Regardless of where you live, the weather has shifted. If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, winter is upon us. Even if you don’t regularly see snow like me in North Carolina, we’re united by the signals of familiarity that often accompany the season; cooler temperatures, earlier evenings, brisker mornings, and less sunshine. If your body is sensitive to these changes, you may notice shifts in your mood, energy, or motivation. It is common enough to be named—seasonal affective disorder is something many people experience when exposed to these conditions for prolonged periods of time.

If you’ve been feeling more down lately, know that this may be environmental and that there are ways to support yourself during this season. One place to begin is by taking a cue from Mother Nature herself. Winter is not a season of constant production; it is a season of rest, quiet, and conservation. So the question becomes: do we really need to maintain the same pace and level of activity we aspired to during spring and summer, when social calendars were fuller and daylight stretched longer? As parents, caregivers, and helpers, do we need to be the ones doing the most in order to give everyone around us the world?

We were designed to be human beings, not human doings. When we recognize our place within nature’s design, we are reminded that slowing down is not failure; it is alignment. Reducing activity, being more intentional with how and where we spend our energy, and allowing for pause signals to our minds and bodies that rest and reset are not only acceptable. They are necessary. These small adjustments create space for a new way of being before the next season arrives with new invitations.

Where might you conserve energy this winter? Where could it be used more meaningfully? Alongside slowing down, this season also invites us to take a closer look at our health habits. Hydration remains essential, even in colder weather, especially as it affects skin, hair, and overall vitality. Nourishing foods like soups, chilis, and stews warm both body and spirit, often carrying the comfort of shared meals from earlier chapters of our lives. Movement, too, can remain present—just in a gentler form. This might be the season for Tai Chi, heated yoga, or a brisk walk on a rare sunny afternoon.

Sun exposure becomes particularly important during the darker months, especially given that the majority of Black folks experience vitamin D deficiency due to higher melanin levels. And while we tend to focus on caring for our physical bodies, our mental health deserves equal attention. How are we feeding our minds? Are we resting them? Is there space for journaling, meditation, or moments of quiet reflection? More time indoors doesn’t have to mean more time scrolling.

Winter is, at its core, an invitation to evaluate what aligns—and what might need to shift. Realignment doesn’t have to be drastic to be meaningful. In fact, the smaller the shift, the more sustainable it becomes. And that’s where the magic often lives.

For those of us who work in caregiving roles—especially in the birthing space—this invitation carries particular weight.

Mental health in birth work is often discussed only in relation to the birthing person and, in traumatic circumstances, their partner. But what about the doula? The steady presence. The advocate. The connector. The one holding the room together. While doulas are often taught to stay in the background, we are very much a part of the birth experience and greatly impacted by it, for better or worse. Bearing witness to joy, pain, grief, resilience, and transformation takes a toll, even when the work is deeply meaningful.

As a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor/Supervisor (LCMHCS) and a birth and postpartum doula, I’ve seen firsthand the importance of doulas having intentional space to check in with themselves, with peers, and with professionals. We are constantly holding others. We, too, need places where what we carry can be named, unpacked, and gently set down.

In essence, we must nurture the nurturer; the one who mothers the mothers. When we do, everyone benefits.

When was the last time you checked in with yourself? Or with a doula peer who truly understands the weight and beauty of this work?

I invite you to join us at Mama Glow Doulas’ Mental Health Series, Holding Space: An Online Mental Health Circle for Doulas created with these questions in mind. It is an intentional, supportive space for doulas to pause, reflect, and be held. I look forward to seeing you there, where we will slow down together, honor the season, and hold space to truly check in with our doula siblings.