Teen Edition! A Midwestern Winter Survival Quick Guide: How to Protect Your Mood, Motivation & Mental Health During Long, Dark Months

Hey. If winter hits you harder than other seasons, you’re not dramatic, you’re not lazy, and you’re not “just in a mood.”
Midwestern winters are intense. Your brain and body are reacting to real changes in sunlight, routine, temperature, and stress.

Here are simple, real strategies backed by science and written for you, not your parents.

❄️ 1. Your Brain in Winter: What’s Actually Happening

• Less sunlight = less serotonin (the “steady mood” chemical)

• More darkness = more melatonin (the “sleepy / unmotivated” chemical)

• Cold weather = less time outside, less movement

• School stress + winter = emotional overload

So if you feel tired, snappy, stressed, or unmotivated… that’s literally your brain chemistry shifting. Nothing is wrong with you.

🌥️ 2. What You Might Notice in Yourself

You don’t need to have all of these. Even one or two is normal:

• Zero motivation

• “Nothing sounds fun anymore” vibes

• Sleeping more or never feeling rested

• More anxiety or overwhelm

• Irritability (aka everything feels annoying)

• Trouble starting assignments

• Wanting to isolate

• Feeling heavy, stuck, or blank

If any of this feels familiar, you’re not alone, lots of Midwestern teens feel this too.

🔆 3. Small Habits That Actually Help (No Fake Positivity)

These are science-backed and don’t require a full personality makeover.

☀️ Get at least 10 minutes of morning light

Open your blinds as soon as you wake up.
Light = energy + focus.

🧠 Use the 5-Minute Start Rule

If a task feels impossible, set a timer for five minutes and start just one part.
Your brain often needs momentum, not motivation.

🚶 Move your body a tiny bit

Not a workout: literally a 1–3 minute movement break.
Movement increases dopamine, the “motivation” chemical.

📚 Plan one “anchor activity” a day

Something small you can look forward to:
a show, a snack, a shower, a playlist, a game.
Your brain needs rewards in winter.

👀 Talk to at least one person a day

Online counts.
Humans need connection for regulation.

💧 Drink water + eat every few hours

Blood sugar dips → mood dips → everything feels harder.
(This is that important.)

🧊 4. When Stress Hits Hard (School, Friends, Family)

Try these micro-coping tools:

The “Name + Normalize” Trick

Say to yourself:
“Okay. I feel anxious. A lot is happening. Winter makes everything heavier.”
Your brain calms down when you put words to your feelings.

Box Breathing (4-4-4-4)

Inhale 4
Hold 4
Exhale 4
Hold 4
Repeats help regulate your nervous system.

The “Take a Lap” Reset

If you’re overwhelmed at school, take a quick walk to the bathroom or hallway.
Change of environment = reset for your brain.

Music as Regulation

Slow tempo → calms your nervous system.
Upbeat → boosts energy when you’re slump-y.

🌡️ 5. Signs You Might Need Extra Support

It’s completely okay to ask for help if you notice:

• Nothing feels enjoyable anymore

• You’re crying more often

• You feel hopeless or stuck

• You’re thinking about harming yourself

• Your sleep is totally off

• Your friends notice you’re different

Getting support isn’t weakness — it’s literally taking care of your brain.

💬 6. How to Talk to an Adult About How You’re Feeling

This can feel awkward, so here are scripts that don’t feel cringe:

• “Winter’s been hitting me harder than usual. Can we talk?”

• “I don’t feel like myself. I don’t know exactly why.”

• “I think I might need help with my mood, but I’m not sure where to start.”

• “School feels overwhelming lately. Can we figure out a plan?”

You never have to have the “perfect words.”
Your job is to speak up — the adults can help with the rest.

🧠 7. You're Not Broken. You're a Human in Winter

Michigan winters are long, dark, and emotionally heavy.
Your brain is reacting in a way that makes sense.
And with support, small habits, and real connection, you can feel better.

If you want someone to talk to, our therapists at Inspired Healing Therapy support teens with:

• school stress

• anxiety and overwhelm

• identity exploration

• seasonal mood changes

• family communication

• trauma-informed care

You're not alone. You matter. And you deserve to feel supported this winter.

Looking for FREE resources to help support you this holiday season? Check out our Somatic Guide to Navigating the Holidays free on the Inspired Healing Therapy Website. Happy self-caring!

A Therapist’s Guide to Navigating the Colder Months With Nervous System Awareness (Michigan Edition)

If you’ve ever wondered why this season feels “loud” in your body, you’re not imagining it. Your nervous system has a lot to manage in December — and for those of us in Michigan and the Midwest, winter adds an extra layer of intensity.

This guide and the therapy team at Inspired Healing Therapy can help you understand what’s happening physiologically, why your body reacts the way it does, and how to support yourself through the season using therapist-backed, accessible tools.

Why This Season and Midwestern Winters May Feel Like Overwhelm To Your Nervous System

Many people assume holiday stress is a mindset or a personality flaw. But the truth is much more compassionate: holiday overwhelm is a physiological response. And that response gets amplified by Midwest winter conditions.

