How to Find Light on the Darker Days
What I’ve learned about low moods, wintering, and meeting yourself with gentleness
The Weekly Compass - Dark Days
What do you reach for when the light fades — not just outside, but inside too?
As the nights draw in and the air turns crisp, we start to slow down.
There’s less socialising, fewer long days outside, and maybe more time on our own.
For some, it’s cosy.
For some who are navigating grief, loss, or change, this quieter season can stir up old sadness.
The kind that hides during the bright, busy summer months.
I’ve had my share of down days.
Days when the silence feels loud… and the past creeps in.
But I’ve also learned this: there are ways to hold those days gently — without letting them carry us away.
This week’s Compass is a reminder that dark days don’t mean we’ve lost our light.
Sometimes, they’re just asking us to tend to it more carefully.
Here are some ways I’ve found helpful to cope with the darkness.
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A Quote to Begin the Week
“When we stop wishing it were summer, we are given the opportunity to notice the beauty of winter.” — Katherine May, Wintering
Sometimes we resist the darker seasons of life — emotionally and literally — because they feel heavy or slow. This quote reminds me that there’s a quiet kind of beauty in the stillness, if we’re willing to soften into it.
Letting go of the need for things to feel light all the time makes space for a deeper kind of peace.
That peace feels like freedom.
What I’m Learning
This time of year used to bring dread for me.
The longer nights, the quiet weekends, the memories I didn’t want to revisit.
But now I see them differently.
Autumn and winter have a way of stripping things back — asking us what we really need to feel nourished.
Not distracted. Not busy. Not even fixed.
Just held.
I’m learning that when I stop resisting the stillness, something magical happens:
I begin to feel more in touch with myself.
Not the me who performs or pushes — but the one who just is.
A Simple Practice
Try this on your next quiet evening:
Light a candle or make a warm drink.
Put on soft music if that helps.
Ask yourself:
“What am I feeling right now that I haven’t had time to notice?”
“What would comfort me — not change me — in this moment?”
Then do one small thing in response.
A blanket. A poem. A bath. A call to someone you love.
Not to solve the feeling — but to sit beside it kindly.
(These exercises really work. They are the very tools I used to rebuild my life.)
Nourishment for the Body
Colder months often bring cravings for comfort — and rightly so.
This week, instead of judging what you reach for, ask:
“Is this nourishing me or numbing me?”
True comfort food isn’t just warm — it’s grounding.
Root vegetables, soups, spiced teas, roasted squash — anything that makes you feel settled rather than stuffed or sluggish.
This week I made banana cake and we ate slices of it spread thickly with Irish butter. ( I swapped out the vegetable oil for butter.)
Let food be a form of self-kindness, not punishment or escape.
A Meditation to Support You
“Stillness Is Sacred”
This meditation is made for evenings when you feel overwhelmed or low. It reminds you that your quietness is not a weakness — it’s an invitation to soften.
Finding Stillness Within: Meditation to Release Tension and Find Calm
During life’s challenges, finding inner peace and stillness can feel elusive.
A Track I Want to Share
Soft, warm, atmospheric, for slow evenings and gentle resets.
A Book to Read This Week
Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May
“We must learn to invite the winter in. We may never choose it, but we can choose how we meet it.”
This beautiful book is like a friend for anyone learning to live well through the quieter, darker chapters.
I’ve recommended this book before, but it’s so beautiful and perfect for this time of year!
Bonus Book for Subscribers: Get a free download of my book The Synergy Game. You can get yours here: https://BookHip.com/ZFLSCHD.
One Thing To Do
Make your “Down Day Toolkit” — a small list (written or mental) of things that genuinely soothe you when you’re low.
Your list might include:
Favourite slow songs
A go-to meal
A safe person to message
A book or podcast that makes you feel less alone
One place in your home that always feels safe
Keep it close. Use it when needed — no guilt.
This Week’s Compass Reminder
Low days don’t mean you’ve gone backwards.
They just mean you’re human.
Let the quiet teach you.
Let the stillness soften you.
Let this season — of light and shadow — be a space where you meet yourself kindly.
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Listen to one of the meditations here
Get a PDF download of You’re Allowed To Question here