As the tilt of the earth’s axis faces away from the solar warmth of the sun, winter once again approaches; it is expected and, in many regions, welcomed, especially after record high temperatures being reached. Seasons are essential ecological cyclical markers, even as they fluctuate, adapting to changing local and global climates. They influence the natural rhythms of plant and animal hibernation, of powering down and resting up for new seasons of growth. 

‘Winter rest’ (from the German term Winterruhe) is a necessary state of saving energy during winter weather conditions for plant and animal kingdoms.

Perennial plants remain dormant, losing their stems and leaves, with winter conditions providing the necessary reset they need for growth. The importance of a winter reset has been studied in spring blooms in the arctic circle, showing the correlation between winter dormancy and subsequent plant growth. 

In a similar way, mammals, insects and amphibians hibernate by going into a deep state of rest, which is different from sleeping, by slowing down their metabolism and moving less frequently. The dwarf lemur of Madagascar during hibernation is able to slow their heart rates from beating 300 times in a minute to only six times, which also reduces their breathing and means they are able to conserve energy during this state. 

We are also affected; neuroscientific research supports the theory that humans adjust their sleeping habits depending on the season. Which supports the idea that rest is more necessary in the winter months to sustain our energy levels and can prevent potential burnout.

Letting land lie fallow, a principal practice in permaculture of ceasing production during a period of time, enhances carbon stocks, soil quality, biodiversity and overall ecosystem health.

Unplanned ecological restoration occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, where global halts in production and transportation saw marine life returning to harbour cities, air pollution levels dropping in urban areas, and water quality at popular beaches radically improving.

Everything is connected to everything else; our environmental vulnerability equates to our human vulnerability; the links between ourselves and nature are prominent even if capitalism overlooks these; we are influenced by nature’s rhythms and cycles.

Agnes Dene’s 1982 Wheatfield in New York City opened up a discussion that transcended art and ecology about capitalist models around rest and production. By sowing a wheat field on land worth 4.2 billion dollars just a few blocks down from Wall Street, she raised questions about our misplaced priorities around resources, energy and economics.

Ceasing to produce and reduce is not only necessary for ecological and planetary health; it is also necessary for general human wellbeing.

Resting as an act of resistance against progress and capitalism has been re-indicated by social movements like The Nap Ministry, promoting viewing humanity as more than their output. We understand that planetary resources are limited, though we do not see our own human resources in the same light. Conventional growth ideologies linger; this pace and rhythm are based on functioning at a capacity where excess energy and resources are consumed. Our sense of production and efficiency is related to how we understand time and the value we place on using it for financial gain.

The need for rest is not purely physical but also mental. Rest and idleness provide space and time for our brains to be in a default mode, where our thinking is more flexible and innovative. We are able to act on the unexpected when we allow space for boredom, which can be an integral part in how we create, as in the case of writer and artist Herve Tullet practice. We are living in a content-heavy age where we are able to consume media exponentially, leaving little space for mental idleness or boredom.

Refraining or limiting consuming content and media gives us more space to think and is used in aiding one’s own creativity, a tool in Julia Cameron’s The Artists Way. A concept that has morphed into organised gatherings based around disconnection from social media and the internet into connection with others.

In rest and recuperation, there is also the necessary and natural ebb and flow of creating, being and living.

We do not possess endless energy to exponentially keep going; even in our successes, we need rest, to stop and pause. After a super successful year, screenwriter comedian Rosa Matafeo said that while she was grateful for every opportunity that she’d had, she just wanted to lie down. A sentiment that was echoed by Kpop band BTS while on their world tour, around how success can bring lethargy and the constant need to rest.

 Artist and activist Yoko Ono Sleeping Piece I take the need for rest one step further by writing instructions to outsource our to-do list while we sleep.

Sleeping Piece I

Write all the things you want to do.

Ask others to do them and sleep

until they finish doing them.

Sleep as long as you can.

1960 winter

Yoko Ono

Grapefruit A book of instructions and drawings

Certain times of the year production and productivity can go against our own resources, where we just need to take it back to the basics. In the words of a friend, this means eating nutritious food, getting some joy and resting.

There are moments when we need to make space for life’s winters; by doing less, it may last for hours, days, or months.

Moments of rest and idleness can provide a deeper connection, whether that is within a community, an urban space, in agricultural practices, or in slower forms of communication, allowing time to digest information and absorb it. 

A paradigm shift of viewing rest as a necessity for general human, ecological and planetary wellbeing transforms the ideology we have around the finite nature of resources and energy. We are influenced by the natural cycles and rhythms of rest, recuperation and idleness.

 “We are co-natural with the world and it with us, but we only ever see it partially.” Nan Shepherd. While the environmental dimension may sometimes be missing from our knowledge, behavior and actions, the links between ourselves and it are always present.

As the ground cools under our feet and frost and snow cover begin to blanket it, we can embrace this season of rest and restoration just like the flora and fauna who are already lying dormant in states of hibernation.

Words by Anna Borrie