I Think Winter Needs a Rebrand

I think winter needs a rebrand.
A full PR overhaul AND a new campaign team.

Last year I flew back to Denmark from Nigeria on New Year’s Day. I cried most of the flight from Lagos to Paris. Ended up getting the flu a couple of days later (of course!). I was depressed for most of January and February and only really came out of that tunnel around March time. The months passed in a grey blur of sadness, loneliness, and the kind of quiet that makes your thoughts echo louder than they should. There were many reasons for feeling low. I was rebuilding. Alone. Trying to make new friends. Far from loved ones. Just feeling lost. And let’s be honest – the darkness and cold amplified those feelings like they were on steroids. Winter depression is real. 

Contrast it with starting this year. 

I started the year surrounded by family and friends, soaking up the Lagos sunshine and the chaos, noise, fumes – LIFE! – that the city have to offer.  I came back to Copenhagen in the most chaotic way possible (I absolutely DESPISE CDG airport!), but still full of energy and joy. 

Since coming back, I’ve been watching the temperature slide down steadily (and aggressively!), and somehow it’s become a running joke rather than a reason to spiral. Nothing major shifted in my life this year – no breakthrough moment. Just a quiet realisation that winter is not a plot twist. I can’t go on hating something that shows up every year, on schedule, whether I’m ready or not. It’s unavoidable. Consistent, even – almost impressively so.

So it’s time to rebrand winter. 

No longer is it just a time that we need to endure but instead let’s celebrate it. Make it what you want it to be. 

It can be a season of healing. 

Or rest. 

Slowing down. 

Rejuvenation. 

Reflection. 

Recalibration. 

Even strategic hibernation. 

Friends…I can’t believe I’m saying this but winter might actually be…fun?

Hear me out: I’ve been hanging out with friends. Brunching like it’s my job (wait, isn’t it? Cos here’s My Copenhagen Brunch Guide!). Even my workload hasn’t fully crushed my spirit, and God knows it’s trying even though we’ve not even finished January. Everyday, I drag myself out into the cold (with resistance and heavy resentment), but once I’m at my destination – be it work, brunch, Pilates, church, whatever – I’m genuinely happy to be there. I hate the journey, but love the destination. Winter can have the cold. I’m keeping the joy.

And there ARE ways to enjoy the cold. I went through them in My Winter Survival Guide. It basically comes down to this – think of all the things you like to do to feel cosy and happy… and then start doing them. 

Maybe I’m glowing because I’ve just come back from the sunshine and an incredible time with family. Maybe it’s because one of my resolutions this year is to actively find joy in everything (CLICK HERE FOR ALL 50 RESOLUTIONS). Or…Maybe I’m just done letting the season determine my mood and happiness levels.

I’m determined to make life whimsical and magical for me in every season, because I deserve a magical and whimsical life. You do too. We all do.

So have you made peace with winter yet, or are you still just enduring it? What would your winter rebrand look like?

CLICK HERE FOR MY WINTER SURVIVAL GUIDE

LET’S CONQUER WINTER TOGETHER!