Your body knows what the calendar forgot (January is not the new year)

alindsey53
2 days ago
3 min read

Now hear me out, I know that sounds silly, “Of course it is” you’re saying. “It’s at the beginning of the calendar, what is this? Some new school thing, like the new math?”. What I’m saying is if you look at how God arranged the season’s it’s a little weird that we force January to be the beginning of the year.

And I know, you’ve already seen this on your Instagram reels, TikToks, etc. because yes, this thought process is a trend right now. Where do you think I saw it? But it actually explained something to me, a feeling I have had for a long time. It has always felt strange to me that we have to start over after Christmas when the rest of nature, that God created, is getting ready to slow down and some even hibernate.

Biology

I’ve read somewhere that “January is a social agreement, not a biological instruction.” And I love this thought process. For centuries people “hunkered down” or rested during winter. They celebrated a bountiful harvest during fall (my favorite season) and used their stores of supplies to get through the winter until God woke the Earth back up again in Spring.

Next is circannual rhythms, year-long biological cycles influenced by: daylight length, temperature, and food availability. These rhythms affect our energy levels, moods, immune function and sleep patterns.

Winter physiology specifically:

Shorter days → increased melatonin production
Increased melatonin → more sleepiness, introspection, and lower drive
The body is literally signaling: slow down

So our biology in winter favors slowing down, not speeding up and starting over.

Now let’s look at psychology. Lots of people have what we therapists call Seasonal Affective Disorder. Please stop saying Reverse SAD, there is NO SUCH THING. You have SAD with a preference for (insert season here). SAD is often framed as pathology and because now we expect humans to operate 24/7 we accept that, but SAD is actually something that is biologically acceptable. Feeling less energized in winter is a biological fact, not something we should be ashamed of. Does the depression come from the season, or from the fact we’re not “doing it right?”. The signal from our bodies to slow down and take it easy shouldn’t be medicated or therapized away, it should be honored.

A new time for “Happy New Year!”

Why should spring be our true new year? With the increase in daylight, we have an increase in serotonin, our natural mood stabilizer. We also get a rise in dopamine, our natural motivation and goal setting chemical.

Spring signals new life, planting, growing, and blooming. What a beautiful way to welcome in a new year!

Reframe

So, how can we reframe January when the world and the calendar tells us it’s a new year?

We can rest, take time to slow down, do things with intention, make our homes more cozy and warm. We can slow down other areas of our lives.

We can begin praying about our goals for the new year, not executing them just yet, only praying and writing them down and setting intentions with God, always praying to make sure what we want is in His will. We can also spend this time to celebrate what went great in the last year, grieve what we lost in the previous year, and decide what theme we have for our new year.

Honoring the season of rest is biblical. Scripture repeatedly shows that God Himself works in rhythms, appoints seasons, and does not demand constant output from His people.Our Father also rested as Genesis 2:2-3 reminds us, “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.”

January does not have to be loud to be faithful. Scripture reminds us that God works through seasons—through waiting, resting, and quiet preparation. If spring is for planting and summer for growth, then perhaps winter is for trusting that God is still at work beneath the surface. Rest is not rebellion against discipline. It is obedience to design.