Before the Days Grow Dark: Getting Ready for Winter in Mind, Body and Soul

Today has been our first truly rainy day of the season. As the morning went on, I began to feel my body slow a bit. Then I realized: we are entering a time of year that can be a real challenge for some of you in the Integrated Catholic Woman community.

It took me right back to 2003. That was the year we moved from Southern California, where it's rarely gloomy, to North Carolina, just in time for one of the worst winters on record. This California girl experienced something she had not felt before. I couldn't shake the feeling of being unmotivated, just blah, and, dare I say, kind of depressed. Those of you who know me know I am not a Debbie Downer (LOL), so this feeling was a bit concerning.

I went to the doctor. Back then, SAD wasn't talked about the way it is today. But, providentially, my practitioner was a compassionate mother herself. She sat with me, asked a bunch of questions, looked at my history, and connected the dots. I still remember what she said: "Wait, you're used to it being sunny all of the time! I think you need sun." Then she asked whether I'd be open to a tanning bed two or three times a week, and whether I could afford that.

I was taken aback. At first I thought she was nuts. And then I realized: SHE SAW ME.

So I gave it a try, 7 to 10 minutes twice a week for eight weeks. And you know what? IT WORKED. By week three I was a different wife, mom and woman.

There is a lot to be said for a caring practitioner. There is also now a name for what I felt. It's called seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and it's real.

For many women, the darker months bring more than sweaters and soup. Energy dips. Motivation goes missing. The things that felt doable in June suddenly feel like pushing a boulder uphill. If that sounds familiar, I want you to hear this first: nothing is wrong with your willpower. Some of us are simply more sensitive to the loss of daylight.

You may notice it as dread when the forecast turns gray, as a body that will not get moving, or as a creeping sense of "why bother?" If that heaviness settles in and stays, please talk with your doctor or a mental health professional, just as I did. That is not weakness. That is good stewardship.

The good news is that October is a wonderful time to prepare. As a Precision Nutrition Level 2 Master Health Coach, I want to share some guidance from PN's Coach Kate Solovieva, who lives with seasonal affective disorder herself and coaches others through it. You don't need to know all the things. You just need to know the next right thing. Here are four.

1. Notice your pattern. I noticed mine this morning in the rain. Think back over the last few winters. When did your mood and energy shift? What helped, and what didn't? Knowing your own "normal" is how you recognize when you are drifting from it.

2. Seek the light. Daylight is powerful medicine for mood and sleep. Aim for about 20 minutes outside each day, ideally in the morning. On the days that isn't possible, a light therapy lamp can help. (We have learned a lot since my tanning bed days! Today's lamps give you the bright light without the UV rays, which is much kinder to your skin.) Look for one that offers 10,000 lux and use it for 20 to 30 minutes within the first hour of waking. Morning prayer or your first cup of coffee (not on an empty stomach, of course!) is a lovely time for it.

3. Know your vitamin D. Before you add a supplement or increase one, ask your doctor to check your level and recommend the right amount for you. Too little won't move the needle, and more is not better if your level is already where it belongs.

4. Let maintenance be enough. This one is hard for us do-ers. We love progress we can measure! In a hard season, though, simply holding steady is a real victory. It's both and: you can be a woman who is growing and a woman who is, for now, keeping the lamp lit. A little bit better…everyday sometimes looks like "the same as yesterday," and that counts.

Walking toward the Light

I love that the Church gives us Advent in the darkest weeks of the year. We do not pretend the darkness away. We light one candle, then another, and we walk toward the Light who is coming.

That is the heart of 100 Miles to Bethlehem, now in its 11th year. For five weeks we travel with the Holy Family in mind, body and soul, moving our bodies daily, praying together, and encouraging one another along the road. It gives you a reason to get outside, sisters to walk beside you, and a rhythm to carry you through the season instead of gritting your teeth through it.

You were not made to walk through winter alone. Come with us.

Join 100 Miles to Bethlehem — begins November 29, 2026 — Click Here to Join the Waitlist  or Click here to learn more

Betsy D. Hoyt, NBC-HWC, is a Board Certified Health and Hormone Coach and Precision Nutrition Level 2 Master Health Coach and Founder of Integrated Catholic Woman

The two 100 Miles brackets are still open whenever you have the details.