When Energy Fades: Finding Steadiness as the Season Slows Down
The Seasonal Slowdown
As November unfolds, the pace of life tends to begin to shift. The daylight shortens, the air cools, and the energy that carried us through the fall can begin to drop. Many people notice a subtle heaviness - a mix of fatigue, lower motivation, or an emotional flatness that can feel confusing when everything around us seems to expect busyness and productivity.
This quieter season isn’t asking us to push harder. It’s inviting us to pause, to listen, and to find steadiness in new ways.
The slowing of the natural world is mirrored in our bodies and emotions - a signal that rest, reflection, and gentle attention are needed.
Why Energy Dips This Time of Year
The early winter transition can stir both physiological and emotional shifts. Shorter days mean less exposure to natural sunlight, which can impact serotonin and melatonin levels - the hormones that regulate mood and sleep. But there’s often more to it than biology.
After months of sustained effort - whether through work, caregiving, or emotional labour - our nervous systems may be taxed. Trauma-informed therapy helps us understand that when the body has been holding tension or vigilance for a long time, the onset of darkness and stillness can bring a natural sense of depletion. This is not weakness - it’s wisdom.
In my work as a Toronto psychotherapist offering holistic, mindfulness-based therapy, I often see how the nervous system’s response to fatigue is a form of protection. The body slows us down to help us heal, recalibrate, and begin again.
The Inner Critic and the Urge to “Push Through”
When motivation dips, it’s common to feel frustrated or even ashamed. You might catch yourself thinking, “I should be doing more,” or “What’s wrong with me?”
That inner critic can be quite loud this time of year.
But emotional regulation and recovery don’t happen through pushing - they happen through gentleness. Mindfulness invites us to notice the fatigue without judgment, to ask what this feeling is trying to communicate, and to meet ourselves with compassion instead of correction.
Slowing down is not the same as giving up. It’s a conscious act of care - an essential step in restoring balance.
A Mindful Reset for Body and Mind
When you notice yourself feeling heavy, restless, or disconnected, try this brief grounding practice:
Pause wherever you are and gently lengthen your exhale.
Notice your feet - how they feel as they touch the floor. Let them root a little more fully.
Soften your shoulders, unclench your jaw, and bring awareness to your body just as it is.
Ask: “What does my body need right now - movement, stillness, warmth, breath?”
If you’d like a guided way to reconnect, you can listen to my Insight Timer practice,
🎧 Gentle Mindful Movement Practice – Grounding the Body - a short, restorative exercise to help you come back to presence when your energy feels scattered or low.
Mindful movement allows emotion and fatigue to move through the body rather than get stuck in it.
Reflection & Reconnection
This time of year, your system may be asking for softness - for fewer demands, slower mornings, or quieter evenings.
Journaling Prompt:
What is one small way my body or heart has been asking for rest, and how might I honour that request this week?
Writing it down helps you notice the quieter truths that fatigue often hides.
Therapy as Support During the Transition
If you’re finding this season emotionally heavy or hard to navigate, therapy can help you re-ground and rebuild a sense of steadiness. My work integrates mindfulness-based therapy, trauma-informed care, and compassionate self-reflection to support you through stress, burnout, and emotional fatigue.
You may also find support in community spaces like my Winter Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program or the Healing Circle group, both designed to help you slow down, reconnect with yourself, and feel less alone in what you’re carrying.
Whether you’re returning to therapy after some time away or exploring it for the first time, this can be a meaningful moment to begin again.
Closing Thoughts
Nature doesn’t resist its own rhythm - it rests, releases, and quietly prepares for renewal. You deserve the same compassion.
As the days grow shorter, let yourself soften rather than strive. You are not falling behind - you are simply aligning with the season’s quieter wisdom.
