The Dissident’s Winter Survival Kit

~ a summary based on a fantastic piece on Substack by Lady Libertie. Please take some time read the original piece as it has great links included.

Winter is often the season when "bone-deep fatigue" sets in for those pushing back against power. In a world that feels increasingly cold, staying human is a political act— and staying joyful is an act of rebellion. To survive the season of civic collapse and holiday pretension, we need more than "self-care fluff"; we need rituals that feed the inner fire.

Here is a survival kit for the dissident heart:

• Light with Intent: Lighting a candle or a stove is a quiet oath. It signals that you are still here, still paying attention, and still choosing the light.
  

• Claim Your Sanctuary: Create one "true human place"—a chair, a lamp, a blanket—where your nervous system can finally unclench. You deserve a sanctuary, even if it’s only sixty square inches.
  

• Choose Slowness: Systems of power thrive on overstimulation. Making something hot—tea, broth, or soup—forces a mental slow-down that functions as resistance.
  

• Practice Micro-Connection: Send one sincere note to a comrade or a stranger who fortified you this year. Strengthening these threads keeps movements from fraying.
  

• Prune Your Burdens: Winter is for letting go. Pick one argument or one troll you are no longer responsible for. You cannot pour from a frozen pitcher.

Remember the Solstice Logic: the dark never wins; it just gets dramatic before the light returns. Your hope is a seed gathering strength in the winter soil.

Stay sturdy—the spring will need you.

Download this page to print and hang in your home.