Here’s what your nervous system is actually dealing with:

1. Sensory Overload From Events, Expectations, and Emotion

The holidays pack a high concentration of stimuli:

• Loud gatherings

• Family dynamics

• Travel

• Shifts in routine

• Pressure to be “on,” grateful, cheerful, or available

Your brain is constantly scanning this sensory environment. Even positive events can activate your sympathetic nervous system — the energy that mobilizes you for “doing,” problem-solving, and surviving the moment.

No wonder you feel overstimulated.

2. Long, Dark Evenings Impact Mood and Energy

In Michigan, sundown around 4:45pm can drastically change the way your body functions. Low light can:

• decrease serotonin (impacting mood)

• disrupt circadian rhythm

• reduce natural energy cycles

• increase fatigue and irritability

Cold temperatures also cue the body to brace. Shoulders lift. Muscles tighten. We hunch, shiver, and brace ourselves without noticing — increasing the “fight or flight” signal.

Your nervous system is working harder all season long.

3. The Window of Tolerance Gets Smaller

Think of the window of tolerance as the emotional bandwidth where you feel grounded, present, and able to respond intentionally.

During December, it’s common for your window to shrink.

Signs you’re slipping out of it:

• Snapping at family members

• Feeling numb or disconnected

• Trouble sleeping or oversleeping

• Overthinking or catastrophizing

• Feeling tense or wired

• Difficulty being present

Again — this isn’t personal. It’s your body trying to manage too much input with too few resources.

Common Holiday Triggers and Why Your Body Reacts

So much of holiday stress gets blamed on mindset. But most triggers are embodied experiences. Here’s what may be activating you this month:

1. Returning to Old Family Roles

Many adults report feeling 15 again the moment they walk into their childhood home.

Your nervous system recognizes old environments and unconsciously shifts into remembered relational patterns:

• Being the helper

• Mediating conflict

• Keeping the peace

• Becoming the “responsible” one

• Feeling unheard or unseen

This is not immaturity. It’s neurobiology.

2. Grief and Emotional Dissonance

For many people:

• someone is missing

• traditions don’t look the same

• family dynamics have shifted

• the season feels heavier than it used to

Your nervous system carries the emotional imprint of past holidays. Nostalgia and grief can activate the same stress pathways as conflict.

3. Overcommitment + Social Fatigue

Even if you enjoy holiday gatherings, every event requires emotional labor: small talk, being attentive, managing interactions, participating socially.

Combine that with cold-weather isolation, disrupted routines, and early darkness?

The emotional cost adds up quickly.

Therapist-Backed Tools to Support Your Nervous System This December

As a licensed professional counselor, I would like to share these simple, accessible, yet effective practices, especially curated for Michigan winters.

1. Micro-Regulation for When You’re Overwhelmed

These take 30 seconds or less:

• Extended Exhale

Inhale for 4, exhale for 6.
This signals the parasympathetic nervous system to slow the body down.

• Hand-Warming

Wrap both hands around a mug, hot pack, or pocket warmers.
Warmth decreases sympathetic activation and helps your body feel safer.

• Orienting

Look around the room and name:
1 thing you see
1 thing you hear
1 thing you feel
This grounds your brain in the present instead of old emotional patterns.

2. Winter-Specific Regulation Tools (Michigan Edition)

• Light Exposure as Medicine

Spend 10 minutes near a window in the morning or use a therapy light.
This boosts serotonin and stabilizes energy.

• Warmth Rituals

Tiny moments like heating a blanket, taking a hot shower, or using a heated seat in the car can help relax chronic physiological bracing.

• Gentle Indoor Movement

You don’t need a full workout.
Try:

• 5-minute stretching

• a short hallway walk

• mall walking

• at-home mobility

Movement helps discharge built-up stress hormones.

3. Social Boundaries That Protect Your Window of Tolerance

These scripts help without creating conflict:

• “I’m going to take a quick breather — I’ll be back in 10 minutes.”

• “I love seeing everyone, but I’m at capacity. I’m heading home a little early.”

• “Can we pause this conversation? I want to talk when I can be more grounded.”

These are regulation tools — not rudeness.

4. Co-Regulation: Let People Help Your Nervous System

Healthy connection can soothe overwhelm.

You can ask for:

• someone sitting close

• a slower-paced conversation

• a walk together

• shared silence

• a hand squeeze or hug

Your nervous system is wired for connection, not independence.

How to Tell When You Might Need More Support This Season

Consider reaching out for additional support if you notice:

• persistent irritability

• isolation from loved ones

• trouble sleeping

• loss of interest in things you usually enjoy

• overwhelming dread

• intense family triggers

• symptoms of seasonal depression

You don’t have to navigate December — or the darker months — alone.

A Gentle December Reminder

You don’t need to be festive, social, energized, or emotionally available just because the calendar says it’s December. Your body is allowed to have limits.

This season becomes far easier when you treat your nervous system with kindness and awareness — and when you let yourself belong to the present moment, not old stories or pressures.

You’re doing the best you can, and that’s enough.

Inspired Healing Therapy offers a trauma-informed, gentle space to explore what your nervous system needs. Whether you are looking for talk therapy or another method of healing, like art therapy, dance/movement therapy, or music therapy, the clinical team is here to meet you where you are at this month.

-> Click on our Lets Get Started page to make the next step on your healing journey today.