New Year: A Season for Reflection and Renewal

As the year has turned and the days sit at their shortest, mid‑winter can bring with it a natural pause. The darker months can invite us inward, encouraging a moment of reflection and a taking stock of where we find ourselves in life. For some, this season stirs a sense of possibility—a fresh start, renewed motivation, or the familiar ritual of setting intentions for the year ahead.

For others, winter offers something quieter: a permission to rest. The cold, wet days can draw us toward warmth and stillness, a time to retreat and snuggle in and gather strength before emerging again when the light returns.

This time of year can also stir more complex emotional currents. In the quiet, we may become more aware of what feels unresolved — grief that has not yet found its place, relational patterns that leave us feeling stuck, or a sense of being lost or unmotivated. These experiences are often signals from the deeper layers of the self, asking for attention.

The writer Katherine May describes this inner descent as 'Wintering', like the name of her book — a period in which life feels stripped back, slowed, challenging or barren. From a psychodynamic perspective, wintering can be understood as a natural part of our emotional life cycle. It is a time when unconscious material may rise closer to the surface, inviting us to reflect on old stories, past attachments, and the parts of ourselves we may have pushed aside in busier seasons.

As these things emerge, these inner winters can be times of letting go — not only of external circumstances, but of versions of ourselves that no longer seem to fit who we are now. Grieving these shifts is often necessary before something new can emerge. This process can feel disorienting, even painful, because it touches the deeper layers of identity, memory, and longing.

Moving through such a season alone can be challenging. In counselling, there is space to explore these inner landscapes with curiosity and compassion. Together, we can trace the threads between past and present, noticing how earlier experiences may shape current feelings or patterns. A therapeutic relationship offers a steady presence — someone to walk alongside you as you navigate your own wintering, helping you make sense of what is unfolding within.