6 Sunny Ways to Add Light to Daylight Savings Season With Poetry

Standard time is here and the days are getting colder and darker. You might feel yourself shifting into hermit mode, going to bed early, and craving later sunsets—and you might even be one of the millions of Americans struggling with seasonal depression. If you’re stocking up on sun lamps and making sure to add that midday walk reminder to your Google calendar, we have another suggestion for your wintertime survival kit: Poetry. Here are a few ways it can brighten up these gloomier days or help you find meaning in the darkness.

Create your ideal writing space. 

Winter is the season of hunkering down indoors—so make your space one that energizes, affirms, or relaxes you. If you’re feeling ambitious, undertake a full room makeover, or incorporate simple, budget-friendly touches, like a fun mug to store your writing utensils in, a new piece of literary wall art, quirky bookends, or a candle that smells like a bookshop. Need more inspo? Check out our ideas for tools you should add to your writing station. 

Explore themes of darkness and light. 

Nature has a way of making the metaphorical themes in poetry come to life in more literal and observable ways, helping us tangibly connect with them. Darkness, light, the sun, and the moon play big symbolic roles in poetry throughout history. Embrace the duality and cyclical imagery of the time change with topical yet timeless collections by Wilder or our round-up of poetry to read ahead of the winter solstice. 

Pair poetry with your favorite media for a multi-sensory experience.

With the darkness outside, winter binge-watches just got better. Love settling back into your go-to comfort show? Check out our suggestions of poetry collections, such as Gilmore Girls, Heartstopper, Stranger Things, or other favorites, to pair with your go-to comfort show and indulge even more deeply in its atmosphere and vibe of a winter night in.

Get outside – with poetry for company. 

When the daylight hours become scarcer, seizing and making the most of them can help. Take a walk, jog, or outdoor meditation session during your lunch break or between tasks in your daily routine, and consider bringing your headphones and one of our audiobook recommendations along. 

Find community virtually or in-person. 

Connecting with others can boost your energy. Make this the season you join or start a writing workshop, attend an open mic and venture into the slam poetry community, go to local readings, or even just exchange your own creative work or your best book recommendations in the group chat. 

Set a writing goal that drives and inspires you.

Setting goals gives you something to work toward and to anticipate. Have you been wanting to polish a manuscript for publication, enter a poetry contest, or submit to magazines and journals? Challenge yourself to take steps toward these aims—and make sure you reward yourself with each milestone. 

Need more poetry content for these dark days? Check out our Noah Kahan poetry pairings for your “season of the sticks,” or cozy up with our poetry collections that give off Hallmark movie vibes.