Biohacking Winter

4 min readJan 30, 2024

Let’s talk about how to biohack the winter blues!

As we know, the winter season welcomes hibernation, a slower pace, and naturally invites you to look inward.

During this time our shadows, daily patterns, and our repeating thoughts, can more easily float to the top, and grab our attention.

Some might say this is the perfect time to dig into your shadow work.

However…

At the same time, our neurochemicals, immune systems, and hormones are ALL majorly adjusting, and mostly deficient.

SO…at a chemical level we are already feeling a bit low.

And feeling low PLUS entertaining “shadow work” on the darkest days of the year can be daunting and very unattractive…to say the least.

Therefore, this note serves as an important reminder to have compassion for yourself during this season, move at your own pace, and seek support if needed.

This is also an invitation to learn more about these changes, so that your radiance isn’t completely diminished after the sun sets, and you can still find time for productive self reflection and personal growth on the dark days, if that is your pleasure :)

Here are a few common changes our bodies and minds can go through during the winter.

Vitamin D deficiency from lack of sunshine, that is required for our body to absorb essential nutrients.
Melatonin is overproducing, our sleep regulating hormone
Decreased serotonin from shorter days, and melatonin imbalance
Cravings for carbohydrates, to generate serotonin production
Insulin resistance is increased, causing our livers to increase fat production so that we can store fat in our tissues to prepare for the cold
Dehydration due to less moisture in the air
Oxytocin decreases as our social lives slow down, the hormone produced when connecting with others
Diet Shifts with less access to local fresh fruits and veggies for essential vitamins and minerals
Immunity decreased due to ^ all of the above

As you can see, our neurochemicals, immune systems, and hormones are operating completely different than they do in the warmer months.

And they’re all connected.

So when out of balance, our immune systems become more susceptible to bugs and viruses. sheesh.

SO what can you do to combat some of these deficiencies?

Some of these might be obvious…and others a bit of a luxury. But here’s what I’m planning to do this season to biohack the winter blues, while creating a more welcoming environment for my shadow work: