If you’ve noticed yourself feeling more tired, less focused, or just not quite like yourself, you’re not alone. These darker months can be tough — but there are gentle ways to lift your spirits and find brightness in small, everyday moments.
As winter draws in and daylight fades faster, it’s completely normal to notice your energy dip. Dark mornings, long lectures, and grey skies can make everything feel a bit heavier — and you’re not imagining it. Our bodies and minds really do respond to the lack of light.
Here are a few gentle ways to look after yourself when the days feel darker — and find small sparks of light, even in the gloom.
☀️ 1. Seek Out the Light
When sunlight disappears, so can our motivation. Just a few minutes outdoors can lift your mood and help reset your body clock.
- Take a short walk between lectures — even cloudy daylight helps.
- Sit near a window when you study or eat.
- Try a daylight lamp or sunrise alarm clock if mornings feel especially hard.
Light isn’t a cure-all, but building it into your day helps your body feel more awake and your mind more balanced.
☕ 2. Build a Routine That Keeps You Steady
Dark evenings can make the days blur together. A kind routine — not a strict one — helps you stay grounded when daylight disappears.
- Keep meal and sleep times roughly consistent; it helps your energy stay even.
- Add small morning rituals that signal “daytime” — open curtains early, stretch, or listen to upbeat music.
- End your evenings with low light: a lamp, candle, or warm tea — a reminder that winding down is part of caring for yourself.
Routine gives shape to time when sunlight doesn’t.
🧡 3. Stay Connected (Even on the Dark Days)
When it’s gloomy outside, it’s easy to cocoon indoors — but that can deepen the sense of isolation. Connection brings warmth that light alone can’t.
- Eat with flatmates or friends, even once or twice a week.
- Drop by an SU event or society meet-up — you don’t have to stay long.
- Message someone you haven’t spoken to lately. You might be brightening their day, too.
Human warmth is its own kind of light.
🍂 4. Find Comfort in the Season
If the darkness feels heavy, look for small ways to make it feel softer.
- Light a candle or fairy lights to make your space feel warm and calm.
- Keep an “autumn comfort” playlist — gentle, cosy, familiar.
- Make a ritual of something that lifts you: journalling, reading, or hot chocolate before bed.
You can’t control the dark outside, but you can create light where you are.
💬 5. Reach Out for Support
If darker days start to feel like darker thoughts, you don’t have to face them alone.
Help and understanding are always available.
- University Wellbeing Service — free, confidential support.
- Your SU — wellbeing campaigns, safe spaces, and student-led peer chats.
- Samaritans (116 123) or Mind — free, 24/7 support whenever you need to talk.
Light comes back — and sometimes, reaching out helps it return a little sooner.
The darker months can feel endless, but they will pass.
Until then, look for light in small things — a friendly face, a warm drink, a walk under campus lamps.
Be gentle with yourself. You deserve brightness, even in the dim days. 💛