When the Light Changes: Learning to Move With the Season
We just changed the clocks here in my corner of the world, and every year this shift throws me off a little.
Normally, I’d find myself resenting it. Frustrated by the early darkness, the odd unsettled feeling in my body, and my righteous mind insisting that daylight savings time is outdated and unnecessary.
But this year, I’m trying something different. I’m experimenting with working with reality, the fact that we still follow this outdated system, and aligning with the rhythm of the season instead of pushing against it.
Here’s what that looks like for me right now:
Catching Morning and Day Light (as much as possible)
Some mornings it feels good to step outside, breathe in the fresh air, and let the early sunlight hit my eyes.
Other mornings, I simply open my bedroom window (it faces east), lean in close as if my nose could touch the screen, and gaze toward the rising sun while I breathe, take in the view and sink deep into gratitude for all the elements, being alive and what ever else fills my heart at the moment.
It’s not exactly “outside time,” but it feels grounding and surprisingly effective. It’s my little light hack for the mornings when my body says, “not yet.”
I’m also committed to walking every day. Lately, it’s easy. The weather’s perfect and the leaves are showing off , but the test will to be keep going even when it gets cold and shitty out. I actually love hiking in the winter here; it’s quiet, crisp, and oddly comforting when there isn’t enough snow to do true winter activities.
Keeping a Steady Rhythm
I’m experimenting with starting my day a little earlier and ending it a little sooner.
I’m keeping meals around the same time each day, not from rigidity, but to mirror nature’s rhythm. Eat while the light is out. Rest more when the sun is down.
Our circadian rhythm is guided by light, not by the clock.
So this week, I’m paying more attention to light than to time, and letting it guide when I wake, eat, and rest. Going to bed earlier feels almost luxurious, like my body’s been waiting for this permission.
Eating With the Light
I’ve been shortening my eating window slightly. Not as a rule, but as an exploration to eat mostly while the sun is up.
For those of you following a Metabolic Balance nutrition plan with me, you know one of the key principles to control insulin comes from allowing about five hours between meals. That still applies, but I’ve noticed my overnight fast is naturally longer now that I’m eating dinner earlier, and I’m hungrier earlier in the day.
So I’m gently experimenting with meal times like 7 AM, 12 PM, and 5 PM. As the days get shorter, I might even close that window a little more, spacing meals about four to four and a half hours apart.
The goal isn’t perfection. It’s to stay attuned to how my body feels as daylight and energy naturally shift.
Grounding in Seasonal Foods
Lately my body’s craving warmth: roasted root vegetables, squashes, beets, apples, pears, carrots, onions, garlic, leeks, and cabbage.
These grounding, locally grown foods feel nourishing and stabilizing as the weather cools here in Niagara. Salads just don’t feel right right now. I’m not craving them, so it’s easy to pass.
Nature adjusts what grows, and our bodies adjust what they crave. Listening feels like another form of alignment.
Letting Evenings Be Slower
I’ve been dimming the lights earlier, lighting candles instead of lamps, breaking out my paints and creating instead of scrolling, reading more and leaning into quieter evenings.
The darkness feels like an invitation to rest, not something to resist.
In previous years, I’d get frustrated by the short days and early nights, trying to squeeze in the things I wanted to do. This year, I’m surrendering to nature’s rhythm and learning to chill earlier and longer.
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