While nature is not a cure for SAD or other mood conditions, it is a reliable tool for improving your health and well-being.

To help you get a jump start on creating your own nature-based self-care routine, here are some useful resources:

Trail Finder: Find Your Next Adventure - A free interactive web platform for New Hampshire and Vermont that lets users search for four-season trails (hiking, biking, paddling, snowshoeing, etc.), read detailed descriptions, view maps, track their trail activity, and learn about nearby trail-side services.

NH State Parks - Home - This state agency manages New Hampshire's state parks, historic sites, campgrounds, beaches, natural areas, and trails. Its mission is to provide recreational, educational and memorable outdoor experiences through responsible stewardship of the state's cultural, natural and recreational assets.

Nature-Based Mindfulness Activities for Youth and Adults

Find the Light Spiral Walk

Goal: A physical way to demonstrate how finding and focusing on light during darker times can provide peace and perspective.

• Choose a natural trail or green space where you can walk at a gentle pace.
• Walk in a slow spiral, start at a wider circle, then gradually tighten toward a small central point (or reverse from narrow to wide) as you walk.
• As you walk, notice:
  • A patch of light through the trees, a break in the clouds, a brighter clearing in the woods, a drop of water caught on a leaf, etc.
  • How the light shifts, how the trees respond, and how their own breathing fluctuates.
  • If you're doing with youth, encourage them to play "hide and seek" with the light. They act as the "seeker" with the light hiding throughout the natural landscape.
• At the center (or end) pause for 1-2 minutes of stillness: feet planted, hands resting, eyes closed or soft gaze. Encourage reflection on what "light" means in their life right now, whether it's physically warm or internally providing hope, connection, or comfort.
• Exit the spiral at a slower pace, carrying that awareness with you beyond the trail.

Using Your Senses to Connect

Goal: To anchor mood by shifting focus from the lack of daylight to the fullness of nature through full-body engagement.

• Find a quiet green space-bench, clearing, trial side. Even on a grey or overcast day, the benefits of nature are still impactful.
• Spend 5 minutes simply noticing:
  • See: What subtle variations of light can you spot? Where is the brightest part of the sky or canopy? How do shadows move?
  • Hear: What natural sounds surround you (wind, birds, rustling leaves, distant traffic)?
  • Feel: What is the temperature on your skin? How does your body feel seated or standing?
  • Smell: Can you detect the scent of pine needles, damp earth, bark, winter air?
  • Move: Take three slow, deliberate steps. With each step: feel the contact of food and ground, the slight shift in balance, the weight of your body.
• Reflection:
  • Which sense felt most alive in this moment?
  • If "light" were a color in this place right now, what would it be?
  • How might you carry this moment of nature's grounding effect into the rest of your day?
• Finish with one deep breath in through your nose, exhaling slowly through your mouth.

References:

1. American Psychiatric Association. (2024, October 30). Two in five Americans say their mood worsens in winter; 29% say “falling back” hurts their mental health [Press release]. https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/news-releases/apa-poll-mood-changes-in-winter
2. Mental Health Foundation. (n.d.). Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/a-z-topics/seasonal-affective-disorder-sad
3. Nagare, R., Woo, M., MacNaughton, P., Plitnick, B., Tinianov, B., & Figueiro, M. (2021). Access to Daylight at Home Improves Circadian Alignment, Sleep, and Mental Health in Healthy Adults: A Crossover Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(19), 9980. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18199980
4. Taniguchi, K., Takano, M., Tobari, Y., Hayano, M., Nakajima, S., Mimura, M., Tsubota, K., & Noda, Y. (2022). Influence of External Natural Environment Including Sunshine Exposure on Public Mental Health: A Systematic Review. Psychiatry International, 3(1), 91-113. https://doi.org/10.3390/psychiatryint3010008