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Rest Is the Work

Why January Is Not the Time for Big Plans (and Why Rest Is the Work)

pillow, cup and candle winter day by the window

January often arrives with pressure: set goals, make plans, move forward. Yet winter does not biologically support acceleration. It supports rest, reflection, and quiet preparation. When energy feels low or clarity feels distant, this is not a personal shortcoming it is the body responding appropriately to the season.


Reduced daylight alters circadian rhythms and neurotransmitter balance, influencing sleep, mood, and motivation. At the same time, the nervous system is often recovering from months of cumulative stress. Research on allostatic load shows that prolonged effort without adequate recovery impairs focus, emotional regulation, and immune resilience (McEwen, 1998). January is less about producing and more about repairing.


This is where a reframing becomes powerful: non-action is the action.


In Rest Is Resistance, Tricia Hersey writes, “Our bodies are not machines. We need rest to repair, restore, and imagine new ways of being.” This perspective aligns closely with physiology. Rest interrupts stress cycles, calms the nervous system, and creates the internal conditions needed for clarity and creativity.


Patience, often mistaken for passivity, is actually an active self-regulation skill. Reflection and narrative meaning-making strengthen emotional regulation and support sustainable change (Pennebaker & Chung, 2011). January invites us to listen rather than push.


Practicing Rest as the Work


  • Give explicit permission to rest. Let January be a low-output month.

  • Reduce decision-making. Fewer commitments allow the mind to settle.

  • Journal without urgency. Write about what might want to grow in spring with no timelines, no pressure.

  • Support dopamine gently. Morning light, movement without goals, learning, and small rituals stabilize motivation (Salamone & Correa, 2012). Dopamine loves the feeling of completing a task, so make a ritual out of completing simple things everyday.


Supportive Therapies for Deep Rest


At Prism Healing Centre, we see the winter months as an ideal time for therapies that encourage downshifting rather than doing:


  • Indian Head Massage helps quiet mental activity and release accumulated tension in the head, neck, and shoulders.


  • Reiki supports nervous system regulation by inviting the body into a parasympathetic (rest-and-repair) state.


  • Full Moon Gong Baths offer deep sensory rest, allowing the mind to disengage while the body integrates sound and vibration.


  • Reflexology gently supports systemic balance and grounding during times of fatigue or overwhelm.


  • Ionic Foot Detox Baths provide a quiet, grounding experience that supports the body’s natural clearing processes while encouraging deep relaxation.


  • Pranic Healing offers a subtle, non-touch approach that supports energetic balance and nervous system regulation.


Seeds do not grow in frozen ground. They rest, gather information, and wait. The winter months ask the same of us. When spring arrives, action feels natural again because the system is ready.


If we can help you to relax and allow your nervous system to reset, we are here to help.


References

McEwen, B. S. (1998). *Protective and damaging effects of stress mediators.* New England Journal of Medicine.

Pennebaker, J. W., & Chung, C. K. (2011). *Expressive writing and health.* Oxford Handbook of Health Psychology.

Rosenthal, N. E. et al. (1984). *Seasonal affective disorder.* Archives of General Psychiatry.

Salamone, J. D., & Correa, M. (2012). *The motivational functions of dopamine.* Neuron.

Walker, M. (2017). *Why We Sleep.* Scribner.

Hersey, T. (2022). *Rest Is Resistance.* Little, Brown Spark.


 
 
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