Ready to begin or deepen your meditation practice? Join Dan Harris and world-class meditation teachers on the 10% with Dan Harris app here: https://app.danharris.com/membership Winter is coming — both literally (as this posts) and figuratively, in the sense that rough patches are a feature of being alive, not a bug. Today’s guest coined the term “wintering” for those down periods, wrote a bestselling book of the same name, and has thought as carefully as anyone about how to move through hard times without making them worse. Katherine May is the British bestselling author of Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times, Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age, and the newsletter and podcast The Clearing. (Note: Dan flags up front that the video quality on this one is slightly lower — stick with it, the conversation is worth it.) In this episode: – What “wintering” actually means — and why it’s a normal part of life, not a personal failing – Why the fantasy of life as an “upward graph” is both inaccurate and unhealthy – Social media, toxic positivity, and the brutality we visit on anyone bringing the mood down – Nature’s models of wintering — the trees that look dead but are the heart of the forest – Katherine’s “multifactorial debacle” year — written from the eye of the storm – Alan Watts: “running from fear is fear, running from pain is pain” – The crucial distinction between control and agency – Compassion = empathy + agency (the Buddhist reframe Dan runs with) – The Zen Peacemakers’ “philosophy of not knowing” as the first step toward meaningful action – Sharon Salzberg’s riff on apocalyptic certainty as fake comfort – Danger signaling, running rabbits, and why social media exhausts us – What Enchantment is about — and why it may be the book for right now – The rock Katherine is never without (really — she holds one up) – Katherine’s husband’s cancer, her caregiving stint, and the invisible labor nobody made space for – “Performative rest” — and the problem with “yoga girl” (and her male equivalent) – Rejecting “cold water immersion” in favor of just swimming – The “resilient edge of resistance” (Barbara Carrellas) – Rituals that still work — solstice, Imbolc, Candlemas – Why first and second sleep used to be a thing (and why your 3 AM wakeups might be totally normal) – Reading as practice — poetry and children’s books, specifically Subscribe to watch more 10% Happier videos: https://www.youtube.com/tenpercenthappier Follow Dan Harris on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/danharris/ https://www.tiktok.com/@danbharris https://www.facebook.com/DanHarrisABC https://twitter.com/danbharris https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-harris-91ba5716b/ #10PercentHappier #KatherineMay #Wintering This episode features a promo for Planet Visionaries. Anna Rathmann, executive director of the Jane Goodall Institute, helps advance a legacy of community-centered conservation. Hosted by Alex Honnold in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative — listen or watch wherever you get your podcasts. This episode is brought to you by Instant Hydration. Instant Hydration is a premium electrolyte drink mix designed to support hydration, energy, recovery, and focus — no sugar, no unnecessary additives. Go to https://www.instanthydration.com/happier and use the promo code 10HAPPIER for over 40% off your first subscription order. This episode is brought to you by Vinted. Vinted is where you can give your closet a second life — list the clothes you don’t wear anymore, with no sellers fees so you keep everything you earn. Download the Vinted app for free to start selling. This episode is brought to you by OSEA. OSEA Skincare is award-winning, clinically tested, and clean. The Dream Bio-Retinol Body Serum visibly firms and smooths. Go to https://www.oseamalibu.com and get 10% off your first order with the code HAPPIER.