How to cultivate connection and feel less alone during the winter (when all you really want to do is hibernate)

Winter is a time of rest and reflection. Your body both needs and deserves a chance to slow down, and hibernate, in whatever way feels good for you (and yes, spending Saturday night under a blanket watching Gladiators totally counts). 

Winter days are short, especially in the UK where there is an average of just 8 hours of daylight. It can feel harder to get out and socialise during this time, compared to the warmer months.

When the days are dark and cold, you might feel less inspired to arrange coffee dates, catch-ups, or day trips with friends and family.

You don't have to battle between your mind and body’s desire to rest and recharge, and your heart’s desire to maintain strong, meaningful connections with your loved ones.

There is nothing wrong with feeling the need to hibernate, and shut yourself away over the winter months. You don't need to apologise, or feel guilty for it. Just look at the trees. Over winter, they lose their leaves, and need a season to recover before they can bloom and perform at their best again. 

Nothing can perform at its optimum level 24/7 - beautiful, gentle human souls like yourself included.

Everybody deserves a chance to recharge.

But that doesn’t have to leave you feeling alone. Winter doesn’t have to be a time of isolation. There are still ways you can cultivate connection, and maintain relationships, while honouring your need for rest and recuperation. 

Today, I am going to be sharing a few ideas about how to cultivate connection and feel less alone during the winter, to help you through these longer, and often tougher months. 

When I’m not writing articles like this, I run my own greeting card business, Jess A Little Creative. My entire business centres around creating beautiful designs to encourage connection, share kindness, and lead a gentle, fulfilling life. 

It is so vitally important to feel connected, and part of something, no matter what time of year it is.

The power of fresh air and natural sunlight to strengthen connection

Although it’s less inviting to step outside in the winter months, it can be incredibly beneficial to your physical and mental health, and help you feel more connected to people, nature, and your local community. 

Frosty winter mornings can be breathtakingly beautiful, and taking a short walk before work is a great way to feel less isolated.

Wonderful ways to connect on a gentle winter morning walk: 

• Smile and say hello to people (and cute dogs) you walk past, 
• Listen to the birds singing, 
• Notice the beautiful flowers, plants and wildlife you encounter,
• Look out for notices and posters advertising local events or classes you may want to take part in.

The beauty of a walk is you never know who or what you will see. It is a brilliant chance to feel gently connected, even when in hibernation mode. Waving and saying hello to neighbours and passers-by is a great way to maintain connections and feel part of your local community, even when you don’t have much oomph or energy.

Never underestimate the power of a greeting card or letter

During the winter, when you are spending more time tucked up at home, making a special effort to stay in touch with friends and relatives can be hugely helpful in ensuring you still feel connected. 

A great way to do this is by sending thoughtful greeting cards or letters, telling your loved ones any news you have. Choose some beautiful greeting cards or writing paper that you know they will love, and feel yourself become more connected as you communicate in this thoughtful, and special way. 

The wonderful thing about sending cards and letters is that the recipient gets as much joy from it as you do.

It is often the quality of connections, and not the quantity, that bring a feeling of fulfilment. By taking the time to send a card or letter to a few special friends or relatives throughout the winter, you are strengthening your bond, in a gentle and thoughtful way, while still listening to your own need for rest and recuperation.

Technology can’t be ignored when it comes to staying connected

There is no escaping the significant advantages and benefits that technology brings to maintaining connections, even for those of you who strive for a slow, gentle life, away from the constant ping of notifications.

Organising occasional video calls or phone calls with those you love can be a brilliant way to keep in touch.

The power of seeing a friendly face or hearing a friendly voice can bring a touch of joy to even the gloomiest winter day.

If you are mindful of your screen time, you can tell whoever you’re speaking to that you can't speak for long, but would love to hear their news and see their face. It’s a lovely way to maintain closeness and connection during the winter months.

Bring more joy to winter rest with some cosy crafting activities

The joy of cold, dark winter days is that you can stay tucked up indoors all cosy, with more time to get creative and do some crafting. 

Pinterest is a great place to find craft project inspiration, and once you have found a project that sparks your interest, you can see if anyone you know would be interested in joining in. 

You could meet up and craft together, but it can also be done independently. You can feel that sense of connection and community by sharing photos and updates of your progress with your crafty friends, to see how you are all getting on.

You don’t even need to be making the same thing, but it’s a lovely way to stay in touch and do something creative.

A few ideas to get you started:

• Paint your favourite landscape
• Craft a spring wreath, in preparation for the season’s changing,
• Knit a scarf, to keep you warm and cosy until then!

Connection can be found in nature

Cultivating a feeling of connection during the winter doesn’t have to involve other people. 

Paying attention to the crunch of leaves on the ground, marvelling at the beautiful patterns created by frosty cobwebs, basking in the deep golden glow of the setting sun, and the joy at the first determined spring flowers emerging through the cracks in the frozen ground, can all give you that feeling of being connected, and part of something. 

Finding these glimmers in nature during the winter can really help you feel better connected to the earth in a wholesome, gentle way.

It is a beautiful thing to remember that we have one sun, and one moon. No matter where you are in the world, you are looking at the same sun, and the same moon, as someone else, at the exact same moment. Two different lives, brought together by simultaneously enjoying the extraordinary wonders of our skies. 

A beautiful, and important reminder, that you are not alone. 

And don’t forget the most important connection of all

While all these ideas for cultivating connection are useful, don’t forget the most important connection of all: connection to yourself.

If you are yearning for a quiet winter of solitude, and a chance to recharge your batteries so you can emerge in spring with renewed energy, that is ok. Listen to your mind, and your body. Look after yourself, care for yourself as you would a friend.

In this wonderfully messy life, everything is temporary. Seasons and feelings change. Take this winter as an opportunity to rest and hibernate. Do some journaling, cosy up with a boxset, drink copious amounts of tea, treat yourself to the fluffiest socks imaginable. 

The world will understand if you need a season of solitude, and it'll be waiting for you with open arms when you’re ready to gently emerge, renewed and refreshed.

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I really hope this article has helped you feel more connected, and less alone this winter. It can be a long and tough season, especially once Christmas has passed. Hopefully these simple ideas have given you some inspiration of gentle, thoughtful ways to connect, not only with friends and family, but with nature, with the earth, and with yourself. 

I hope you take the chance to rest as you need to, and emerge into the spring feeling well cared for. 

If you’d like to hear more of my thoughts on connection, and keep up-to-date with my greeting card business, Jess A Little Creative, please consider signing up to my mailing list, I’d love to have you there.

In the meantime, stay cosy and be gentle with yourself.

Sending you lots of love,

Jess x