Ways to Support Happiness, One Season at a Time

The beginning of the year often comes with a familiar kind of pressure. New resolutions. New habits. New versions of ourselves we are “supposed” to step into right away. Even when we do not consciously buy into it, the message is everywhere. Start fresh. Do more. Be better.

For many people, that pressure feels misaligned with how they actually feel in January. In calendar terms, it is a new year. In seasonal terms, at least where many of us live, it is still winter. The earth is resting. Trees are bare. Days are shorter. From a seasonal and relational perspective, this is not a time of pushing or blooming. It is a time of slowing down, conserving energy, and listening.

Holding both truths matters. We can acknowledge the calendar turning while also honoring the season we are still moving through. When we ignore that tension, we often turn inward pressure into self criticism. When we honor it, we create room for care.

Happiness is one of many emotions and it comes and goes, like stress or sadness. It is not separate from our bodies or our environment. Happiness is shaped by context, energy, connection, and the demands placed on us. This is where season matters.

During winter, our bodies and nervous systems naturally slow down. There is less daylight, more time indoors, and often less energy available. At the same time, we are surrounded by messages telling us that this is when we should feel motivated, disciplined, and ready to improve ourselves. When those expectations clash with our lived experience, it can leave us feeling like something is wrong with us. That gap between how we are expected to feel and how we actually feel is often where shame and self doubt take root.

When happiness is framed as excitement, productivity, or constant positivity, winter can feel like failure. Feeling tired, reflective, or less driven can start to look like a personal shortcoming instead of a natural response to the season. But happiness does not always look like momentum or growth.

Research in psychology, including the work of Dr. Bruce Hood, shows that happiness is supported through small, repeated experiences that support connection, meaning, and a sense of safety in daily life. These are not dramatic changes or full reinventions. They are steady, relational, and often quiet.

In winter, happiness often shows up differently than the version we are taught to chase at the start of the year. It may look like steadiness instead of motivation or rest instead of action. Supporting happiness during this time does not mean forcing optimism or ignoring what feels heavy. It means asking different questions. What supports me right now? What feels doable in this season? What helps me feel a little more grounded?

For some, this might mean choosing fewer goals instead of more. For others, it might mean prioritizing connection over productivity, or rest over discipline. It might mean noticing moments that feel okay rather than pressuring yourself to feel good.

Happiness practices do not need to be dramatic to be meaningful. They are often built into everyday moments. Small acts of kindness. Gentle movement. Brief connection with others. Moments of presence that help the nervous system settle. These are the kinds of supports that allow happiness to exist without asking us to override the season we are in.

This reflection is meant to sit alongside the “Seven Ways to Support Happiness”

handout. The handout offers concrete examples you can return to when you want something simple and clear. This piece offers context. Together, they are meant to support you, not push you.

As the year unfolds, you are allowed to move slowly. You are allowed to resist the pressure to reinvent yourself. You are allowed to honor winter while still tending to your happiness in gentle, sustainable ways. There is time. We can grow when the season is right.

Reference

Hood, B. The Science of Happiness (2024). Research and teaching emphasize that well being develops through small, repeated practices that support connection, meaning, and a sense of safety, rather than through permanent emotional states or rapid self change.