Snowed In, Still Caring: A Therapist's Take on Rest without Disengaging

Let’s get one thing out of the way:

A snowstorm does not magically cancel the state of the world.

The emails and headlines don’t stop.

The hard conversations don’t disappear.

The grief, outrage, responsibility, and care you hold don’t suddenly melt because it’s quiet outside.

If anything, snow can make the contrast sharper...

You’re still someone who shows up.

You’re still someone who cares.

You’re still someone who feels impacted by what’s broken, unjust, or painful in the world.

The snow doesn’t remove that.

But it can change how you carry it—for a moment.

When You Care Deeply, There’s No True “Off Switch”

A lot of people I work with—helpers, parents, therapists, leaders, organizers, artists, people who give a damn—feel guilty resting when things are hard “out there.”

There’s this quiet pressure that says:

If I stop, I’m disengaging.

If I slow down, I’m abandoning something important.

If I feel okay for a moment, I’m ignoring reality.

But that’s not how nervous systems—or meaningful work—actually function.

Caring is not a sprint.

And burnout doesn’t make the world better.

Snow as Containment, Not Avoidance

Here’s the reframe I love and try to practice myself:

Snow doesn’t ask you to stop caring.

It offers containment.

Containment is different from avoidance.

It’s saying:

• I still know what’s happening…

• I still care deeply…

• AND for the next few hours or days, my nervous system gets a smaller frame. I get to be myself outside the context as helper, healer, advocate, and "doer".

Snow naturally shrinks your world:

Your radius gets tighter.

Your expectations lower.

Your pace more honest.

That’s not quitting. That’s sustainability.

Using the Snow to Your Advantage (Without Disappearing)

This might look like:

• Doing the work, but with fewer inputs (less news, less scrolling, less urgency)

• Letting the storm be a socially acceptable reason to protect your energy

• Matching your output to your capacity instead of your ideals

• Allowing rest in between meaningful action, not instead of it

"I You can:

• Feel deeply impacted by what’s happening in the world

• AND enjoy the quiet of snow hitting the ground

You can:

• Keep doing meaningful work

• AND let your body soften for a day or longer

You can:

• Be aware

• Without being flooded

This isn’t spiritual bypassing.

It’s nervous system literacy.

Meeting Yourself Where You Are (Again, But More Honestly)

Meeting yourself where you are doesn’t mean giving up.

It means asking:

• What’s the most realistic way I can keep caring today?

• What helps me stay human instead of hardened?

• What makes me light up with joy?

Sometimes that answer is:

• One thoughtful action instead of ten reactive ones

• One real conversation instead of doom-scrolling

• One cup of something warm while you gather yourself again

• Playing a Spotify playlist of your favorites and singing so loud your neighbors raise an eyebrow of concern or perhaps cheer you on :)

Snow Melts. The Work Continues.

The pause is temporary.

The care remains.

The rest is an important as the work.

The world will ask things of you again soon enough.

Using snow to ground yourself isn’t avoidance—it’s preparation.

Because people who are resourced:

• think more clearly

• act more intentionally

• stay in the work longer

• are fueled by little collective joys day-to-day

So if it’s snowing where you are, let the quiet do some of the holding. You don’t have to carry everything all at once. Adults deserve carefree snow days too.

You can care deeply and rest.

You can feel impacted and take shelter.

Both are part of staying in this for the long haul.

Let the winter soften your edges, not because the world is easy, but because you are human and meant to keep going gently.

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Erica Wilcox, LPC is an award-winning, EMDRIA-approved consultant and Certified EMDR Therapist based in East Hampton, Connecticut. She is the founder of Wilcox Wellness Center for Personal Growth and is known for her work in intensive EMDR therapy. Erica speaks nationally and internationally on mental health and wellness, and supports clients from across the country who travel to Connecticut for immersive, self-directed EMDR intensives focused on deep healing and restoration.

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