Anxiety has become one of the most commonly discussed psychological experiences of modern life. It appears in clinical diagnoses, workplace conversations, social media posts and private inner monologues alike. For many people, anxiety is something to be managed, reduced, treated or eliminated. It is framed as a problem to be solved, a malfunction in the system, or an unfortunate by-product of a stressful world. While these perspectives are understandable and often necessary,

Every year, as the temperatures drop and the days draw shorter, many people find themselves asking the same question: why do I feel more anxious, low or mentally foggy when it’s cold outside? For some, winter brings festive excitement, cosy evenings and the charm of seasonal change. For others, it is a period marked by sluggishness, sadness or a creeping sense of unease. If you’ve ever typed “does cold weather make you more anxious or depressed?” into Google, you’re far from

As the year draws to a close, many people find themselves caught between two competing impulses. On the one hand, there is the cultural momentum of December: the rush towards celebration, the pressure to be sociable, the expectation that we should be merry simply because the calendar says so. On the other hand, there is the body’s quieter instinct, which often whispers an entirely different message. Winter, from a purely biological perspective, calls us to slow down. Shorter