The Slide Into the Dark Season (and How to Stay Okay Through It)

Simple rituals to help you stay grounded and steady as the light fades.

It’s the week before Halloween, and while everyone is talking about costumes and candy, I’m over here tracking the sunset like it’s a threat level system. Because right now in Vermont, the sun taps out around 5:49 pm — and the glow of porch lights replaces daylight before dinner’s even on the stove.

That’s just the warm-up. By the time we hit the shortest day of the year? Sunset drops to 4:14 pm — which feels personally offensive.

My mood already notices the shift. Maybe yours does too.

The seasonal slump doesn’t wait for winter — it starts now, during this awkward in-between stretch. The light disappears, the days shrink, and suddenly our brains are like, “Hey… what if we just stopped functioning at 3pm?”

If you feel a little more tired, a little more irritable, or a little less yourself in late October, you’re not alone.

You’re also not dramatic or weak. You’re just responding to shorter days the way humans naturally do.

The problem is, we’re expected to operate the same in winter as we do in summer — same schedule, same productivity, same attitude — even though our brains and bodies are dealing with a totally different reality.

Less sunlight changes our chemistry, our energy, and our mood, but the world doesn’t adjust. So we end up feeling “off,” when really, we’re just reacting like humans who need light to function.

Instead of pretending nothing is happening, I’ve started treating seasonal mood changes as something I can plan for — like weather. Not a personal failure. A shift in conditions.

And here’s what actually helps me stay steady: I change what I can — the light, the space, the energy around me.

For me, that looks like three simple things:

1. Warm light when my brain starts shutting down too early.

I don’t use one of those official light therapy boxes — though they work wonders for some people. I plug in soft Christmas lights, switch on my moon lamp, and let my warm grow lights do double duty as mood lighting.

Is it clinical? Absolutely not. But the combo brightens the house, softens the darkness, and keeps my brain from deciding that 5:50 pm means “emotional shutdown hour.”

2. Greenery everywhere.

I’ve learned that having plants in my space isn’t just about decorating — it’s about staying sane. When I’m surrounded by greenery, I feel calmer and more grounded, even in the dead of winter.

There’s plenty of research showing plants can lower stress and boost mood, but honestly, I don’t need a study to prove it — I can feel my nervous system relax around them.

A full jungle isn’t necessary — just enough life in my line of sight to remind my brain that the world hasn’t gone dormant, even if the trees outside look like skeletons.

3. Move a Little

The other thing that helps me fight the seasonal slump is just getting my body moving. I’m not talking about training for a marathon or turning into a fitness enthusiast overnight.

I mean five minutes — enough to get blood moving and shake off the sluggishness.

If I can get outside during daylight, even briefly, it’s a double win: light + movement = instant mood bump. And on days when the sun and I don’t cross paths, I’ll hop on a stationary bike or march in place like a confused flamingo.

It doesn’t have to be intense to matter — movement is medicine in any dose.

That mix — warm light, a little greenery, and a bit of movement — doesn’t fix everything, but it makes a real difference. It keeps me from going numb to the season.

And honestly, that’s what I want most this time of year: not to “push through,” but to stay present and not lose parts of myself to the early darkness.

We may not control the sun (tragic, I know), but we can shape the spaces we spend our lives in. A few intentional choices can make our homes feel brighter, our minds feel steadier, and our days feel a little less heavy.

Not perfection. Not a full transformation. Just enough support to stay grounded instead of overwhelmed.

Winter will do what winter does. But we don’t have to disappear with the daylight. Light a corner. Add a little life. Be kind to your winter self.

🎥 FROM THE POT UP — Create Your Own Indoor Tea Garden

If winter insists on keeping us indoors, we might as well make the indoors worth being in — preferably with tea we grew ourselves.

This week’s video walks you through how to start your own indoor tea garden, even in a small space (and even if your sunlight situation is… less than ideal).

A few herbs, a warm window or grow light, and a couple of pots are all you really need to start growing ingredients you can actually sip.

Because truly — if we’re going to deal with early sunsets and seasonal mood swings, a mug of something homegrown feels like a tiny act of rebellion against winter.

🪴 Houseplant Shenanigans — The Fairy-Light Air-Plant Glow

This week’s shenanigan is a simple, mood-saving DIY for the dark season: create a glowing air-plant lantern. It’s quick, cozy, and takes zero real skill — my favorite kind of winter project.

Grab a small glass planter, an air plant, some pebbles or moss if you’d like, and a tiny strand of LED fairy lights. Layer the lights inside the planter with the pebbles or moss, then nestle the air plant on top so it sits like a little forest spirit in its glowing cave.

Put it where you’ll actually see it at night, flip the switch, and let the soft light do its thing.

When the sun bails early, we need small pockets of light and life to keep our brains from sinking with it. This tiny lantern becomes a warm visual anchor — part plant, part glow, part “okay, winter, you don’t win today.”

🌿 OFFBEAT BOTANICA — White Baneberry (Actaea pachypoda)

Meet White Baneberry, also known as Doll’s-Eyes — a plant that looks like it crawled straight out of a Tim Burton storyboard. At first glance, it’s harmless enough. Then you get closer and notice the berries: eerie white orbs with black pupils staring at you from the stem.

It’s oddly beautiful — and just a little unsettling.

Those creepy little eyeballs aren’t just for show, either. The plant is highly toxic — especially the berries — which makes it one of the more dramatic residents of the woodland understory.

Birds can eat them without issue, but humans and most mammals? Hard pass unless you’d like your Halloween to become far too immersive.

It’s spooky. It’s strange. It’s plant goth energy at its finest. 10/10 would feature in a haunted greenhouse.

✈️ Dream Check-In — Private Pilot Goal

I didn’t get up in the air this week, but I did get a lot of studying in — which feels like a win for this time of year.

As you now know, once the light fades, it feels like my brain starts powering down right along with it, so staying consistent with ground school is momentum I’m proud of.

Just like everything else in this season, it’s about steady, sustainable progress — not perfection, not speed.

If we can keep showing up in tiny ways through the dark months, I know the bigger strides will follow when the light returns.

Until next week — stay curious, stay growing.
— KC 🌱