Living by the Seasons: Your Body's Secret Language

How to tune into your natural rhythms instead of fighting them

I stood in my kitchen at 3 PM one grey afternoon, fresh tea in hand and woolen jumper on, wondering why I felt like I was swimming uphill through mud. My usual afternoon productivity had evaporated, and was replaced by an overwhelming urge to curl up with a book under a soft blanket and forget about my over-ambitious to-do list. For weeks now, I'd been pushing against this feeling, downing extra coffee and berating myself for being "lazy” and unproductive. Then I realised what was happening: my body wasn't broken—it was being brilliant.

You know that feeling when you're out of sync with yourself? When winter feels heavy and exhausting, or when autumn arrives and you suddenly crave hearty stews instead of summer salads? What if I told you these aren't personal failings or random mood swings, but your body speaking a language we've forgotten how to hear?

The Science Your Body Already Knows

Research published in respected journals shows that human circadian rhythms naturally shift with the seasons, affecting everything from when we feel sleepy to how our body temperature fluctuates throughout the day. Scientists have discovered that reduced sunlight in fall and winter disrupts our internal clock, affecting serotonin and melatonin levels - the very chemicals that regulate our mood and sleep.

But here's what fascinated me most: recent studies on plant circadian rhythms reveal that even plants produce different electrical potentials during day and night cycles, showing that the very energy of life itself follows these ancient patterns. We are quite literally wired to ebb and flow with the Earth's rotation.

Dr. Suman Chakraborty's research team found that "this streaming potential, essentially a consequence of the natural energy gathered in the plant, offers a renewable energy source that is continuous and can be sustainable over long periods" - but only when it aligns with natural cycles. The very same principle applies to us.

When Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Life

You're not alone if you’ve been feeling disconnected from these natural rhythms as you race through the weeks. Most of us are. However, Indigenous communities have always understood what Western science is finally confirming: that true wellbeing comes from living in harmony with natural cycles, not fighting them. The Yup'ik people of Alaska believe that being out of sync with nature causes spiritual and emotional distress -something that feels particularly relevant as we scroll through phones until midnight and wonder why we can't sleep or wake up groggy.

Ancient Indian wisdom speaks of the Panchamahabhutas - five foundational elements (earth, water, fire, air, and space) that must remain in balance for wellbeing. Traditional Chinese medicine has long recognised that "circadian rhythms tell the plant what season it is," and humans are no different.

These aren't mystical concepts - they're timeless, practical blueprints for living that modern research keeps validating.

The Hidden Cost of Fighting Your Seasons

Studies show that disrupted circadian rhythms are linked to everything from anxiety and depression to metabolic disorders. When we force ourselves to maintain summer energy in winter, or ignore our body's call for rest during autumn's inward turn, we're not just tired - we're actively working against millions of years of evolutionary wisdom. Think about it …

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) affects about 5% of Americans severely, but up to 20% experience some form of "winter blues". In Canada, 15% experience winter blues, and 2-6% SAD. In the UK, 20% experience winter blues and around 2% report SAD. Across Europe, SAD affects between 2-8% of the population. What if, instead of pathologising these seasonal shifts, we learned to work with them?

Your circadian system evolved to help you "adapt to changes in radiation, temperature, and food availability" and "optimise energy expenditure". When we ignore these signals, we're essentially asking our bodies to work harder than they need to. No wonder we feel out of sync.

The Art of Seasonal Attunement

Living seasonally doesn't mean hibernating all winter or manic productivity in summer. It means becoming fluent in your body's seasonal language. Here's what that might look like:

Winter's Wisdom: The Art of Strategic Rest Instead of fighting winter lethargy, what if you honoured it as your body's request for restoration? Research shows that resting metabolic rate naturally increases into the afternoon and peaks in late evening - but winter shifts these patterns earlier. Try moving demanding tasks to late morning when your natural energy aligns with the season.

Spring's Surge: Gentle Awakening As light returns, your circadian rhythms naturally shift earlier - you'll want to sleep and wake earlier than in winter. Work with this rather than against it. Use the longer days for gradual increases in activity, not sudden lifestyle overhauls.

Summer's Expansion: Riding the High This is your season for bigger projects and social connections. Research shows people naturally go to bed earliest in summer but wake up much earlier too, giving you more productive daylight hours.

Autumn's Gathering: Mindful Preparation As daylight shrinks, honor your body's instinct to slow down and prepare. This isn't laziness - it's ancient wisdom in action!

Small Shifts, Profound Changes

Start simple. Notice how your energy changes with the light. Light entering your eyes travels directly to your suprachiasmatic nucleus - your body's master clock. Spend ten minutes outside each morning, even on cloudy days. Your body reads these light cues to calibrate everything from hormone production to digestion.

Eat seasonally when possible. Your body naturally craves different nutrients at different times of year—warming foods in winter, cooling foods in summer. This isn't just preference; it's biological intelligence.

Most importantly, give yourself permission to want different things in different seasons. That urge to start organising in September and that winter craving for comfort and solitude aren't character flaws - they're features of a system that's working exactly as it was designed.

The Permission You've Been Waiting For

Here's what no one tells you about seasonal living: it's not about perfection; it's about partnership with your own nature.

Indigenous wisdom reminds us that "health is considered harmony among all parts, not just the absence of illness". When you stop forcing yourself to be the same person year-round, you're not giving up, you're giving in to a deeper intelligence that knows how to sustain itself.

Your body has been speaking this seasonal language your entire life. It's time we started listening.

I'd love to hear from you: What seasonal pattern have you noticed in your own life that you've been fighting instead of honoring? Share in the comments below—let's normalize the beautiful rhythms we all experience but rarely talk about.


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