Whatif… We “Winter”?

There is a story making it’s way through social media about an apparent study in which people injected adrenaline into redwood trees to prevent them from going dormant in winter and how this ultimately killed them.

The story is fabricated. So don’t believe everything you hear.

In these social media posts, the message is that like redwood trees, humans need a period of “wintering”. We are so wired and acculterated to be productive, to do instead of be, and to achieve, that most of us do not rest the way we should.

Even though the story of the study is false, the message is very real. Exercise science demonstrates that our bodies need rest from workouts to repair and grow stronger. Sleep researchers consistently show that the brain actually cleanses itself of toxins during rest, which is fundamental to brain functioning. And learning science shows that breaks and rests between practice (especially skills like playing instruments or sports) actually helps to boost mental and physical memory of the skill you are trying to learn.

Whatif… we were more intentional about “wintering”? What would it look like and feel like to give ourselves periods of intentional rest and reflection? Imagine how briefly stepping away from certain work obligations, from scrolling social media, or simply from feeling the weight of needing to achieve might shape how you show up after you rest? 

Perhaps this is feeling relevant to me right now because we are in the last third of our fall semester, which is when we all start to run low on “motivation juice”. (I can feel it in myself and I can feel it in my students!) Or maybe it’s because we just had our first snowfall of the year, and snow makes me want to stay home, read by the fire, and drink tea. Regardless, space to breathe is necessary to being human. And the human animal, especially in the complexity and unwavering movement of today’s world, needs periods of rest and reflection to flourish.

Whatif… this season, you chose to “winter”? What would be possible if you treated rest as preparation, not retreat?